in Congress would get off their rumps and start doing something to create more public sector jobs. Then we'd really start to be in business (pun intended). But of course, that's out of the question since they want "limited government" (unless we're talking about what people do in their bedrooms).

and they didn't do shit.

As little as a year ago, there were 89.6 million people not in the labor force according to the BLS. This year, the number is up to 91.7 million, which granted is down from the 92 million from last month.

Again, these are the numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So we have more people not in the labor force than just a year ago, but things aren't as bad as think they are? That's like saying that the patient is dying, but we can probably save the leg, where would you like it sent?

a standup source; maybe they know more than you do?

Of course unemployment has gone down: the denominator got smaller.

seniors, infants, students, adults that choose not to work, and prisoners?

That isn't a measure of the economy.

The "economy" was never that bad, taken as a whole. We had a few quarters of flat or slightly down GDP, but mostly our economy continued to grow.

The problem has been the unevenness. Individuals are not 8% unemployed,. They are mostly either 0% unemployed or 100% unemployed, and for millions, there just wasn't any practical way to move into a new position that was anything like their former work.

Throughout all of this, there were plenty of shit jobs -- dehumanizing jobs that paid far below the poverty level. And even with this "recovery" that is mostly what is out there. That's the issue. GOOD jobs. And that is why there is so much discussion about minimum wage now.

Cheap Labor Republicans {tm} love it when we are between 7% and 8% nominal unemployment. That's not so high that society collapses, but it is high enough that workers will beg for every job and not get uppity. The bargaining power of the American worker goes way up as we approach "full employment" (about 5% nominal unemployment. We aren't too far from that point now and we need to use that as an opportunity to reverse some of the serfdom that has been visited on the American population the past 30 years.

Support the minimum wage -- a living wage.
Oppose all trade deals.
Oppose all entry visa programs designed to undercut American workers.

Do you know what "Not in the labor force" means?

Do you know it includes retirements and elderly? Homemakers? military?

What makes you think that the swell in "Not in the labor force" isn't just a swell (and an expected one) in retirements? Those positions could even be refilled and the numbers would be the same.

News Articles don't put dollars in my pocket, make bread and milk cheaper or make paying the rent any easier. I will know when the economy is better because on that day I will have a little spending cash in my wallet.

So, since I'm making a good living now, and wasn't 5 years ago the economy is better?

My family has recovered, and then some, but I'm not sure I agree with your premise.

I see 10 dollar an hour jobs requiring a bachelors degree.

I see part-time low paying jobs with hours that make it nearly impossible to find a second job.

Until then, as far as I'm concerned the economy has not improved.

Of course, it also depends on how you define good. True, jobs are being created and there seems to be a growing number of employees. Unfortunately, most of these jobs are terrible in various regards - they offer minimum wage, or a wage far too low to survive on. They offer few or no benefits. They are one of those jobs that requires little skill or education - and that can easily be filled by just about anyone else after a week or so of training.

Meanwhile, the economic recovery has overwhelmingly benefited the 1% and, generally speaking, hasn't done a whole heck of a lot for the 99%. The rich people who screwed us into the crisis in the first place have gotten most of their money back - some of it in the form of bailouts that came from the very people they screwed.

It's good that we have more jobs. Not so good that most of them suck. I make eight dollars an hour - and while it's better than being unemployed, my personal economy really IS as bad as I think it is - and I know I'm not alone.

It's not because they've got an excess of content: the Sunday paper has less content than the weekday editions used to, at four times the price.