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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Two newcomers vie for Richardson's seat Lithia's 3Q profit not enough for investors Boy injured playing 'mailbox baseball' making progress Expect nighttime delays at exit 24 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Pacific Power impostors at it again in Southern Oregon Fire contained to garage Emergency Services Crews snuff RV fire on Kane Creek Road Politics and Elections Two newcomers vie for Richardson's seat Ward 2 Q&A: Clay Bearnson Ward 2 Q&A: Marlene Nuckols Ward 2 Q&A: Tim D'Alessandro Merkley-Wehby to debate Tuesday on KOBI Education Phoenix High School restores homecoming parade EP school district launches new app Striving to make the grade Fresh produce goes home with Jackson Elementary families State mandates eye exams for kids 7 and younger Environment Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use Low water exposes Emigrant Lake's past Wagner Creek work would restore streambank Deer-killing disease won't taint meat for hunters State news Nation - World Obituaries Alexander George Edeleanu Beverly Rae Walker Dennis Allen Rodgers Mathew Martin Ray Barbara A. Debevec Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Prosecutor: Pistorius offered cash after killing Americans try task force to solve Ryder Cup Klinsman: Top Americans shouldn't play in MLS Errant throw gives Giants triumph over Cards Seahawks’ QB Wilson says he ‘could have played a lot better’ Varsity 541 College Sports THE PICK SOU climbs to No. 4 in NAIA rankings Keeping Mannion upright a priority for Beavs Oregon's Fisher keys O-line turnaround Southern Oregon, College of Idaho settle on 1-1 draw Pro Sports Americans try task force to solve Ryder Cup Klinsman: Top Americans shouldn't play in MLS Errant throw gives Giants triumph over Cards Seahawks’ QB Wilson says he ‘could have played a lot better’ NBA to experiment with 44-minute preseason game Community Sports LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Lithia's 3Q profit not enough for investors Urban Minx founder ready to pass baton Ashland repeats as a Google 'eCity' Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Silvio Calabi: Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow Real Estate News Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters People In Business Transportation Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Gays and the Vatican Election Letters, Oct. 14 Michael Gerson: A question of leadership Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 Election Letters, Oct. 13 Editorials Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana Another View: Congress must act on firefighting budget Our View: Talbert is the right choice for commissioner Our View: Cheers and Jeers Letters to the Editor Election Letters, Oct. 14 Election Letters, Oct. 13 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 12 Election Letters, Oct.11 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Guest Opinions Infill is the answer to growth issues Guest Opinion: Who’s really to blame for 2014 wildfires? Mt. Ashland is responding to community concerns Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt: What lies beneath? Guest Opinion: Who's to blame for 2014 wildfires? Lifestyle Latest stories Shayne Looper: More than going through the motions Dr. Elaine Heffner: ‘Nuanced’ parenting Community blog: Green beans go global from gleaning garden Community blog: He said he hoped to die at age 75? He said that! Kitchen Call: Pumpkin is nothing without the spice Food Community blog: Green beans go global from gleaning garden Kitchen Call: Pumpkin is nothing without the spice Community blog: Battered, fried bhaji bring street food to the table Community blog: Kicking it off, a game, a season, or a pint (How about all the above?) Apples and pears make great autumn duo Home and Garden A list to help you get ready for winter How to create a fashionable painted floor cloth Dear Monty: 7 prepping tips for home showings Harvest your frost-tender tomatoes for storage Fall is a good time to plant certain perennials Health Community blog: He said he hoped to die at age 75? He said that! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Dr. Murray Feingold: Take precautions to prevent home accidents Health Watch: Make TV time workout time Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion briefs First Church of Nazarene plans cleanup Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements Southern Oregon Pride parade celebrates gay marriage ruling New Arrivals Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' New Arrivals Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' Agave offers tasty tacos Call for musicians Works in progress A stylish take on baroque Theater Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Randall Theatre presents 'Blithe Spirit' A tribute to a great lyricist 'Mrs. Mannerly' is a matter of manners Music Benefit for Nita Day at The Wild Goose Cafe in Ashland Call for musicians A stylish take on baroque Southern Oregon Music Festival returns to downtown Medford Rogue Valley Symphony season debut combines virtuosity, emotion Community Events Works in progress Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Greater Medford Multicultural Fair Volunteers needed for Downtown Art + Sound Medford's Third Fridays Dining Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Spoons 'Get Giddy' at Porters Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Bridge work will cause more delays Thursday night ... High school ski signups Thursday ... Pacific Power impostors at it again in Southern Oregon ... Bridge work will cause more delays Thursday night ... High