You might not know it from the acrimonious political debate on cable and broadcast TV, or on talk radio, or on websites and blogs. But here's a counterintuitive observation: Amidst all the negativism out there, I believe optimism is in the air. That's right. Optimism. Sometimes you have to search for it, or read it in the fine print. But I believe the political economy is getting better, not worse. Let me make a few points to defend what most folks believe is an indefensible position. The stock market is hitting record highs daily, returning a tremendous amount of wealth...