Scott Patterson

To say that the statistics concerning new business formation during the past few years haven't been very good would be a major understatement.

USA Today's Scott Patterson deserves some credit for even looking at the topic. It is tailor-made for neglect by the rest of the establishment press. When government policies lean towards lower taxation and regulation, policies left-leaning journalists tend to oppose, net business formations generally grow, and they'd rather not report it. In the high-tax, high-regulation environments they favor, net business formation slows considerably -- and again, they'd rather not report it.

The economy is about to dive off a cliff and it's all President George W. Bush's fault, according to The New York Times editorial board.

A January 2 Times editorial was pretty pessimistic about the economy in 2008, mocking Bush and forecasting doom.

"As 2008 begins, house prices are still skidding, bank losses are still mounting, oil is again flirting with $100 a barrel and consumers are buying less as prices rise," the editorial said. "To many, the wheels appear to be coming off the economy. To others, including President Bush and his aides, the economy is fundamentally sound and resilient."