We think there is a missing labor force.

The labor market is crying for help. The government could write a check from Treasury to every man, woman and child right now for $400. All this bickering about the shape of a dividend tax cut is a distraction from how to get consumers spending right now.

It's a statewide battle. When businesses started to hire back, we see a corresponding increase in the labor force. It makes it hard to bring down the unemployment rate.

The labor force remained constant. There weren't a lot of changes.

That's not unusual for the labor force to drop like that in January.

The disintegration of organized labor as a major force in the legislative process often means that there is no counterbalance to their views. You have an 800-pound gorilla battling no one.