Bad Economic News

The economic news in the United States hasn't been good this year, and with February ending, it's not likely to get better. Least of all in New Jersey. The national unemployment figures for January 2008 were not encouraging for the Garden State. New Jersey accounts for three percent of the U.S. population, but the state suffered 56 percent of the nation's job losses last month!

Meanwhile, the euro closed on Wednesday at $1.50 - the worst showing of the U.S. dollar against the euro until Thursday (slightly over $1.50) - and the Dow is down 209 points as I type this Leap Day.

I think Barack Obama hit the nail on the head by blaming the economic woes of the country on George Walker Bush's domestic agenda. The conservative movement has done so much damage to the country with its ideas, it makes sense that William F. Buckley, Jr. died at a time when the very movement he helped found is dying.

Buckley, in fact, was critical of Bush's administration, and his criticism wasn't restricted to domestic issues. He called the Iraq invasion a disaster.