No Matter How You Slice It,

the U.S. economy is still a total mess. Our politicians aren't going to do one damned thing about it, either. Excuse my cynicism, or don't excuse it--I frankly don't care whether you excuse it or not. Anyway:

Today the American economy faces three big risks. First, a steeper European downturn, as a result of the excessive austerity and the euro crisis. Second, complacency that the economy will recover quickly without government support. Though every downturn comes to an end, that should not be of much comfort. Third, that we accept that an unemployment rate above 7 per cent is inevitable.

The government has to be involved in stimulating the economy, yet our politicians are ideologically opposed to it. The rest of us suffer while these idiots fiddle around.