Giving Thanks

   Unemployment is down, payroll jobs are up, the economy is steady and  wages, salaries and personal income are holding.
   That's the good news from the government's Bureau of Economic Analysis as Americans get ready for their homecoming holiday this year.
   The not so good news, of course, is that the impeachment process against the current president continues to gather evidence supporting the idea of booting him from the White House. But that depends on whether you support him or you want him out, and current polls suggest an increasing number of Americans want him out.
   Meanwhile, families and friends are gathering to give thanks for what they have and to express hope that things will get better.
   Economically, things look good. Jobless rates were lower in October than a year ago in 240 of the 389 metro areas in America, according to government statistics, and nonfarm payroll employment was up in 49 metro ares and unchanged in 340.
   Personal income was "virtually unchanged" in October after rising 0.3 percent in September, while wages and salaries, the largest component of the data, rose 0.4 percent.
   Overall, Gross Domestic Product, or total output of goods and services, increased 2.1 percent in the third quarter, according to the second estimate by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, compared to 2 percent in the second quarter.