J.D. Tuccille on America's Self-Inflicted Economic Wounds

As of
last month, to go by the polls, half of Americans consider the
country to still be in recession. Even more expect their kids’
generation to have to scrap harder than their parents to get by.
Little did those poll respondents know that, even as they voiced
their worries, job creation had taken a dip, with only 142,000
nonfarm slots created in August, compared to 212,000 in previous
months. Another poll in September found similar economic gloom.
That’s hardly a shocker when the proportion of the population
working or looking for work is at its lowest level since 1978.

No, it’s not the Great Depression—technically, we’re in the
midst of an economic recovery. But it’s a lousy recovery, and one
that most people find unconvincing as hell. Whatever else the
sort-of recovery, not really recession may be, writes J.D. Tuccille
it’s strong evidence of self-inflicted economic wounds. America may
be limping along, but we did it to ourselves.

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