school ski signups Thursday ... Pacific Power impostors at it again in Southern Oregon ... Obama persists in ignoring the path to recovery It is said that the problem with the younger generation — any younger generation — is that it has not read the minutes of the last meeting. Barack Obama, forever young, has convenient memory loss: It serves his ideology. His amnesia concerning the policies that produced the robust recovery from the more severe (me... MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 29, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated May 29, 2014 at 2:15 AM Posted May. 29, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated May 29, 2014 at 2:15 AM » Social News It is said that the problem with the younger generation — any younger generation — is that it has not read the minutes of the last meeting. Barack Obama, forever young, has convenient memory loss: It serves his ideology. His amnesia concerning the policies that produced the robust recovery from the more severe (measured by its 10.8 percent unemployment rate) recession of 1981-82 has produced policies that have resulted in 0.1 percent economic growth in 2014's first quarter — the 56th, 57th and 58th months of the recovery from the recession that began in December 2007. June begins the sixth year of the anemic recovery from the 18-month recession. Even if what Obama's administration calls "historically severe" weather — aka, winter — reduced GDP growth by up to 1.4 percentage points, growth of 1.5 percent would still be grotesque. America has a continental market, a reasonably educated and remarkably — considering the incentives for not working — industrious population, an increasingly (because of declining private-sector unionization) flexible labor market, an efficient financial system, extraordinary research universities to fuel innovation, and astonishing energy abundance. Yet the recovery's two best growth years (2.5 percent in 2010 and 2.8 percent in 2012) are satisfactory only when compared to 2011 and 2013 (1.8 and 1.9, respectively). The reason unemployment fell by four-tenths of a point (to 6.3 percent) in April while growth stalled is that 806,000 people left the labor force. The labor force participation rate fell by four-tenths of a point to a level reached in 1978, which was during the Carter-era stagflation and early in the surge of women into the workforce. There are about 14.5 million more Americans than before the recession but nearly 300,000 fewer jobs, and household income remains below the pre-recession peak. Paul Volcker, whose nomination to be chairman of the Federal Reserve Board was Jimmy Carter's best presidential decision, raised interest rates to put the nation through a recession to extinguish the inflation that, combined with stagnant growth, ruined Carter's presidency. Then came the 1983-88 expansion, when growth averaged 4.6 percent, including five quarters over 7 percent. Ronald Reagan lightened the weight of government as measured by taxation and regulation. Obama has done the opposite. According to the annual "snapshot of the federal regulatory state" compiled by Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, four of the five largest yearly totals of pages in the Federal Register — the record of regulations — have occurred during the Obama administration. The CEI's delightfully cheeky "unconstitutionality index," measuring Congress' excessive delegation of its lawmaking policy, was 51 in 2013. This means Congress passed 72 laws but unelected bureaucrats issued 3,659 regulations. The more than $1.1 trillion of student loan debt — the fastest-growing debt category, larger than credit card or auto loan debt — is restraining consumption, as is the retirement of baby boomers. In 2012, more than 70 percent of college graduates had student loan debts averaging about $30,000. This commencement season's diploma recipients are entering an economy where more than 40 percent of recent college graduates are either unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree. This is understandable, given that 44 percent of the job growth since the recession ended has been in food services, retail clerking or other low-wage jobs. In April, the number of persons under 25 in the workforce declined by 484,000. Unsurprisingly, almost one in three (31 percent) persons 18 to 34 are living with their parents, including 25 percent who have jobs. So, the rate of household formation has, Neil Irwin reports in The New York Times, slowed from a yearly average of 1.35 million in 2001-06 to 569,000 in 2007-13. And investment in residential property is at the lowest level (as a share of the economy) since the World War II. "If," Irwin writes, "building activity returned merely to its postwar average proportion of the economy, growth would jump this year to a booming, 1990s-like level of 4 percent." However, a Wall Street Journal headline announces that Washington has a plan: "U.S. Backs Off Tight Mortgage Rules." It really is true: Life is not one damn thing after another, it is the same damn thing over and over. There is, however, something new under the sun. The Pew Research Center reports that Americans 25-to-32 — "millennials" — constitute the first age cohort since World War II with higher unemployment or a greater portion living in poverty than their parents at this age. But today's millennials have the consolation of having the president they wanted. George Will is a syndicated columnist in Washington, D.C. Email him at [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 29, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated May 29, 2014 at 2:15 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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