Interesting choice of scale on the graph. It makes an increase from 130 to 134 look like a mountain.

Beyond that, is the tax cut the only event to be noted? War economy?

Not that interesting, really.

During much of 2004, we heard, again and again, that Bush had "lost 3 million jobs."

And pundits and politicians STILL say things like that today.

Well, this graph just shows that jobs, after falling off beginning in 2001, have come back in a big way. If you want a bunch of wasted space in your graphs, that's your choice. But I prefer more meaningful visual data.

http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/Gallery/lie-factor.html

No offense, but that's really a lame link, as it's totally irrelevant to the graph I posted.

I was in a hurry ;-). Now that I'm back from my most excellent bike ride I'll find the one I really wanted ...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/096139210X/104-4023798-7082318?v=glance

Have you ever read (or flipped through) that one?

There are ways to communicate the true picture. I think the "big valley and recovery" you see in the Bureau of Labor Statistics graph grabs you in just the way they intended. It looks much bigger than it is, and the convenient line for "Bush Tax Cut" looks like a trigger.

A line drawn for "2003 invasion of Iraq" would also force a certain perspective on that recovery, but for some reason that line was not the one drawn.