Want to Know the Real Problem With the U.S. Economy?

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- For all the talk of consumer sentiment, retail sales and other measures of consumption, it is income and employment that drive economic growth. Personal consumption is simply the final transaction in the economic value chain. It is an effect of economic growth, not the cause. In the absence of new jobs or higher real incomes, consumers cannot increase spending without drawing on savings or borrowing -- both unsustainable sources of consumption. The real driver of growth i...