Many economists thought that the U.S. economy was headed for a spring slowdown, but April’s job numbers were stronger than expected and the large revisions for February and March were very good. According to the Labor Department, there were 165,000 jobs added to the economy in April, which were 25,000 higher than expected. Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economists, said “the report goes a long way toward soothing fears of another spring slowdown.”

There was much bigger news coming from the report when the Labor Department announced huge revisions to earlier released numbers. It turns out that they added 114,000 to the number of jobs created in February and March. With earlier data, it was reported that March only added 88,000 new jobs, but with revisions it actually added over 138,000 jobs. But February was the big winner with new numbers that put the job count for that month at 332,000. February was the strongest month of hiring since the census bureau added those temporary workers back in 2010.

The unemployment rate dropped to 7.5% after the statistics were released. That is still too high and economists are hoping that Congress will jump in and help to decrease that number with a jobs plan. Government jobs at the state, local and federal level continue to lose jobs. They lost another 11,000 across the board and need a boost from somewhere. The U.S. economy still has a long way to go to get back all the jobs that were lost because of the Bush recession, but the signs are starting to look more positive.

The one area of the economy that continues to be on the rise is home price values, which rose in February at its fastest rate in seven years. The housing market is helping to counter the drag on the economy from the Sequester. The S&P/Case Shiller index, which calculates 20 metropolitan areas, showed that home prices rose 9.3% for a single-family in February. The data will reinforce confidence that Americans have about the economy and will hopefully let them increase their spending.

Economist Stephen Stanley, of Pierpont Securities, said that “this will be a powerful positive fundamental not only for housing but presumably helpful for consumer spending as well.” Another report showed the rebounding of American consumer confidence in the overall outlook of the economy as well as their income prospects. Wages and salaries are also up .5% over the first quarter, which is a good sign that the economy is moving in the right direction.

There are several factors which contribute to the rise of home prices, such as reduced unemployment, record low mortgage rates and a severe reduction in foreclosures. The rising home prices also mean that fewer homeowners are underwater, when it comes to their mortgages. It also means that a lot more homeowners can refinance, which will save them money that can be spent on other items. Most families number one investment is their home, which means the more valuable it is, the better it is for the economy. Everyone is hoping that home values will continue its rise.

The GOP’s only answer to the President is “no” and that is final. President Obama has moved to the middle and is trying to compromise with Republicans, but to no avail. Now both parties are mad with the “Commander In Chief.” The GOP is mad at him for offering them the deal they wanted and Democrats are furious at the President for putting entitlements on the table in the first place. This may have been a genius move by President Obama and the GOP will now be known as “the party who refused to take ‘yes’ for an answer.”

Speaker Boehner and House Republicans are still playing the blame game and are refusing to compromise with Democrats. The Speaker doesn’t have control of his constituents in the House of Representatives anyway, so he is not the one making decisions on the GOP side. There has never been such a useless Speaker of the House than John Boehner. The President has done his job in leading the country through a tough time, now it’s the Republicans turn to accept a deal that they have been wanting to make. Can they say ‘Yes’? It sure sounds like a trick question.

President Obama, along with a host of other Democrats, has tried to sway Congress in raising the minimum wage to at least $9 an hour, but have had very little cooperation from Republicans. The GOP has long been against raising the minimum wage and many have even wanted to do away with it all-together. Republicans have been on the side of businesses and employers from the beginning and they show no signs of changing their minds anytime soon.

So workers at some of the biggest fast-food chains in the world must picket their employers to raise their own wages. Huge businesses like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, KFC, Wendy’s and Burger King continue to take advantage of their workers with rock bottom wages. Elba Godoy, a crew member at McDonald’s in New York City, coined the phrase “it’s not enough” when referring to her $7.25 an hour rate. She helps support her family of seven and says that her employers “don’t like that were out here, but we have to do it. We cannot survive on $7.25.” Not only do they want higher wages, but they want to form a union without retaliation from their companies. Both sides need to come together.

The chairman of the House Budget Committee has tried these scare tactics before because he wants to decimate spending that helps the middle-class and the poor, such as unemployment, food stamps and early education. Ryan’s budget, which cuts trillions to safety net programs and turns Medicare into a voucher system, is a cruel path that will destroy the American economy and cost millions of jobs.

Guy LeBas, a Philadelphia chief income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott, says that “the argument that heavy debt loads slow economic growth doesn’t hold a lot of water.” He went on to say that the economy “suffers from a mix-up of cause and effect. When weak economic conditions arise, it tends to encourage deficit spending, which is what has led to more U.S. debt being issued, and not the other way around.”

Europe has more of a direr problem than the United States but they have chosen a different path. They are using strict austerity measures to try and cure their problems, but are only making things worse. They are starving their economies instead of investing in the people. It’s the same as economic differences between Republicans and Democrats. Except for Defense, the GOP wants to shrink government as much as possible while the Democrats want to invest in the people and the infrastructure. You cannot cut your way into prosperity.

