The weekly report of actual initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending April 27, coupled with the decrease during the previous week, showed that 298,692 claims were filed. A showing under 300,000 is consistent with a mild recovery; 250,000 would indicate a fairly strong recovery.
But the administration cannot claim credit. The boom in the natural-gas-from-shale industry, a private-sector phenomenon opposed by the administration's Environmental Protection Agency, is responsible. Serendipity is once again saving the American people from Washington's foolish economic policies.