Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Open Newmark's Door and look what you find.

Craig Newmark at Newmark's Door is constantly posting "shorties" that lead us to important information we don’t often find in MSM.

Here's one of today's "shorties":

Michael Barone writes that we can understand why the pessimists were wrong about the American economy 25 years ago by looking at the fall of GM and the rise of Wal-Mart.
Follow the link to Barone's column and you'll read:
The American economy continues to surge ahead, though you won't read much about it in mainstream media. Economic growth in the third quarter was 4.1 percent--despite Hurricane Katrina!--the 10th consecutive quarter with growth over 3 percent. Unemployment is 5.0 percent--lower than the average for the 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s. Since April 2003 the economy has created a net 5.1 million new jobs.
Core inflation is only 2.1 percent, and gas prices, which surged above $3 a gallon after Katrina, are now down around $2. Productivity growth for the five-year period of 2000-2005 is 3.4 percent, the highest of any five-year period in 50 years.

This is a remarkable performance and owes something surely to the Bush tax cuts and to Alan Greenspan's stewardship at the Federal Reserve. But it also tells us something broader about the American economy. Mainstream media coverage about the economy tends to be full of bad news, especially during Republican administrations, and to focus on economic problems.
Barone has a lot more to say, including his thoughts regarding why GM fell as Wal-Mart rose. You can read it here.

And don't forget to keep knocking on Newmark's Door.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Only the most stupid commentator would find comparability between a GM and Wal-Mart job

Anonymous said...

Siding for Your Home..Great new Web Site on royal vinyl siding royal vinyl siding If you are looking for royal vinyl siding royal vinyl siding We can help....... Visit ud today at http://allhousesiding.com/home.pl?ceda=seamless&stucco=off