Thorns and roses
Jan 1, 2019 12:19:47 #
THORN: It’s been 17 years since the 9/11 attacks. We’ve been waging war ever since, mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of Dec. 26, the Pentagon’s tally of U.S. military ca- sualties stood at 6,957. This means another 55 soldiers, sailors and Marines died in 2018.
Except for the deaths of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein and terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, most Americans would be hard pressed to say what’s been accomplished. The only positive is a negative: there hasn’t been a 9/11-type attack on U.S. civilians since 2001.
Is it any wonder that Trump wants to pull our troops back. We need no more needless deaths
ROSE: But even the Dow and the deficit couldn’t blot out some sunnier economic trends:
- ing 2018’s first three quarters, the U.S. is on track to hit its highest calendar-year rate of
growth in 13 years.
unemployment is down to 3.7 percent.
“The employment picture hasn’t looked this good
in half a century,” writes Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council in 2017-18. He attributes these trends to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted by Congress and signed by President Trump before Christmas a year ago.
“There are those who argue the tax law is bad for the economy because it decreases revenues, leading
to an even bigger budget deficit,” Cohn acknowledges. But he notes that federal revenues increased slightly in 2018 due to the improved economy. “The U.S. doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem,” Cohn explains. “Until the government can get its spending under control, the deficit will continue to grow.”
Nonetheless, he adds, “as we head into the New Year, it’s a great time to invest in America, to find a good job, and to plan for a better economic future.”
Except for the deaths of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein and terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, most Americans would be hard pressed to say what’s been accomplished. The only positive is a negative: there hasn’t been a 9/11-type attack on U.S. civilians since 2001.
Is it any wonder that Trump wants to pull our troops back. We need no more needless deaths
ROSE: But even the Dow and the deficit couldn’t blot out some sunnier economic trends:
- ing 2018’s first three quarters, the U.S. is on track to hit its highest calendar-year rate of
growth in 13 years.
unemployment is down to 3.7 percent.
“The employment picture hasn’t looked this good
in half a century,” writes Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council in 2017-18. He attributes these trends to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted by Congress and signed by President Trump before Christmas a year ago.
“There are those who argue the tax law is bad for the economy because it decreases revenues, leading
to an even bigger budget deficit,” Cohn acknowledges. But he notes that federal revenues increased slightly in 2018 due to the improved economy. “The U.S. doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem,” Cohn explains. “Until the government can get its spending under control, the deficit will continue to grow.”
Nonetheless, he adds, “as we head into the New Year, it’s a great time to invest in America, to find a good job, and to plan for a better economic future.”
Jan 1, 2019 12:41:22 #
Jan 2, 2019 16:24:14 #
Peewee
Loc: San Antonio, TX
debeda wrote:
GOOD post, thanks!!! 
Hum, government shutdown equals no spending, Trumps a genius.
Jan 2, 2019 17:58:50 #
Peewee wrote:
Hum, government shutdown equals no spending, Trumps a genius.
Shh! It's a secret!
Jan 2, 2019 18:00:54 #
Jan 2, 2019 20:22:20 #
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