For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. The Labor Department reported last week that 144,000 payroll jobs were created in August. Let's put that in perspective. The number was below market forecasts. It was also below the number of jobs needed to accommodate the growth in the employment-aged population. In short, this was not good news. It's only by the diminished job-creation standards that have prevailed since the last recession that any positive spin could be put on last month's performance. As the Economic Policy Institute tells us, in a book-length report it is releasing today: "The United...