By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
A lawyer for BP PLC entered a not-guilty plea for the company as it was arraigned on charges stemming from a deadly 2010 rig explosion and massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
A measure of U.S. home prices jumped 5 percent in September compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year increase since July 2006. The gain, reported by CoreLogic, offered more evidence of a sustainable housing recovery.
Home prices rose in August in nearly all U.S. cities, and many of the markets hit hardest during the economic crisis are starting to show sustained gains. The increases are the latest evidence of a steady housing recovery.
The U.S. economy sent some mixed signals on growth Tuesday, with bad news on housing prices and durable goods orders, but consumer confidence jumping to its highest level in years and the Dow Jones index closing above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008.
Better news on home sales and improved prospects for job growth sent stocks higher on Wall Street Thursday.
The Conference Board's latest monthly consumer confidence survey contained little good news. The index fell to a six-month low, from 66 in April to a hair above 60 in May. Although this result came as a surprise to the economists, it should have been expected. American consumers intuitively know what's going on. They see a moribund housing market and inadequate job creation leaving the unemployment rate in the 9 percent range. There's little reason for optimism now unless the federal government gets its fiscal house in order.
Consumer confidence slipped this month as more people worried that the job market is worsening.
