US economic growth revised upwards for end for 2010 (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

The US economy grew faster than first thought in the final months of 2010, according to the Commerce Department.

Growth figures for the fourth quarter of 2010 have been revised upward to 3.1% from the 2.8% previously reported.

The rise was put down to more companies re-stocking and buying more plant and equipment than was believed.

Economists will welcome the news, although the economy is expected show slower growth in the first quarter of 2011, in part due to higher oil prices.

For the final three months of 2010, consumer spending grew at an annual rate of 4%, the strongest quarter for four years.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12863703

[Newest Reality]

1. Anybody seeing results of said,

around them? You know, in the real, non-financial, concrete world of friends, relatives and actual signs of growth?

I see more houses for sale. I see friends glad they made it through another month and who really need some health care in this age group but who go online to find whatever cheap or natural cure that might help. I see people in extreme debt actually sweating while they put on a smile and try to pretend things are alright ... for now.

I talk to and read about people like myself who are dangling from the edge of it all and living with only the certainty of uncertainty. We have exhausted nearly every option and have no safety net or reason to hope for anything at all at this point. Thinking about the future becomes something you have to stop yourself from doing because it is so empty and grim, living for today just has to be enough. Yes, you ARE on you own! No help will be coming, yet if you do scrape up a buck or two, here or there, you will pay some taxes to help the rich and the corporations with every purchase of food, etc.

Gone are those ideas of a better time that you used to be able to resort to. All that matters now is being able to make it to the next day with the barest of necessities and that's all you call success. Suicide seems much easier than this struggle, but you can't yet deal with all the reasons why it is wrong or bad or whatever. No, this little hell is your lot and your fate and it seems that the world you grew-up in agrees now. You are getting what you deserve and you are where you belong ... Hell on Earth?

I hear people actually saying the word revolution out loud and talking about the details because they get it now and are frustrated and know that there will be no solutions from expected places.

[fasttense]

2. What I have noticed.

The people around us are having a harder and harder time getting by.

But, the friend and relatives who had money to begin with are getting richer. They are not skimping and they think all is well. They think poor people are just too lazy.

In the midst of the 1st Republican Great Depression GDP rose. It would take another 6 years before the Depression was over but GDP remained on the positive side (until FDR tried to balance the budget) for most of the Depression.

We have 2 Americas and the poorer one is crumbling.

[jtuck004]

3. LOL. On the whole, Lewis Black is funnier, but this isn't bad... eom

[JohnWxy]

4. making it imperative to The Corporate Lobbyist Party to make sure they shut down the Government

or get large cuts to current budget. Last ditch effort to kill any recovery we can muster to their Trickle-Down Deregulation Disaster.