Two negative growth quarters constitutes a "recession." We just had our first negative quarter since 2009. Someone is lying to us. Do you care?

From  The Hill:

The nation’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, casting fresh doubt on the strength of the economy recovery.

The new estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) from the Commerce Department marks the first time the economy shrank since it was in the depths of the recession in mid-2009.

The dip came as a surprise to economists. Experts had believed the U.S. would post a modest economic gain of slightly over 1 percent, after logging a 3.1 percent increase in the third quarter.

Editor’s notes: the official definition for “recession” includes the fact of two quarters in a row with minus growth as to GDP.  We just recorded our first quarter since 2009,  of minus GDP.