It seems that President Bush's tax cuts, spending on the war in Iraq and extremely low interest rates, have given the economy a stimulus causing more business investment. However, democrats are quick to point out that job growth is still lagging. In order for the public to believe in a full economic recovery the jobless rate, now at 6.1 percent, will have to decline. Creating new jobs will be a challenge due to global competition and high productivity.
See "GDP aside, jobless rate is number that matters", William Neikirk, Chicago Tribune, October 30, 2003