March employment up 180,000; unemployment down to 4.4 percent; January and February jobs revised up 16,000 each.  Even construction jobs increased by 56,000 in March.

I thought for a while this morning I was watching ESPN rather than CNBC.  An on-screen clock counted down to announcement time for the March employment report.  An e-mailer notified the CNBC crew that he was waiting for the report naked.  I wondered what he was up to, being reminded of the late, great Lewis Grizzard's distinction between nude and naked:  nude means you have no clothes on; naked means you have no clothes on and are up to something. Luckily my household no longer has kiddos running around or I would have to install a V-Chip to filter the employment reports.

A net increase of 180,000 payroll jobs in March plus a net increase of 32,000 to the previous two months' estimates was good news indeed.  The even larger 335,000 increase in net employment in the household survey wasn't even mentioned on-air, even though that was the number that pushed the unemployment rate down from 4.5 percent to 4.4 percent.  Too bad the stock market was closed for Good Friday and will have a cooling off period before reacting to the good news.  Monday's verdict may well be negative if investors continue to prefer an economy weak enough to require a Fed easing.  Well, investors had better get over it; it ain't going to happen. 

Finding my way
To the NCPA

Thinking part time
For part-time pay

But my little plan has one big flaw
It fails to account for Parkinson's Law

It's sometimes hard to pay your dues
When you spend your time waiting for the muse

But one big advantage is important to me
A location outside of Washington, D. C.

Its traditions are richest outside my field
But that just gives me more room to build

Medicine, social security and other pensions
Have received John's main attentions

Aligning incentives for health care users
Removing incentives for potential abusers

Helping the customers of the health care industry
Avoid Hillary's health care ministry

Creating Health Savings Accounts
In increasing amounts

It's alledged

Making payers of users
Avoiding a third-party wedge

Making the patient and payor one and the same
Removing moral hazard from the health-care game

Sounding the alarm on social security
Offering solutions closer to purity

Promoting personal accounts with a higher gain
Giving their owners some skin in the game

Designing and promoting Roth IRAs
Following up with Roth 401Ks

Helping employers give their workers more clout
By changing opt in provisions to opt out

Working for taxes, lower and flatter
Making the supply side really matter

Lowering tax rates with no revenue crunch
Is as close as it gets to the proverbial free lunch

Keeping the capital in capitalism, we have a hunch
Means taxing it less and only once.

Nearly 25 years of private sector solutions
Now is no time to permit dilutions

So, come to our aide, help us contend
We depend entirely on the help of our friends