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Good times rolling

This month the U.S. economy set a record for the most enduring "good times." The economy began sprinting ahead in March 1991, eight years and 11 months ago, and it hasn't looked back.

During that period, the number of Americans without jobs has gone down from 7% to 4%; the price of the stuff we buy (inflation) has come down and remained low; and stock market levels have tripled.

The current expansion breaks the record set by the economic boom of the 1960s, although forecasters say that it could take another three years for the current expansion to produce the cumulative growth of the 60s. Growth was so accelerated in the 60s that when it ended, the GDP was 51% higher than when it began in 1961.

In this age of prosperity for many, a lot of Americans are spending their time... Well, spending. Americans are moving into bigger homes, charging more on their credit cards, and buying more expensive cars, especially sport utility vehicles, whose sales in the 90's have tripled. But the good news "in the aggregate," as economists say, may not be good for everybody. Personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are near all-time highs, and the country's income gap may be widening. A recent report based on census data found that the wealthiest Americans saw their incomes rise 15% in the last decade, while the lowest-income Americans gained 1%.

Still, most of the attention is on reaching the top. Whether it's quiz shows that create millionaires in half an hour, or traders looking for the next hot dot-com explosion, the idea is to get rich now.

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