Cheeseburger_in_paradise

When are you gonna give it a rest, and start hammering on the next president--McCain, like some in your croud.

What? You never saw "The Dirty Dozen"?

Truly one of the great ones, despite his politics. Maybe he's just blinded by the light.

The 'Recession' Is a Media Myth Monday , March 31, 2008 By John R. Lott, Jr. During the 2000 election, with Bill Clinton as president, the economy was viewed through rose-colored glasses. According to polls, voters didn’t realize that the country was in a recession. Although the economy started shrinking in July 2000, most Americans through the entire year thought that the economy was fine. But over the last half-year, the media and politicians have said we were in a recession even while the economy was still growing. Gas prices are going up. The economy is slowing. Talk of recession is seemingly everywhere. While the majority of people rate their personal finances positively, consumer confidence in the economy has plunged to a 16-year low, well below what it was during the last year of the Clinton administration when we were in a recession. A Google search on news stories during the three-month period from July 2000 through September 2000 using the keywords “economy recession US” produces 1,610. By contrast, the same search over just the last month finds 50,763. Or, even more telling, take the three months from July through September last year, when the GDP was growing at a phenomenal 4.9 percent. The same type of Google search shows 7,310 news stories. Over 4.5 times more negative news stories discussed a recession when the economy under a Republican was soaring than occurred under a Democrat when the economy was shrinking. A little perspective on the economy would be helpful. The average unemployment rate during President Clinton was 5.2 percent. The average under President George W. Bush is just slightly below 5.2. The current unemployment rate is4.8 percent, almost half a percentage point lower than these averages. The average inflation rate under Clinton was 2.6 percent, under Bush it is 2.7 percent. Indeed, one has to go back to the Kennedy administration to find a lower average rate. True the inflation rate over the last year has gone up to 4 percent, but that is still lower than the average inflation rate under all the presidents from Nixon through Bush’s father. Gas prices are indeed up 33 percent over the last year, but to get an average of 4 percent means that lots of other prices must have stayed the same or gone down. On other fronts, seasonally adjusted civilian employment is 650,000 people greater than it was a year ago. Personal income grew at a strong half of one percent in just February. Despite all that, this last week, Barack Obama proclaimed “As most experts know, our economy is in a recession.” Hillary Clinton made similar staements last fall. Yet, as any economist knows, a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth, and we haven’t even had one single quarter of negative growth reported. The economy slowed down significantly during the end of last year, but that was after a sizzling annual GDP growth rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter. Housing has obviously been a big drag on the economy, but many other sectors of the economy, such as exports, have been doing well, some extremely well. For example, aerospace exports increased by over 13 percent last year. The media’s focus on the negative side of everything surely helps explain people’s pessimism. In a recent interview Fox’s Neil Cavuto claimed this bias “is all part of the media’s plan to get a Democrat in the White House.” Indeed, research has indicated that media bias is real. Kevin Hassett and I looked at 12,620 newspaper and wire service headlines from 1985 through 2004 for stories on the release of official government releasing numbers on the unemployment rate, number of people employed, gross domestic product (GDP), retail sales, and durable goods. Even after accounting for how well the economy was doing (e.g., what the unemployment rate was and whether it was going up or down), there was still a big difference in how positive or negative the headlines were. Democratic presidents got about 15 percent more positive headlines than Republicans for the same economic news. Yet, the hysteria created by this coverage can have another cost. It creates pressure for government to “do something,” even if that rush to do something actually ends up hurting the economy. For example, Obama's promises last week “to amend our bankruptcy laws so families aren't forced to stick to the terms of a home loan” will only further drive down the value of mortgage-backed securities, making any unstable financial institutions that hold them even more likely to fail. In the long term, who is going to want to loan money when the contract can be rewritten at a later date? The news media have generated a lot of fear. Ben Stein has a point when he says “The actual economic conditions are not that bad. I think if we have a recession, if we have a serious recession, a great deal will lie at the media’s feet.” Hopefully a little perspective will enter the picture before even more harm is done. John Lott is the author of Freedomnomics and a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland.

Maybe this is some kind of "back up" plan...

Have pulled this one a few times over the years. Leave someone a message to please call an L.C. DeCow at the telephone number for a local Bordens dairy. You would be surprised how many people fall for it and actually call Bordens and ask to speak with Elsey the cow.

How are a nine volt battery and a woman's !@#$ alike? Because even though you know it's wrong...sooner or later, your toung finds its way onto one.

I always liked the one about the two gay irishmen...Michael Fitzpatrick and Patrick FitzMichael.

There used to be a place in brockport, right on the barge canal, call "Barge Inn." Orlando had a place called "Warm Beer and Lousy Food."

Only had one experience. An '82 Toyaota Celica. And it proved to be a great car. Those particular cars tend to be great cars. Overall, one of the best and most trouble free I ever had. Got great resale price when I sold it too. But everything is a crap shoot.

Morty and Saul, are out one afternoon on a lake when their boat starts sinking. Saul the banker says to Morty, "So listen, Morty, you know I don't swim so well." Morty remembered how to carry another swimmer from his lifeguard class when he was just a kid. So Morty begins tugging Saul toward shore. After twenty minutes, he begins to tire. Finally about 50 feet from shore, Morty asks Saul, "So Saul, do you suppose you could float alone?" Saul replies, "Morty, this is a heck of a time to be asking for money!"

Light green, or dark green?

where did he go?

saw Fox's response on CNN. Pretty classy and I have to agree with everything he said.

From what I heard, it's about using his affliction to help defeat republican candidates, by dishonestly claiming they are not in favor of research that might find cures for various diseases. Just same old politcs stuff. Like claiming republicans want to starve children, burn black churches, throw old people out in the street...So what's new?

Planes fly over and into heavy populated areas all the time. That doesn't exactly mean air space is not protected? That's not to say a stadium crash won't one day happen.

commedian Steven Wright reveiled his theory about the cause of global warming....it came about because of the end of the cold war.

He still is playing for Carolina on Sunday, right?

Well said. And it's my understanding that English is not an easy language to learn as an adult. So those that have learned it are really trying.

Wooooaaa there buddy. Bill hasn't made it as First Lady yet.

How did your kid do? I'd probaly write the letter. Maybe you get a free night next time.

Playing to his own audience. Singing to his own chior. Like when the Dems say absolutely rediculous things about Bush. The believers will believe. Of course, I have heard stories about people who get super human strength under certain situations, like a car fell on their loved one and they are able to pick it up off them.

Nice Nick

Murdered her driver, as I recall.

Yes. But I wouldn't want to paint it.