Rendell says economy is good, but nobody believes him

Gov. Ed Rendell is one of the few people in Pennsylvania who thinks the economy is doing well.

Rendell is worried that public policy institutes are filling Pennsylvania residents' heads with lots of numbers that show the state's economy is in the tank.

He's so upset about the bad news that he wrote an op-ed piece to The Mercury criticizing a recent column by Frank Gamrat and Sarah Titus of The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.

To read Rendell's rosy scenario of the state's economy, go to The Mercury Web site.

To read the original column that Rendell criticizes, go to the Allegheny Institute Web site or The Commonwealth Foundation's Web site.

To read a third assessment of the state's economy picture, visit the Policy Blog of The Commonwealth Foundation.

If you're confused by the differing information, ask yourself what motivation the Allegheny Institute or Commonwealth Foundation would have to mislead you. Then ask yourself if Ed Rendell has ever stretched the truth for his own benefit. Case closed.