- BitsBlog - https://bitsblog.com -

Jobs Report September 2012 Numbers: They Still Stink

From Investor’s Business Daily, [1] by way of Glenn Reynolds: [2]

[3]

Even If Obama Did Cook The Jobs Numbers, They Still Stink. “The fact is that even with these inexplicable results, this jobs report shows an economy that continues to struggle. After all, an economy that’s creating just 114,000 jobs is barely producing enough new jobs to keep up with population growth, much less drive down the real unemployment rate. What’s more, the drop in the official unemployment rate, if those numbers are to be believed, was driven largely by a big upturn in part-time jobs. Workers who can’t find full-time work, or forced to take huge pay cuts to land work, are not signs of forward momentum. And that’s why the BLS’ broader, but little noticed,measure of the unemployed — which includes discouraged workers and those working part time because they can’t find full-time jobs — remained unchanged in September at a gut-wrenching 14.7%.”

No argument on any of that… if… I say again, If… you take the numbers at face value. Trouble is we’ve learned the hard way about taking anything this administration says at face value.

But for the sake of discussion, let’s do so for a moment. IBD’s point is well taken, and it does cause wonder on two points;

  • How bad would it have been absent the diddling?
  • And, what about next month? The numbers HAVE to come back to reality, in the next month, and the report will be out just a couple days before the election.

I suppose we’ll find out in a months time the answer to both these questions.

For clarity, let me restate;

Is the Administration DIRECTLY fiddling with the numbers?  Likely not, though I’d not put it past them, given the level of untruth we’ve been seeing out of the WH these past nearly four years. I’m sorry gang, but I just can’t put it past them.  The level of cynicism coming out of this white house and its protectors in the press have made me cynical on this the point.  The level of trust simply is not there, mostly because of the demonstrably large number of times this administration has been less than honest.

And I’d add that this administration on the whole, and particularly at the head of it, doesn’t seem smart enough to be able to pull off anything of the kind. To be a good enough liar to cover your tracks one needs be smart, and Obama simply isn’t.  It seems more likely to me that it comes down to how the numbers are touted by the WH and the press.