The staying power of an odd recession

Financial Times ^ | April 20 2003 19:24 | By Robert Reich

[philetus]

"the US economy continues to lose jobs at a remarkable rate. The last two monthly job reports, for February and March, show a combined loss of almost half a million jobs. So far, this recession has spawned the longest continuous decline in jobs in half a century."

It's not the recession causing the decline in jobs.
It's politics.
It's not the decline of jobs causing the recession.
It's politics.

Polititians have made it too difficult and costly for American businesses to conduct business in the several states.
Just my own opinion

[The FRugitive]

Yea, I was wondering the same thing when I read that...as I recall it seemed that was the beginning of the end.

That and the Microsoft anti-trust case.

Our gov't likes to punish success.

[AntiGuv]

There have been no quarters of negative growth under Bush Two.

This statement is false on its face. The first three quarters of 2001 were all characterized by negative GDP.

[AntiGuv]

Make that "negative 'growth' GDP"...

[lone star annie]

Right they hiked rates 6 times in 18 months. In addition, Clinton cooked the books which hid the fact the economy was slipping in 1999 and into 2000.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

For easy reference from the Bureau of Economic Analysis - National Income and Product Accounts Tables

Table 1.2. Real Gross Domestic Product
[Billions of chained (1996) dollars] Seasonally adjusted at annual rates

Line		1999    I	1999    II	1999    III	1999    IV	2000    I	2000    II	2000    III	2000    IV	2001    I	2001    II	2001    III	2001    IV	2002    I	2002    II	2002    III	2002    IV
1	Real GDP	8,733.2	8,775.5	8,886.9	9,040.1	9,097.4	9,205.7	9,218.7	9,243.8	9,229.9	9,193.1	9,186.4	9,248.8	9,363.2	9,392.4	9,485.6	9,518.2

Caution on the use of chained-dollar NIPA estimates

[ThePythonicCow]

Bush, in addition to being a third rate President, was Reagan's biggest mistake.

Well ... I don't know if it was his biggest mistake.

I would agree he was a lackluster President and a substantial mistake of Reagan's, but for one thing.

If GHWB hadn't been #41, good chance GWB wouldn't have been #43. We went through Klintoon hell to get here, but we got a good man in the White House now.

[caltrop]

While I agree almost anybody looks good compared to Clinton, I can't get too excited by either Bush. Unlike Reagan, neither Bush has been able to figure out that government's the problem, not the solution.