Paul Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee, has predicated his whole budget on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. He wants to throw millions of hard working Americans off of health care coverage while given hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthiest people in the country. Not only do his numbers not add up again, but his budget is ruthless and demeaning for everyday folks that want to be treated fairly.

He went out of his way at the Conservative Political Action Conference to blast the Senate for their budget plan and the balanced approach it takes. Instead he recommends that the system continues to be tilted in favor of the very wealthy. Virtually every economist and non-partisan scholar has blasted the Paul Ryan plan which will greatly increase the wealth disparity in America between the rich and the poor. As one critic said “Its Robin Hood in reverse.”

Paul Ryan’s budget is like a trip to fantasy land. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which is very highly respected, trashed the plan by asking “is it courageous to target your deepest cuts on the poorest Americans, who vote in lower numbers and provide little in campaign contributions? Is it courageous to camouflage hundreds of billions in cuts for the poor and disadvantaged in broad budget categories without identifying the programmatic cuts, so that analysts, journalists, and other policymakers can’t identify the specific cuts and assess their impacts?” People already rejected his unfair plan at the polls.

With the unemployment rate sliding down to 7.7%, that is the lowest rate we’ve seen since December 2008. Anything close to adding 250,000 jobs a month will put a real dent in the rate. The U.S. has to create 100,000 jobs a month just to retain the current rate. Confidence is upbeat but people warn that there is still a lot that has to be done after the Great Recession and financial collapse at the end of the Bush administration.

The U.S. economy has added an average of 200,000 jobs the last three months and seems to be picking up steam. Small businesses have accelerated their hiring numbers and they continue to climb. With the housing market starting to make a real comeback and the auto industry remaining strong, economists are confident because those are two of the most important sectors of the economy. Home values rose more this year that in the past six and they continue to increase.

If only members of Congress would do their part and work together to help the American people get jobs and earn a decent living The obstructionism that has gone in the last four years is a disgrace and must stop. The economy is coming back despite their lack of integrity. They must put away their differences and help the economy make a full recovery. That’s easier said than done.

The economy in China is booming, but without being able to invest in outside banks, the middle class turned to the only place where they could invest, the housing market. They have bought up millions of condominiums and apartments at an alarming rate, which has spurred the housing markets to unreal heights. This housing boom has become dangerously fueled with investor money and produced hundreds of ghost towns in its wake.

These ghost towns are everywhere across China, with all of the property sold but now one living in them. The huge ghost town properties have been built one after the other with no end in sight, or at least until the housing market collapses. Building contractors have gone broke trying to keep up with demand and most of them are out of business. China’s government is trying to ease the bubble down with measures to block future investment.

They are now decreasing the amount of properties that can be attained by investors. Instead of purchasing an unlimited amount, people can only buy one property now, which they hope will slow down the boom. Hong Kong analyst Gillem Tulloch says “people who have invested three generations worth of savings into properties – will see their entire savings evaporate.” He says that the “Doomsday Scenario,” which is coming soon, is when “everybody wakes up one day and they find out their money’s gone, and their apartments are worthless.”

With a “spineless” Speaker of the House being led around by his nose, the Tea Party has assumed control of the dysfunctional GOP. Speaker Boehner has lost total control of the house and is being treated like a schoolyard sissy with his tail between his legs. He has been the most ineffective leader in Washington in recent memory. He is a discolored Trojan horse.

The vast majority of Americans will blame the GOP for their continued obstruction and mission to destroy the economy under President Obama. Any Republican who publicly agrees with a Democrat is then targeted by the Tea Party. Anyone who plays nice with the other side is bound get a serious Primary challenge in their district.

Over a million jobs will be lost unless a deal is made to stop these unnecessary cuts, but with Speaker Boehner playing the cowardly lion, no progress to stop this self-inflicted wound is in sight. The Tea Party now tells all Republicans what to do and how to act. The Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, has already refused to invite Gov. Chris Christie back to speak. Do you think it had anything to do with him working along-side the President? Probably so but leaders do their job.

The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.73, which is over 20 cents higher than at this point last year. Jessica Brady, who is spokeswoman for AAA, said “pump prices typically increase this time of the year as refineries shut down for maintenance and switch over to production of a summer blend of gas.” She also warned that “motorists can expect gas prices to rise throughout March and into April.”

People are frustrated with the same old reasons for the huge spike in gas prices, such as rising crude oil prices, refinery closings and production cuts. Two-thirds of the cost for a gallon of gas comes directly from whatever the price of crude oil is at that point. Crude oil is up over 10% in the last two months. Higher demand going into the driving season will keep prices rising.

With the economy looking brighter and the U.S housing market resurging across the country, the anticipation of much higher oil demand is steadily driving up the price. Maybe now is the time to make a serious investment in alternative fuels. Americans must wean themselves off from relying on crude oil. President Obama has tried to convince everyone that there has got to be a better way.