MORE "GOOD NEWS" ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT

With unemployment creeping up to 5% the jobs picture doesn't look good. But it's even worse if we consider job growth under President Bush through early 2006 owed more to public sector job growth, rather than private sector job growth.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, we need to start asking, How many of the two million jobs created during the Bush years can be attributed to tax cuts and how many are a product of increased government spending?

This is a question I don't think Team Bush wants asked.

But wait. There's more ...

One additional point: To be considered unemployed in America you actually have to be looking for a job. The job picture is so bleak the number of people who quit looking for work, and are no longer counted as unemployed, has gone up - by more than 2.5 million people. If you add this number to the unemployment picture, the unemployment rate is actually 6.5 - 7%. Nice.

- Mark