WASHINGTON (AFP) ??” The best of times.

WASHINGTON (AFP) ??” The best of times, or the worst of times. The US economy is the strongest in years, or is mired in the deepest use crisis in decades.

This dichotomy has been highlighted in fresh economic data, notably Friday's payrolls report, which showed 144000 piece of works in August while the unemployment rate dipped slightly to 54 percent

The report firinged a heated debate over the state of the economy and the piece of work market going into the Labor Day holiday weekend.

President George W Bush's administration hailed the latest of recent origins as a indicator of economic impetus while some economists and critics debateed it was yet another sign of a sputtering economy that is failing to generate piece of works and higher incomes.

"This Labor Day we really have something to celebrate: 12 straight month of piece of work creation," Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said.

"Thanks to President Bush's steady leadership, this