You know that economy thing? Well, it just keeps getting better all the time (cue Beetles song). NPR is reporting this morning (based on an AP survey) that economists are now seeing the economy improving FASTER than they had been expecting just two months ago.
AP Survey: More Optimism About US Jobs And Economy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy is improving faster than economists had expected. They now foresee slightly stronger growth and hiring than they did two months earlier — trends that would help President Barack Obama's re-election hopes.
So, despite all of the roadblocks being put up by the right, things continue to improve and the signs are there that they will continue to improve through November. It's a shame that we can't have the sorts of policy (increased public spending, hiring, construction, etc) that would drive this recovery faster, but the current climate pretty much makes that impossible.
Which is, of course, why we all need to get out and rock the vote. Take back the House and strengthen our control of the Senate so that Obama will have the tools he needs to drive things forward in 2013 and beyond.
I'd also like to add a personal observation to the above linked economic survey. This past weekend I had to go to a local Apple store at the mall to get the back on my iPhone replaced and to buy a birthday present for my son who just turned 19. This is a mall at which I have shopped many times over the years, most recently just before Christmas and then again in January when I needed a new jacket for a business trip.
Let me tell you, Christmas time was depressing, the place was empty. A ghost town. January wasn't much different, but to some degree that was to be expected, it was post holiday rushes and even post the holiday return season. Still, the lack of people was really startling.
This Saturday it was a completely different story. The parking lot was packed, cars every where. And once we go inside, it was just as packed. People everywhere, kids, parents, old people. Every table in the food court was occupied, stores were overflowing with people. At the Apple store I had to wade through the crowd to get to the Genius Bar and I actually had to WAIT to get serviced. It was a mad house. Gotta say, it was a nice change from December and January.