Maynard Krebs--

"Over 78 percent more negative news stories discussed a recession when the economy under a Republican was soaring than occurred under a Democrat when the economy was shrinking."

Now dispute that! Your exegesis about John Lott being some radical closeted conservative because he writes for Fox News and is a member of the AEI still doesn't dispute his argument.

It doesn't do anybody any good impugning the source of this information. If it's wrong prove it. If it's correct admit it. It's that facile.

I was just demonstrating how a liberal will dismiss any information that discredits their argument. Prove me wrong.

I made my point, you made yours. Why do you continue to post personal attacks? (which I thought were prohibited on these boards.)

I merely asked people to review the data you provided. Surely you can't be worried about others scrutinizing your source, can you? Let them make up their own minds. You have obviously made up yours.

I am sorry that you hate liberals so much. I assure you I do not hate conservatives, but I am offended by people who fail to do their homework and then begin personal attacks when their sources are questioned.

You have produced no new argument. You have simply vented your rage on liberals. Your argument is no stronger than when you started and it gets weaker with each post.

You do know a lot of big words though.

Maynard Krebs--

What a distinguished job you did confuting Lott's findings. It's haughty to think every person who reads Lott or AEI will agree with you? I'm flabbergasted you didn't utilize the words "Nazi" or "Fascist." I posit that's progress. The dilemma of a liberal is they don't simply diverge from lucidity. Lucidity is antithetical to liberalism, a counter intuitive conception of truth and moral values. Therefore they impugn motives and dismiss any information that discredits their argument. To simply refer to Mr. Lott as "...gun nut who thinks we should all be packing heat." says more about your incapability of accepting facts fundamentally disparate from the odium of liberal doctrine. Conservatives will admit if they're wrong. Liberals lack punctiliousness. They only imbibe counter intuitive misinformation that makes them feel valuable or important. Ergo, John Lott writes for Fox News. Fox News is "conservative." AEI's a conservative think tank. Thusly they must be ignored. Addressing the facts are off limits. Otherwise it would demonstrate liberalism's fatuitousness.

All those pesky newspapers, colleges and television networks turning out liberals and junk science all day long, and all the conservatives have is Fox News and talk radio. It doesn't seem fair. Why are conservatives so out-numbered?

You have to feel for them. You really do. The whole world is apparently out to discredit them.

Maynard. You are making me LOL, but please stop teasing them. It's mean.

Ah, John Lott Jr at Fox News.

The gun nut who thinks we should all be packing heat. I suggest that everyone who cares, visit wikipedia.org and look up Mr. Lott. You will find interesting reading about how reliable his gun research is.

You might also visit the American Enterprise Institute's website - the conservative think tank that finances Mr. Lott's work and where he developed his own formula for determining liberal bias.

Thank you for providing the source. It allows us to judge for ourselves the credibility of your argument and determine where you get your information.

I can't speak for all of the people who rarely watch the most biased network in the U.S., but you are right to "image" that I dismiss most of the disinformation they feed to blue collar conservatives there. Warmest regards from the planet Earth.

Maynard Krebs--Read this (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,343671,00.html) by John R. Lott. Or Google "The 'Recession' Is a Media Myth" and/or "John R. Lott" He explains in detail his study of 12,620 newspaper and wire service headlines from 1985 through 2004 for stories on the release of official government releasing numbers on the unemployment rate, number of people employed, gross domestic product (GDP), retail sales, and durable goods. Over 78 percent more negative news stories discussed a recession when the economy under a Republican was soaring than occurred under a Democrat when the economy was shrinking.

I image you will totally dismiss all this information because it doesn't fit into your narrative of hate. Sorry reality isn't what you want it to be. Best wishes.

You don’t believe there’s a recession going on, but you seem to have an opinion about why there’s a recession going on.

Any chance you could add a massive republican-created national deficit to your reasons for the recession that isn’t happening?

Here's what you missed while you were lost at sea:

During Daddy Bush’s presidency, he and Congress slashed military personnel from 2.2-million to 1.8-million. Total defense forces dropped from 3.3-million to 2.9-million. The "peace dividend" started with a republican president and a Democratic congress.

Clinton and a republican Congress reduced our military by 500,000 and retired 80 ships in a presidency that lasted twice as long as Daddy Bush’s and was much more peaceful than baby bush’s.

Kind of sounds like a bipartisan peace dividend doesn’t it?

But, naturally, for people like you, Democrats are weak on defense. Apparently, The republicans are just weak. No matter how much of the government they control, those pesky Democrats keep getting whatever they want.

