Bay State Economy Slows as National Economy Picks Up

In case you missed it, a discouraging new report says the economy here in the Commonwealth is slowing down while the national economy appears to be picking up.
Today’s Boston Herald reports, “A new University of Massachusetts report shows that the state’s economy – which expanded at a relatively fast clip through the first nine months of last year – grew by only 1.8 percent during the last three months of 2010.

Meanwhile, the national economy grew by 3.2 percent last quarter, though the U.S. economy has yet to make a serious dent in the historically high unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.”

This news seems to contradict everything Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray would have the general public believe. In fact, this report throws a lot of cold water on the assertion that Massachusetts is on the mend and on the move! One thing that is indeed on the move today is the spin coming from the Patrick-Murray Administration. One of Patrick’s many spin-masters told the Herald, “Massachusetts ranks sixth in the nation in private-sector jobs gained and third in percent of jobs created since December 2009. This is just one of a series of positive indicators and long-term trends that show our economy is heading in the right direction. We will keep pushing forward – and fighting for every single job.”

It’s time the Patrick-Murray Administration accepts the economic reality our state faces. Until then, we can’t have a serious dialogue about how to really grow our state’s economy and get people back to work.