My knowledge of statistics is founded on the notion that there are lies, damned lies, and then statistics. But ... then there's history. And I'm a sucker for pretty pictures. So when I read that Brad DeLong is saying the recovery has already started -- and it's jobless, and that Wal-Mart's been cited, yet again, for not living up to workers' rights agreements, and I remember that, y'know, downsizing's been going on since Clinton was in the White House and offshoring isn't any less dangerous than stock panics, I start to wonder. . Now, given that source is about as GOP friendly as can be (witness this titbit on the health-care reform mess), what does that mean about this? And can this be tied into it somehow?

Is there any truth to Okun's law? How come this time is different? Does this recession really date back to 2001, virtually unbroken?
I would argue that, yeah, it does, , based largely on my gut, but also considering that the "financialization" of a lot more aspects of our lives began during w/cheney's first term.
Lots of folks didn't notice, of course, especially after what 11Sep01, but I remember that in the summer of 2001 the dot-com bubble had blown, people kinda thought the economy sucked, and the brand-new GOP President wasn't real popular.