On BLS BS

From FoxBusiness comes this column, talking about the weekly unemployment numbers.  It's a pretty good fisking of the Government numbers.  Also, it's somewhat prophetic, in light of today's miraculous "less than expected"  new jobs number of about 115,000 (more than 200,000 fewer jobs than needed just to keep up with population growth) and yet, somehow, a UE rate that dropped to 8.1%.

How do you add less than half the new jobs needed just to "tread water," and yet drop the unemployment rate?  Why, you stop counting people who want jobs.  Hidden in today's jobs report- and it certainly won't be reported by most of the media, is the fact that there are 6,366,000 people who want jobs, but are not counted in the labor force.  Let me spell that out so you get the full effect: six million, three hundred sixty-six thousand people are considered literal "non-entities" by the BLS.  They have been removed from the labor force, for Unemployment Rate purposes, despite wanting jobs.

This is nothing less than malfeasance.  To call it "spin" is also malfeasance, since "spin" implies a mere change of words.  This is lying.  It is lying by a Government agency.  It is lying by a Government Agency for motives which can only be political.

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm no fan of Government Creep anyway, and I would gladly see the BLS just disappear.  However, as long as they exist, they should presenting the unvarnished truth: however brutal that may be.  Down this path lies '1984.'  It is positively Orwellian, not because they're trying to control your thoughts (they are) but because they're trying to make you believe something that is objectively false, to modify your behavior- specifically your behavior in November.

You see, their Boss, President Obama, promised that his Stimulus plan would keep unemployment below 8%.  It flatly hasn't done that, so the best they'll be able to do is make it look like there has been a recovery- and then try to blame the sluggishness on "Bush!" and on you.

So when you hear from your coworkers, or family, or neighbors about the improving job numbers, have these two figures on hand: 6,366,000 (the number of people who want work but weren't counted as unemployed), and 63.7% - the lowest labor participation rate in decades.