Demographics, Wealth and Growth

Over the last four years, economic growth has been miniscule. Median income and household wealth has declined. While the political parties focus on whether to blame Barack Obama or George Bush, here are two facts that economicsts focus on:

1. There are 3 million fewer people working today than four years ago. No matter whose fault you claim, it's impossible to build much economic growth when the number of people working is declining rapidly. Especially if those 3 million people are drawing checks written on the accounts of those who are working.

2. There are 828,000 fewer Americans age 30 to 44 than there were four years ago. This age group represents the prime earning, saving, and spending years. In other words the population mix is shifting away from those who create the most wealth and towards the younger and older demos that create less wealth.

Enough Already

Federal spending per capita  has risen almost 50% (inflation adjusted) in the last ten years and over 80% in the last 35.



Yet almost a third of Americans think government is "not doing enough."