And guess what's powering the surge
From this news story:
The U.S. economy rocketed ahead at its fastest pace in more than 19 years in the third quarter of 2003 as consumers, their wallets fattened by tax cuts, went on a buying spree, an unexpectedly strong government report showed on Thursday.
...Consumer spending gained at a hefty 6.6 percent pace as lower tax withholding on paychecks and child tax credit checks put more cash in shoppers' hands. It was the biggest increase in consumer outlays since early 1988 and accounted for nearly two-thirds of GDP growth.
Odd. I thought all the tax cuts had gone to the rich.