What is impugning the USA economy? The dense use of petroleum in our nation.

We can't afford to continue to use fossil fuels, for more than one reason.


The purchasing power within the nation is consolidating around the cost of fossil fuels. It is impacting the ability of consumers to purchase other products, decreasing the momentum of the economy and decreasing employment opportunity.


By Jim Puzzanghera
July 13, 2012


WASHINGTON -- Consumer confidence (click here) has fallen to its lowest level of the year this month as discouraging economic news here and abroad erodes Americans' view of the recovery. 

The preliminary reading for July from the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumers fell to 72 from June's figure of 73.2, the second straight monthly decline, Reuters reported Friday.

Economists surveyed separately by Bloomberg had expected the confidence reading to tick up to 73.5.

The index was dragged down by worsening expectations among respondents about economic conditions in general and their own personal finances over the next six months....


Measuring tourism is an inexact science. Tourism includes international travel. New York had become a shopping destination for Europe. Is that still happening with the issues the Euro is having?

Measuring tourism's impact (click title to entry - thank you)

July 10, 2012 | 02:32 PM

...Having just written my last column on the importance of applying sound statistical methods to study data, I need to point out the inherent difficulties in quantifying the exact economic impact of tourism.

For starters, the tourism industry is not precisely defined, but rather, is comprised of numerous other industries as diverse as hospitality and new construction. As a result most of the data depends on surveys of travelers of how they report spending their time and money....


The US has been experiencing record heat, wildfires and drought. I don't know about you, but, that is not inviting for tourism. It is cooler and more fun in Canada.

Tourism spending in Canada by both Canadians and visitors rose in Q1: StatsCan (click here)

By The Canadian Press  | June 28, 2012

OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says tourism spending in Canada rose 0.9 per cent in the first quarter, as spending by international visitors and Canadians touring at home both increased.

The federal agency says it was the 11th consecutive quarterly increase in tourism spending in Canada.

Tourism spending by Canadians at home rose 0.6 per cent in the quarter, continuing an upward trend that began in the third quarter of 2009....
If all those variables aren't enough there are planned layoffs this time of year so the unemployment claims go up, however, this year is a bit different. Adjusting for seasonal averages are inaccurate because there are less layoffs at the auto plants than in past years. 

Jobless Claims In U.S. Rise As Auto Layoff Effects Ease (click here)

By Alex Kowalski - Jul 19, 2012 8:55 AM ET ...Determining whether the labor market is improving or deteriorating has been more difficult in recent weeks because a reduction in the number of auto-plant layoffs typical at this point of the year has thrown the Labor Department’s seasonal adjustment process out of line. It may take weeks to judge the direction the labor market is taking.
“Seeing through the statistical noise, the labor market is pretty soggy, and the claims numbers will reflect that once they settle down,” said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at Maria Fiorini Ramirez Inc. in New York and the best forecaster of U.S. economic indicators in the two years through May, according to Bloomberg data. “I don’t think next week is going to be a clean read either, so you might have to wait a little while longer.”...

The point is there is a lot in play. Some of it good, some of it bad and the Labor Department never expected their seasonal averages applied to statistics to be inaccurate.


So, it is difficult to know how we are doing at this very moment in time.


I'll say this much, did you see the commercial for the Chevy Volt? Like, wow.