22 months of US job growth

While millions of Americans are still hurting, and the US economy, like that of many countries, still has a long way to go, good news is good news.

Said the Obama campaign:

"We shared this chart with you earlier this week, and we've updated it today with new numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: the economy added 212,000 private sector jobs in December, for 22 consecutive months of job growth. While the news is encouraging, we've still got a lot of work to do to strengthen the economy, and President Obama remains focused on doing everything he can to get Americans back to work, from taking We Can't Wait actions to pressuring Congress to do their jobs."

It turns out that 2011 was the best year for private-sector job growth since 2005, and the second best since 1999, as documented by Steven Benen of the Washington Monthly. That's good news, and important.

The world economy needs the US economy to grow. News like this suggests that it is, however slowly. It’s a start.