Let the Republicans laugh all they want about the stimulus, but in the real world we all know it would have been much worse without it. It's probably time to start moving on Stimulus II because there are plenty of indications that trouble is ahead without it.
Retail sales unexpectedly fell in December, leaving 2009 with the biggest yearly drop on record and highlighting the formidable hurdles facing the economy as it struggles to recover from the deepest recession in seven decades.
In another disappointing economic report, the number of newly laid-off workers requesting unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week as jobs remain scarce.
