Well, things went in the right direction for 12 years. Yet Edelman now sounds as if he’s being vindicated. “The whole construct is to go out and find jobs,” he told the Post. “So it’s a Catch-22. It’s kind of an impossibility.” Um, sure. Whatever you say.

We’ve had 12 years of success, followed by one month or so of failure. Wait long enough and any policy is bound to fail, if only because it will have fixed the problem it was created to solve.

For 30 years, the federal government tried to spend enough to get rid of poverty and failed utterly. By reforming the system, the government encouraged millions to find jobs and fuel the economy. Funny how that story seems to have gone unnoticed all these years.

            Speaking of good news that flies below the radar, how about this: the Defense Department reports that “All active-duty and reserve-component U.S. military services met or exceeded their November recruiting goals.” In fact, the Army has met its goals three years running and expects to in 2009 as well. Even in a time of war, when everyone who signs up can expect to see combat, our military is able to recruit all the people it needs.

                Want more good news? In early November Yahoo! news reported that many high-tech items were already sold out for the Christmas season. “Guitar Hero: World Tour” and “Wii Fit” were among the games selling so quickly they were gone weeks before the holiday. And Amazon cannot keep its electronic book, Kindle, in stock. Even at $359, “Kindle is sold out. Please ORDER KINDLE NOW to reserve your place in line,” the Web site says. Maybe Americans are better off than we think we are.

            Yes, the economy has taken a pounding. But as you gather with family and friends this Christmas season, pause a moment to consider some good news. It seldom makes headlines, but it’s all around us if we’re willing to look.