The government's economic report came out the other day, and it shows the Gross Domestic P

roduct--the GDP--was up more than 7.2 percent.., the highest one-quarter jump in 20 years. But the GDP is a measure of what HAS happened. The question is: what about the future？ Well, the same day the GDP report came out, the Atlanta Business Chronicle was reporting increased profits from several of Atlanta's largest corporations: BellSouth, Southern Company, Georgia Pacific, Equifax, Agco. UPS (United Parcel Service) showed a 28 percent increase, and that one is especially important because shipping companies are generally recognized as early indicators of things to come in the business world. And, sure enough, the economists arc already predicting a strong fourth quarter. One of the best, the Conference Board, is indicating very good economic news way out ahead.

The politicians, of course, are contending it is the government that causes the economy to ebb and flow. The Republicans are boasting the Bush tax cuts, and no doubt that had some impact in creating the good news ... but how much？ The Democrat presidential candidates arc unanimously insisting it is not good news at all because we haven't created as many new jobs as we should have, and anyway, if Al Gore were president and we had not cut those taxes, the government would have had more money to put into special programs, and the economy would have come back faster.

It seems to me everybody is overlooking the dynamic nature of America's competitive free enterprise system. This nation's economy has been through some severe jolts the last few years: the dot com bust, corporate scandals, 9-11 and a couple of wars, severe new competition from all over the world, not to mention the natural business cycle. It has been American business that has made the hard decisions, along with the tough and often unpleasant adjustments. And not all businesses survived. Now, who is bringing the economy back？ Let me suggest it is the unheralded risk-takers and managers and workers who make up the American free-enterprise system ... that's who.

Why is the UPS (United Parcel Service) increasingly important？

A．Because it makes up the major part of American economy.

B．Because it indicates the good economic news.

C．Because it helps to predict other events in the business.

D．Because it affects the performance of other industry.