JUST WAITING FOR NATIVISTS TO LET THE POPULATION START EXPANDING AT A NORMAL RATE AGAIN:

Look for economy to gain traction in new year (Mark Zandi, 1/02/11, Philadelphia Inquirer)

Fueling this optimism is the financial health of U.S. businesses. Profits have fully recovered from the Great Recession after firms dramatically lowered costs and widened their margins. Despite only modest sales gains and weak pricing, earnings growth has rarely been stronger.

Business balance sheets are also about as strong as they can be. Corporations have slashed debt amid low borrowing costs; the proportion of cash flow going to debt payments has fallen significantly. Cash holdings have also surged to near-record levels as a proportion of short-term corporate debt.

There is no longer any doubt about businesses' ability to expand; the only question is when they will be willing to do so.