Breaking News: The economy is GOOD

President Bush gave a brief press conference this morning to remind us all that the economy, which Democrats like to lament tragically over, is still going strong.

-Unemployment at 4.7%

-211,00 jobs added this spring "in a hiring burst that benefited almost ALL sectors of the economy"

-Average income after taxes went up for Americans approx. $2,000 since Bush took office

-Consumer confidence is up

Yes, folks, despite the doom and gloom you hear from the media, who would have you believe that you're the only one out there not suffering from unemployment or job fear woes...

Overall, consumers are in a generally good frame of mind, economists said.

"I think we can take heart in the fact that even with all the worries _ about energy prices, higher interest rates and a slowing housing market _ confidence moved higher," said economist Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics.

Analysts track consumer confidence for clues about consumers' willingness to spend, an important force shaping the country's economic health.

The confidence index is benchmarked to a reading of 100 on January when Ipsos started the gauge.

One of the things consumers feel really good about is the jobs climate, the Ipsos results suggested.

A measure tracking consumers' sentiments on this front jumped in early April to 124.5, the highest on record. In March consumers' feelings about jobs came in at 118.5, a buoyant reading. A year ago, this gauge stood at 116.2.

Got that? HIGHEST ON RECORD. I guess that would be higher than during the Clinton years.

President Bush is calling for Congress to get it together and make his tax cuts permanent, citing that they were wrong before and he was right, as the current economic climate clearly shows, and reminding us that 2/3 of the U.S. economy depends on CONSUMER SPENDING...

From Bush's speech earlier today:

"Some are now proposing that we raise taxes either by repealing the tax cuts or letting them expire," he said. "These are the same politicians who told us that letting the American people keep more of their own money would be reckless and irresponsible. They were wrong then and they are wrong now."

And in other news, Bush has finally said he's going to do something about the out-of-control spending Congress has been reveling in at our expense. He threatened to veto spending bills if Congress doesn't trim their latest federal budget.

So to recap for all of you misguided liberals out there:

Tax cuts work.

Capitalism works.

If you don't believe me, just ask the French.