On Feb. 3, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its monthly employment report, which was greeted as good news. 

As we begin 2012, an election year, the United States faces many difficult economic and financial issues, even amid recent signs of improvement. The tough issues include national debt of $15.2 trillion and rising, 8.5 percent unemployment that would be even higher if the labor force was growing, flat wage growth, and rising levels of poverty.