USA Today tells us that the economy grew at a “torrid 3.5% rate.” In the four quarters following the 1974-75 recession the economy grew at a 6.2 percent annual rate. In the four quarters following the 1981-82 recession the economy grew at a 7.5 percent annual rate.

–Dean Baker

Dean Baker is senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. He is the author of several books, including Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer. Read more about Dean.