This week and next week are not good weeks to get a feel relative to retail figures. Many states are in the midst of tax free days for back to school purchases. Clothing for kids back to school is as important as food on the table. But the tax savings along allow the consumer from 5-8% more money to pay. I don't think you'll sales of appliances and such up.

My oh my, what a difference having an administration the "corrupt media" adores can make. When Bush had 4% unemployment and every economic indicator was positive and then some, the "corrupt media" was doing stories on the homeless and others who weren't living in ways that reflected what the rest of 99.9% of the population was. Now, they're doing cartwheels because only a quarter of a million Americans lost their jobs last month. That's on top of the millions that have lost their jobs since the beginning of the year and which "The Messiah" said would be avoided if we hurried up and passed his "stimulus" package. Neither the "corrupt mrdia" nor "Our Dear Leader" will talk this economy into recovery. They won't BS it into recovery either.

Depression is on the way thanks to Obama.

Retailers will show a marked improvement because it is back to school shopping for a couple of weeks. Then when everybody is back to school and done for the summer traveling it will be back to the recession and the stock market will plunge, oil prices will fall to a new level and unemployment will level off because companies have cut their employees to the bone to show a profit.

Etna went around a few years ago and started buying up their competition and when they found out some of them were providing decent health care at an affordable price, in other words making a decent profit and providing healthcare at a decent price, they found out they weren't making enough money to keep their share holders happy. So what did they do? They cast out 8 million customers, which provided them the profit margin needed to keep their investors, hedge fund managers happy. Do we need a single payer health care? Yes we do. See the movie Sicko. Go to pbs.org Bill Moyers journal, Wendell Potter interview.

The only mixed messages from the economy last week were rooted in how the "corrupt media" and others who can only evaluate from a political perspective choose to interpret the data. You don't lose almost an additional quarter of a million jobs in one month and announce it was better than expected so it must be an indicator of possible economic recovery. This is especially true if you understand how the numbers are obtained in the first place. Only people who currently have jobs or are ACTIVELY LOOKING for jobs are included in the totals. That means that people who have, for at least the time being, have given up on looking for jobs that aren't currently available, DON'T GET COUNTED AS BEING PART OF THE UNEMPLOYED. I believe that's called "government think"! Only they could consider an unemployed person not to be an unemployed person if they don't meet some pencil pushers criterion. Even if the NEWLY unemployed percentage was suddenly at zero, that would not be providing any new additional jobs for the millions who have lost their jobs since just the beginning of this year. The "corrupt media" and "Our Dear Leared" must come to temr with the fact that this economy won't be talked into a recovery or job creation. Try proven policies that have always worked, for a change.

YOU CONSERVATIVES ARE AMAZING. YOU SEEM TO FORGET HOW THINGS ACTUALLY WERE UNDER BUSH: HE CUT TAXES ON THE WEALTHY, BLEW THRU THE CLINTON SURPLUSES,BORROWED MORE $ THAN ALL PREV. PRES. combined ( including a trillion & from China), DOUBLED THE NAT'L DEBT TO $10 TRILLION DOLLARS, LAUNCHED A WAR OF CHOICE -- W/ NO EXIT PLAN -- @ A COST OF $12BILLION A MO., & A TRILLION $ "SOCIALIST" DRUG PROGRAM FOR SRs,& A $190Billion "SOCIALIST" FARM SUBs. PROGRAM, & A $85Billion BAILOUT FOR AIG, & A $750Billion BAILOUT FOR THE BANKS. THAT HE FAILED VETO one SPENDING BILL IN 6 YRS, OR TO INTERVENE IN THE SUB-PRIME CRISIS, & PRESIDED OVER A 20% DROP IN PROP. VALUES, THE CRASH OF THE DOW FROM 14K-8K, THE LOSS OF 2.6 MILLION JOBS IN 2008...1.9M. OF THEM IN THE LAST 4 MO. OF HIS TERM ( THE PUSH BEHIND A DOMINO EFFECT OF JOB LOSSES THAT CONTINUE TO THIS DAY). BUT, YOU WANT TO BLAME OBAMA'S 6 MO. OLD PRESIDENCY FOR THIS ECONOMY. Please.

My oh my, this media gives me a migraine headache. They are trying sooooooo hard to soft soap the public with the idea that this stinking economy is getting better. Nothing would do until they got George Bush out of office. Now their "savior" is in office and I see NO IMPROVEMENTS AT ALL. Media, why don't you quit your tactics of patronizing your "favorite son" and admit the truth. It is just as bad now as when President Bush was in, maybe even worse. This is the Great Depression all over again and remember from the history books that the "Great D" lasted about 12 years. What's your guess on this timeframe?

In order to report better earnings at the stores jobs will have to be created . Which ever areas lacks consumers with jobs those areas will suffer.

Seasonal sales come every season but regular everyday sales occur through out the year regardless of the season so steady sales increases are necessary.

People need several weeks of employment before they feel secure enough to start spending again. Few are going to spend much until they feel the economy is getting better.

After the 1987 stock crash the 1990's job market was a roller coaster of ups and downs. Mergers,aquisitions, and outsourcing brought the Tech Bubble and Housing blow out inthe 2000's. The jobs never returned or were replaced by other good paying jobs causing the further economic problems.

The problem is good jobs must be created not fraud loan driven jobs that float the economy until the crap hits the fan. Only good paying jobs for Americans will turn the economy around. Imported labor and exported jobs do nothing to help the American's economy!

Dan........I watched Sicko and was impressed. Of course, we do know which way M Moore leans, and so it is good to get another perspective. Watch pjtv.com to see another side. Done by amateurs, so you don't get the great camera work and sound as you do in a MM production, but you will at least have another point of view to mull over.

Brothepro24..........I agree. This is back to school time, and there will undoubtedly be an upward blip in some retailers numbers. Don't believe it will last long though.

Too much focus was placed on a Global economy but the concern targeted only low wage countries for their cheap labor. Exporting jobs to and Importing workers from low wage countries brought down the economy of the USA and Europe.

This week's earnings reports are for periods ending in June or July. Back-to-school has nothing to do with it. You'll have to wait for earnings reports in October for that.