Free Republic

Xmas Sales Did Not Tank So why is everyone reporting that they did? By Timothy Noah Posted Thursday, December 26, 2002, at 1:51 PM PT Journalists who write about government spending get clobbered on a regular basis for using the term "budget cut" to describe a smaller-than-expected rate of increase. Why don't business writers get clobbered for doing the same thing when they tally holiday spending? "Retailers Face Worst Holiday in 30 Years," proclaimed the Washington Post on Dec. 24. "Shoppers had told polling organizations earlier that they would spend less this year than last year, and they probably did,"...