Economy -- 240,000 jobs lost 1st Qtr. of 2008: The Labor Department announced today that the economy shed 80,000 jobs in March, the biggest monthly decline in five years; the total job-loss figure for the first quarter of the year was about 240,000. Unemployment jumped from 4.8 percent last month to 5.1 percent. Story. National Debt -- The Cost of Extending the Bush Tax Cuts: According to a Center on Budget study, making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, as President Bush proposes, assuming the Alternative Minimum Tax is not repealed, would add an additional $4.4 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years. To date, the tax cuts have already cost of $1.3 trillion. Study. Earmarks -- Moratorium on the Moratorium: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has proposed adding transparency of the congressional earmarking process. Members sponsoring the earmarks would includes earmarks requests on their websites before a bill comes to the Senate floor in a "searchable format" at least 48 hours before floor consideration. GOP Senators have effectively killed an earmark moratorium proposal. Background.