Quote Originally Posted by Xiahou
Talk about fantasy...


Google for any legitimate news story on the subject. Even in light of unusually high energy prices, economists predict steady, sustainable economic growth will continue. I can't understand for the life of me how the Dems have been able to perpetuate the myth that the economy is in bad shape- lots of help from the media helps I guess.
Actually, if you look at a chart going back farther, this neatly proves my point as well. Growth was higher on averge before, the current level is anemic and not the sort of return on investment that we are accustomed to in the US. If the tax refund theory was accurate, growth would need to be far higher to increase profits and offset the loss in tax revenue. Most federal revenue actually comes from employment taxes which are less variable. (The federal budget can be an interesting read at times.)

This link might prove helpful (has lots of charts.) http://www.thechartstore.com/html/Economic%20Samples.pdf Take a look at capacity utilization. That number is as real as it gets. You can also see GDP running ~5% throughout most of Clinton's administration.

The current oil/energy price rises weren't unforseen. They were discounted as a possibility by those in industry and govt, but not unforseen. I hear the same sort of denial about the possibility of a rise above $60 at the moment. Wish I could find a clear indicator of when, I could easily make good money off ot it. I failed to follow my instinct last time around, and that was a mistake.