"I'm not saying 'poor me, ' but I went through a lot of pain and terrible days, " D'Angelo said.

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That would be a terrible idea, not least because the government has the resources to ease the pain in less dangerous ways: it is running a budget surplus and has little debt.

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So the economy may be growing again, but that growth has not nearly made up for the terrible pain and dislocations that rocked businesses and families over the course of a very difficult two years.

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