Phil Graham was Right: What Recession?

Between you and I. For who the bells toll. We is beautiful.

The grammatically incorrect -- but politically correct -- phrases above have been accepted as new standards of "American English." According to Jonathan Fairbank, the dumbing down of a nation always begins with the apostasy of standards in its language.

When Dr Phil -- that is Phil Graham, PhD (Economics) -- stated that there is no recession, he was/is pugilistically criticized by the left for being, in Michael Savage's inimitable phrase, "innn-sennn-siiii-tiiiive." Facts notwithstanding.

The economy in the fourth quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008 actually grew by about 1% in real terms (factoring for inflation). There is no contraction. In order to be classified as a recession, any economy has to contract, in real terms, for two consecutive quarters. This is the standard economists the world over have set as the definition for recession.

So Graham was correct. There is no culture of evidence for recession. The economy has been increasing at a decreasing rate.

But we live in a world of feeeelings -- woe oh feeelings, nothing more than feeeeelings. Why bother with such trifling details as truths or facts. We know something to be true because we feel it -- facts notwithstanding.

This is solipsism that breeds voodoo and witchcraft. You are a witch because I say so; evidence be damned. And the only heroes upholding standards and facts in this effete world of feeeeelings are George F. Will and the writers of this Fairbank Report.