America’s economic might is that of a 4-cylinder car, loaded with jet fuel, trying to get on the expressway.

With the pedal to the metal, all we can do is 30 mph. Not fast enough.

That’s the take-away from Friday’s gross domestic product report of 2.5 percent growth.

While Ben Bernanke has provided more than enough fuel, the economic engine cannot muster enough power.

So while we are glad that finally this wobbly economy posted a 2.5-percent quarter, forgive us if we are not jumping for joy — especially after the 0.4 percent “growth” the prior quarter, which should have meant plenty of pent-up demand for Q1.

Government is probably the most inefficient and redundant instrument to create economic growth or jobs. The problem is that with Uncle Sam buying and pricing all the capital flowing in our economy and hiring, you have an unsustainable model.

When the feds hire, it drains taxes and increases deficits, which leads to slower growth, which is where we are today. The 2.5 percent growth is not at escape velocity, despite all the stimulus coming from Washington.

When the growth comes from the private sector, that’s when you have sustainability, and net positive cash flow for the Treasury in tax revenue.

When people get hired in the private sector, they and the companies that hire them pay payroll taxes and maybe income tax as well.

This is why legitimate private- sector growth solves a lot of what ails us: It helps the employment picture and the deficit at the same time.

However, there were some glimmers of a pickup on the private-sector side of the economy. Real personal consumption was up 3.2 percent in the first quarter, compared with 1.8 percent in the fourth.

The growth also came from businesses building inventory — meaning they expect some more demand in the future.

But until capital is created privately and our growth is funded by risk-takers, real recovery will remain the economy’s question mark.