O'Bama's speech @ Northwestern University

Anyone that thinks the job market is good must be living under a rock.

I can almost imagine that Obama,s sycophants are pumping him full of false information -- that everything is fine.  The man has a problem seeing that which exists before his ace, but even a Biden can see the lagging economy.  Rather like Louis XVI's courtiers telling him everything is fine -- the people and the peasants love you!

I suspect that China and other Pacific Rim countries will continue to "eat our lunch" for awhile. China will create more Yaun to buy our debt and debase their currency. I'll let everyone chose their favorite analogy as to whether the U.S. is the smartest idiot or the tallest midget in the room, but the dollar is again the currency standard. With relative higher labor costs and lower cost imports, don't expect a major surge in employment numbers.

http://articles.economictimes....l-investors-currency

I think you are correct. China mostly, and the  rest of the industrialized countries in the world are spending big time on infrastructure. We spend all our money on war, nothing left over for schools, electric grid, high speed trains ? hell, we can't even rebuild our existing highways and bridges, but damm can we make war.

China has to build infrastructure as the whole country is 3 rd world.  The way they are currently building nothing will last everything is disposable to them including the environment.  The only place in China that is ok is Hong Kong and that is because of the British.

Because of ;leaps in manufacturing technology such as described in today's TD article on PerformancScrubs.com and 3D printing, combined with decreases in energy costs (NG and fracking), and increased transportation costs, manufacturing is returning to the US. 

The US spends more than any nation on education, so let's hear no more about it being underfunded.  Infrastructure expenditures have been poor done.  Instead of maintenance of roads and bridges, plus new construction, too much of the federal Highway Trust Fund has been wasted on bike paths, bridle paths, tourist attractions, such as  museums and new construction to the detriment of maintenance of the existing infrastructure, 

Future federal spending should concentrate on priority maintenance, first, plus already approved new construction.  If, this were the rule, I would agree to about a 5 cent a gallon increase on the tax.

At the state level, much the same should be the rule.  After constructing water projects sufficient for a population of 20 million, California ceased to spent a cent on new works.  Unfortunately, their population increased to 34 million and we are seeing the results of such stupidity as the drought continues.  California spent billions on nice to have, but nothing on the most basic of civilization's requirement -- movement of water.  The Romans progressed because of their aqueducts -- a couple of which are still working in northeastern Spain. 

Hong Kong prospers because of the free enterprise system initiated by the Brits and the Chinese knack for trade.  With the present demonstrations, the Reds make kill the goose that lays so many golden eggs.

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The biggest reason the U.S. is the least stupid economy is because the voters in 2010 decided to curtail the spending on "shovel ready" projects so that we only blew a Trillion. We could have done as Japan did for its Lost Decade(s) and paved and concreted every level piece of ground and really run up the debt.

http://www.heritage.org/resear...e-up-on-keynesianism

Abstract: Japan’s “lost decade” has turned into two; and Japan is not alone. Staggering amounts of public debt and stagnant economies have become a problem from the EU to the U.S. Despite twenty years of evidence to the contrary, the belief persists that deficit spending stimulates the economy. In Japan’s case, a low return on capital from massive, low-yield government borrowing all but ensures very weak growth. The borrowing must be halted by cutting spending, in particular by sharply reducing subsidies, transfers to local governments, and pensions for those who are plainly able to work.

Japan's national debt to GDP percentage is 227 percent -- makes Obama look like a piker. Combined with their aging population (largest globally, followed by China) don't expect any progress.