Economy Update
Those awful Bush tax cuts continue to wreck the economy:

The National Federation of Independent Business' monthly index of small business economic indicators jumped 4.1 points last month to hit a record high of 104.7. Nine out of 10 components of the index scored higher - the only exception was the outlook for interest rates and credit conditions. The index is based on a survey of small-business owners. "The very good news was improvement in capital spending plans, inventory investment plans and hiring plans," says NFIB Chief Economist William Dunkelberg. "Second-half growth may well be stronger than currently anticipated." For the first time in more than a year, more small businesses reported higher sales than declines.

No wonder Democrats want the tax cuts repealed. They're working.

Here's a link the NFIB's September 2003 Small Business Economic Trends report (PDF file). You can find links to past monthly reports here.

UPDATE: Here's more good economic news: the economy grew at a better-than-expected 3.3 percent annual rate in the second quarter. It's a mixed-bag report, but indicates the general direction of the economy is positive.