The cognitive dissonance is so in-your-face that you’d swear this is satire.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - While U.S. consumers may have spent slightly more than expected last month, it was because they paid more for necessities like gasoline and food, and not because they bought more discretionary items, analysts said on Monday.

The Commerce Department said U.S. retail sales were up 0.2 percent in March, slightly stronger than expected.

You know what you call an economy that continues to grow at higher-than-expected rates in the face of rising prices?  Resilient.

You know what will kill our economy, though?  Raising taxes and/or letting the Bush tax cuts expire (also a massive tax hike).