"Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back.  Corporate profits are up.  The economy is growing again. But we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone.  We measure progress by the success of our people.  By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer." President Obama, SOTU address, January 25, 2011.Real GDP and Jobs, Last 10 YearsSource:  St. Louis Fed/FRED: GDP, payrolls.Hoven's Index for January 29, 2011Change in real GDP since beginning of recession (4th Q 2007 to 4th Q 2010):  +0.14%Change in number of jobs (non-farm) through Dec. 2010:Since start of "Recovery Summer" (May 2009):  -0.34%Since Obama's inauguration (Jan. 2009):  -2.1%Since GOP last held Congress (Dec. 2006):  -4.5%Since Jan. 2000: -0.05%Source:  St. Louis Fed/FRED: GDP, payrolls.Graph of the Day Archive.(Read Full Post)