OMB Watch - 2001 Recession In Perspective: Economic and Budget Situation

A comparison of the last three recessions shows that even while declines in total output in the 2001 recession were smaller than average, the recovery has been weaker than average. In particular, the employment situation has seen substantial deterioration relative to the start of the recession as well as compared to past recessions.

Nobel Laureate George Akerlof pulls very few punches in a recent interview.

"I think this is the worst government the US has ever had in its more than 200 years of history. It has engaged in extraordinarily irresponsible policies not only in foreign and economic but also in social and environmental policy. This is not normal government policy. Now is the time for people to engage in civil disobedience."

The Bureau of Economic analysis announced Real GDP grew at a 2.4% annual rate in the second quarter of 2003. This is below the 3.2% average over the past 10 years.

Unfortunately, if you take out federal spending on national defense, the economy only grew at a 0.7% rate.

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Jagadeesh Gokhale and Kent Smetters argue that short-term deficit projections are inadequate to address the growing fiscal imbalance in Medicare and Social Security. At the very least, the OMB should return to 10-year projections rather than their current 5-year horizon.