Praise Clinton all you like, you were obviously asleep during the 90's. I had to launch Tomahawks when he got caught with his pants down. Slick Willie rode an economic growth wave generated by the previous two presidents and by the end of his two terms had just about killed it. That's what W inherited.
I'll always remember Clinton for selling missile technology to China for campaign cash, offing a few cabinet members and Branch Davidians, and and not having 'sexual relations with that woman'. There's no really good way to whitewash that.
As for Bush 2, even I can't defend his second term. But just because the economy is slowing doesn't mean it's recession yet. That has nothing to do with the president either. I think we're headed there because of the hype and fearmongering. Also, maybe 'printing' new money to give away and devaluing the dollar is helping us along that path.

Who are you talking to?

And, please provide the source of your facts so we can all evaluate their credibility.

When you say more, how many? 2? 3? How were these bad people picking on you and your fellow travelers?

Clinton inherited a recession at the beginning of his first term from the other republican president named bush. Heck, you conservatives give tiny bush a pass on 9/11 even though it happened six months into his historically incompetent presidency.

bush will be remembered for war, deficit and division.

Clinton will be remembered for prosperity, a federal surplus and monica.

After bush, most of us can live with that monica thing. The republicans have had their own problems with men's bathrooms.

The Labor Department announced today that non-farm payrolls fell by 80,000 jobs, the biggest decline in five years. This is the third month in a row for substantial job cuts, and the unemployment rate jumped to a 2-1/2 year high (although the current 5.1% rate is still relatively low by historical standards). However, it seems the fall from the Republicans so-called "robust and stable economy" is just beginning. The Hampton Roads area hasn't really been stung significantly by the current recession, due to the strong military presence. Eliminate that core producer and this region would be in dire straits.

The economy is suffering the collapse of the housing market, a credit crunch, and a financial system that is in turmoil due to Wall Street greed. As a nation we are consuming and investing about 6 percent more than we are producing. What has been keeping this fact supressed is the influx (and dependence on) foreign capital from abroad, such as China, Japan and other banks in East Asia. It's been quite comfortable for us to purchase things at relatively low prices from abroad that fill our stores and homes. Time to wake up and smell the burning dollar. Foreign markets used to be

Mark Twine--You must be one of those "Tolerant" liberals? You know, the one's who always call conservatives racist, right-wing, intolerant, fascists?

The fact the mainstream media wrote more stories talking about a recession during an expanding economy under a republican president than they did during a real recessive economy during a democrat president couldn't possibly have "induced" my "hallucination." NO! Of course not! It's my "right wing paranoia talking to.." me. Great argument Einstein. I bet you are for "CHANGE" and "HOPE?"

Whether you want it or not, the Democraps are going to whine us into a recession. They aren't happy unless they're are miserable and YOU are too. Sure some are having it rough, but they are the minority. It makes for sensationalized news when it would ordinarilly matter little. Remember, "If it bleeds it leads".

And contrary to inaccurate beliefs, the sky is not falling, either. This is all election hype. I blame most of the fiscal hype on the Democrats, but both parties are fiscal incompetents. It is thanks to U.S. corporations and small businesses that we are a financially strong nation. Government needs to get out of their way.

We are in a recession. Personally, if the government doesn't do something about it soon, I think we'll end up in another depression before it's all over with.

It's definitely the media trying to hype up the elections. 2 consecutive quarters of a negative growth to the GDP is officially a recession. Since we have not had a single quarter in the red since 2001Q3, this is a media scare. Let's not be sheep folks...

We are not in a recession. In fact, we are still growing. Slow. But growing. The media would do well to ask questions such as, "Although we are not, I REPEAT, are not in a recession, why do you think so many American's think we are?" The answer: Because the media are anti-Republican, anti-capitalist's and are hoping for a recession so that a Democrat will have a better chance at winning the presidency. By constantly pushing RECESSION-RECESSION-RECESSION the media are making people pull back from their spending and in turn causing a recession. It's nearly criminal what the media are doing. They too will loose their jobs. That's why I don't understand their enthusiastic anticipation for a recession. They will be hit just as hard. Then again that might be a good thing. The liberal media in America has done what Al Qaeda couldn't. Bring us into a recession. Criminal. Just Criminal.

We'll definately be in one if the Federal Government sticks it incompetent hands into it. Remember folks, Government economic experts are the ones who barely passed college. That's why they work for the government. Because money-making outfits wouldn't hire them. Let these rocket surgeons mess with the economy and it'll be the Jimmy Carter years all over again.

Anyone who thinks the US is not in a recession, has their head buried in the sand. It's so bad, even the Mexicans are going home. Every day more and more people are losing their jobs and their homes. And yet, some of you still think everyting is just fine and dandy.