The recently released Labor Department jobs report contained much positive economic news.

In the month of March, 215,000 new jobs were created — the 73th straight month of private sector job growth. The last two years have seen the highest level of hiring since the late 1990s.

Average wages increased by an amount that brought the yearly gain to a level that is greater than the rate of inflation. As the number of available jobs continues to increase, wages are likely to continue to rise.

The labor force participation rate (the percentage of the population that is working or actively looking for work) increased. Many people who had stopped looking for a job are now actively seeking one.

All of these developments are clear indications that our economy is moving in the right direction.

As has often been the case, a Democratic president is successfully presiding over the recovery of an economy that had been severely traumatized by his Republican predecessor. The current economic picture would be even better if the Republicans in congress had not obstructed the president at every turn.

The current Democratic candidates for president and for congress are committed to building upon the success of President Obama’s economic policies. The Republican candidates are committed to returning to the failed policies that led to the worst economic disaster since the 1930s.

In November we will have an opportunity to choose which of these paths we want our elected representatives to follow — continued success or a return to failure. Our country’s future depends on the choices we make.

 

Larry Feldman,

Lakeside