Some long-lived intangible assets will be counted as capital investment rather than one-time expenses in US GDP.

The US has been spending more than it earns and has to borrow from abroad to fund its real investment.

The excess of inflows over outflows adds to the stock if flows are not instantly perishable.

Economic stimulus might end up stimulating foreign economies more than the domestic economy when the US is so dependent on imports.

Jobless benefits cushion the fall of disposable income during economic recessions.

Cash for clunkers and home-buyer tax credit provided huge subsidies for each incremental sale but failed to sustain the car and housing markets.

Savers are collateral damage in the Fed’s attempt to resuscitate a comatose economy during the Great Recession.

Price inflation creates strong illusion of monetary gains that hides the reality of more mundane performance.