Americans Staying Put Amid Recession

(AP) - The economy is finally beginning to show signs of stabilizing in some parts of the US, bolstering hopes of a broader-based recovery this year. A Federal Reserve snapshot of economic conditions issued today finds that most of the Fed's 12 regions indicated either that "the pace of decline has moderated" or "that activity has begun to stabilize, albeit at a low level." The improved assessment raises hope that the recession, which started in December 2007, is drawing to a close. More»

(NEWSER) - The global economic crisis is raising the threat to national security, the Washington Post reports. Experts and intelligence officials worry that mounting inflation and unemployment in Third World countries could spark radical movements and destabilize friendly governments. What’s more, strained budgets in the West mean less money to spend on the military and technology to counter the new threat. More»

At least new industries arose in the 1930s: Leonhardt

(NEWSER) - There's never a Great Depression around when you need one, apparently. Despite its misery, "the United States economy was quietly making enormous strides during the 1930s," argues David Leonhardt in the New York Times . Americans were getting a better education—high school, back then—while industrious entrepreneurs were inventing television, mass marketing refrigerators, and improving railroads. "It would clearly be nice if we could take some comfort from this bit of history," writes Leonhardt. "If anything, though, the lesson of the 1930s may be the opposite one." More»

More deaths than births recorded in rising number of areas: census

(NEWSER) - Almost a quarter of America's 3,142 counties are slowly dying, according to the US Census Bureau. Some 760 counties are now recording more deaths than births, census figures show, and what demographers call "natural decrease" is accelerating as the downturn pushes birth rates down and forces young people to move to where the jobs are. "Dying counties" can be found all over the country, from the Rust Belt to rural areas in the South, and even in some parts of fast-growing California. More»

And World War II isn't walking through that door

(NEWSER) - The US economy has been crippled by financial crisis, and the president’s too-cautious policies have failed to stem the bleeding. More stimulus is needed, but the public has soured on spending and plans to kick Democrats out of office. Sound familiar? That was the situation in 1938, writes Paul Krugman of the New York Times . And this time, World War II’s not walking through that door to save us. More»