Unemployment ticks downward as the economy loses a modest number of jobs. Perhaps someone can explain that to me?
Meanwhile, Big Government takes the sting out of the slowdown here in Washington, as Tim Carney writes (includes a brief comic appearance by yours truly). This stands out:
Businesses and other organizations spent $2.8 billion on lobbying the federal government last year — nearly twice the total from 1999. As government gains more control over the economy, a good lobbyist becomes worth that much more.
UPDATE: Thank you, Ramesh (for offering an explanation above).