Several articles dealing with economic issues we are focusing on in class have appeared on major national news sites.

The first of these articles is a multimedia presentation from the New York Times. The article provides a historical look at how the U.S. government has dealt with recessions over the past 50 years. In addition to providing a timeline, audio from three prominent economists provide insight as to how the government looked to turn the economy around.

In additon, The Consumer Confidence Index was released this week and the numbers were not good.  Statistics released this week indicate that consumer confidence is at an all-time low (since the government began reporting CCI in the mid-1960s).

And, as if the news wasn’t bad enough, Unemployment is edging up in all states. Here’s an interesting chart/map from the Wall Street Journal that shown the current trend in unemployment nationally. Closer to home, the Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland’s Unemployment Rate hit 5.8%, a 15 year high.