Good News!

According to NABE, the National Association for Business Economics:

The economy, as measured by gross domestic product, is projected to grow by 3.6 percent for all of 2005 and 3.3 percent in 2006....

The new estimate for GDP growth in 2005 is slightly higher than a NABE projection released in September, while the fresh estimate for 2006 is slightly lower....

If NABE's new projections are correct, they'll mark a moderation in growth from 2004 but would still represent a decent performance, economists said. Last year, the economy grew by 4.2 percent, the best showing in five years....

The nation's unemployment rate, which stood at 5.5 percent in 2004, should drop to 5.1 percent this year and then dip to 5 percent next year, according to the group's projections.

Good news all around, although West Tennessee's unemployment numbers will be higher.

It's tempting to jab at the nay-sayers who believe a Bush administration is all doom and gloom, but the numbers, as they say, speak for themselves.