Many years ago, Johnny Rivers had a big hit about living on "The Poor Side of Town."  Today, a lot of Americans seem to be living on the other side of town, the part of the city where people are too busy to dwell on every little this and that coming out of Washington.

It's as if we live on two different planets.  One side is obsessed with everything Trump, and the other part is busy living.

Today, we got some impressive news:

U.S. small business optimism surged to a record in August as the tax cuts and deregulation efforts of President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress led to more sales, hiring and investment, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business.

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index jumped to 108.8 last month, the highest level ever recorded in the survey's 45-year history and above the previous record of 108 in 1983, set during the second year of Ronald Reagan's presidency. 

The August figure was up from a 107.9 reading in July.

That's impressive.

It's more impressive when you consider two things.  First, most Americans work in a small businesses.  Second, small businesses are the backbone of Hispanic communities and many other minority areas.

So how do you reconcile this amazing report with the constant barrage of negative news?  The easy answer is bias.  The more relevant answer is that most Americans are not following these negative stories.  Even fewer will read the Woodward book.

So cheers for U.S. employers.  You are leading the way, no matter how loud the megaphone in the corner is.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.