1.   Profits have fallen for three consecutive quarters and capital spending has fallen in response.

2.   And construction spending fell in February, Commerce Department figures showed.

3.   At the Defense Department, basic research spending has fallen for five years when inflation is considered.

4.   At the same time, tech spending has fallen dramatically and some companies are reacting by cutting back.

5.   Commerce also reported that construction spending fell, as expected, in November.

6.   Household spending has fallen in three of the last four months.

7.   His staff distributed Scholastic Aptitude Tests showing that several of the schools being penalized scored no higher than districts whose nonclassroom spending fell within the accepted range.

8.   In a separate report Friday, the Commerce Department said that construction spending fell in July for the fourth consecutive month.

9.   Meanwhile, construction spending fell again in September, the Commerce Department reported.