Jobs, jobs, jobs. The politician's mantra and it will become deafening as we approach the federal election. The next eight or nine months are crucial for the government.
The official jobless figures came out last week and showed the unemployment rate has risen from 6.1 to 6.3 per cent with just over 800,000 unemployed, an increase of 40,000 and the highest rate in 10 years. Does this spell trouble?
Our clever economist Charlie thinks not. He says willingness to spend has improved, as has business confidence and new vehicle sales. Joe Hockey's $20,000 tax break in the last budget has pushed up sales of anything that could be loosely argued as a business expense. 
Louise is struggling to see how a flat screen TV in the tea room could be a legitimate expense but we'll leave it to those impressive people in the tax office to adjudicate.
Last year, 244,000 jobs were created, at a faster rate than any time since 2010, with a growth rate of 3 per cent, and job ads are up 11 per cent.
However, fewer Australians are leaving the workforce than at any time in the previous 20 years. This means older people aren't retiring like they used to and fewer people are taking time out to change direction.
So with fewer people moving out of the workforce, it's getting harder to get a job. Youth unemployment has risen to 12 per cent.
People are still scared and uncertain about the future.
That's a great shame because our future prospects are good. The low dollar has saved us from ourselves. There is strong demand for our products and services overseas, and Trade Minister Andrew Robb has opened up more markets than ever before.
Building approvals are solid, inflation is low and retail sales were strong in   July.
So Charlie has convinced the ever-sceptical Louise, and me, that it's all OK. All we have to do now is convince everybody else.
At a dinner party I'll often ask people to talk about their first job. Just think of your own start in life - it was probably humble.
"Not as humble as mine," says Louise. "I started with a part-time job in Melbourne as a waitress at $8 an hour plus tips."
The tips added 50 per cent to her basic income and introduced Louise to tax minimisation because, without cash tips, it wasn't worthwhile even though she was living at home. She moved from job to job until getting through university and ending up as one of this country's finest researchers and part-time author.
Her path to a modest income was only slowed by a stint at the Australia Club, one of Melbourne's finest establishments for the true conservatives, which didn't believe in tips, so they banned them. Louise moved on to an Italian cafe up the top of Bourke Street where they valued good service.
Charlie, however, started as a 16-year-old cleaner in a butcher shop and saved his wages for his first car - a $70 Austin A40 that burned more oil than petrol.
It wasn't easy then or now - I've met many clever people who have known humble beginnings, but went onto a great job.
The fact is, we are in good shape and it's all going to be OK as long as the government remembers former Bill Clinton's ringing words: "It's the economy stupid".
I'm not sure our leaders agree with Clinton - I would advise them to think hard about it. If they stay focused on the main game, they might keep their jobs and more of us will have one as well. Otherwise we will have a government in the front bench looking for jobs. I hope there are enough to go around.