Economic Progress?

The economy is still doing well and the recovery has potentially picked up a little steam.

Giving the devil his due, might mean we should see what is the cause of this.

Of course the economy was doing well when the last administration ended, despite the campaign rhetoric and since then the main actions have related to tax cuts and regulatory reform.

These have had some impact but how much is still uncertain.

In addition business seems to be optimistic that they have a friend in the office and they are certainly excited about raking in extra profits.

Is this going to generate the type of jobs that were promised in the rust belt?

Not really, those jobs are gone and not coming back.

The jobs that might be created will require skills and there will be far less of them.

This is a good thing really unless of course you are one of the unskilled or lightly skilled workers who is forced to work for far less pay than previously.

Skilled workers have always been in demand and the places where a strong back is going to earn you a living wage are shrinking.

So is the economy better under this administration?

It has progressed along the same lines as previously and the rich are certainly benefiting, although working people, not so much.

The history of the human species is how we have learned to do things better and easier, thanks to our brain.

For much of our history the rewards of this were shared fairly evenly, although of course some benefited more than others.

The current economy and society though now have probably the most unequal distribution we have ever seen, at least among people who weren't enslaved.

Until the benefits of the economy are shared more equally, its hard to say its doing its job.

If the answer is supposedly trickle down, well, it isn't going to change much.