Praxair is by no means a strong buy in this market. I agree that the industrial gas industry is resistant to a recession, but by no means immune. Praxair's gas sales are off by about 40% from last year and they are looking to dump many of their healthcare customers due to increasing costs and decreasing medicare reimbursement. Obama's new healthcare plan is only going to hurt this company more. If you are looking for a strong by in this market, look towards Airgas.