Hmmm...it is surprising to most common citizens to note that the economy's doing well when each day they hear of someone else or the other who's out of work. But macro-economic statistic and projections are like that...and they can be notoriously difficult to observe on the ground.

The defense-spending link is interesting...although I think Halliburton etc. winning oil+blood contracts must have led to some workers getting benefitted too as their work(reconstruction) is by nature, labour-intensive?

And if jobless claims are down then that must mean more companies are hiring, or lifting recruitment freezes nah?
Jivha | Homepage | 08.01.03 - 5:26 am | #

i think it's horribly misleading for our political economists to say that defense/offense spending is keeping our economy afloat. last night the ticker on CNN kept reporting that b/c of military spending the economy rose 2.5% in the last quarter (or something like that) -- but wait -- what about the impact the Iraq war is having on the national DEFICIT?? where did that information go? short term vs. long term, people. THINK.
leblanc | Homepage | 08.01.03 - 12:18 pm | #