There are lies, there are damn lies, and there are statistics. It all depends on how you shift and spin the numbers.
In the Labor Department's report released today, the nation's unemployment rolls dropped by .1 percent to 4.8 percent this month, even though employers cut more than 63,000 jobs in February. The highest number of cuts in one month in the past 5 years.
So how did our unemployment rates end up looking better? According to the article in the Star Tribune from the Associated Press:
"The reason why the jobless rate went down, rather than up, is because so many people stopped looking for work and left the labor force."
WHO LEAVES THE LABOR FORCE? Four possible reaons, (1) you're retired (2) you're disabled and unable to work (3) you stay home to care for children, the elderly, or disabled (4) you're dead. A person who is unemployed still needs to pay for a roof over his head, clothes on his back and food in his belly. Those needs do not end with lack of job prospects. In other words, they've just STOPPED COUNTING a bunch of people. Of course, that's going to make the numbers look better.
This isn't unlike the spin doctoring of the Consumer Price Index and other indicators. Check out John Williams' Shadow Government Statistics site for more information. Makes you wonder how bad things really are.
I especially like this quote at the end of the article, "All the economy's troubles are putting people in a gloomy mood."
No shit, Sherlock.
5 comments:
And politicians like Pawlenty are using the recent economic downturn as more of a reason to cut government services, at times when they are needed the most. He and his shade of politician are in out and out open, hostile class warfare.
People seem to forget their history lessons. The last time America had a comparable economic shit storm was perhaps the Great Depression. One of the factors that helped people get through these times was the Civilian Conservation Corps.
This was a social, government funded relief program. It worked.
We're fast approaching a need for some kind of New Deal. And not one put together by Neocons.
The Neocon version of a the New Deal would be called "Work Houses".
Americans remember history lessons? Most Americans can't be bothered to remember the last American Idol winner.
All Pawlenty is doing now is jockeying to get the Republican VP spot.
What's wrong with work houses? People need work. People need a house. Well... there ya go!
If I close my eyes and put my head in the sand for 240 days, will all of this go away?
They conveniently failed to mention the 5th reason:
When you use up your 26 weeks of unemployment, and are no longer DRAWING unemployment, they no longer consider you "unemployed".
Marie -
EXACTLY!
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