The Obama Administration released yesterday the latest jobs statistics from December. Administration officials and those in the news media touted the latest unemployment numbers as a signal that the recovery is in full swing.
But the government also released another set of statistics that appears to totally nullify the good news the Administration and the media reported, which begs the question, "Did the Administration use the magician's sleight of hand technique to hide the bad news?"
Although the Labor Department reported that 243,000 new workers were added to payrolls across the country, bringing the unemployment rate down to 8.3%, the Department also reported that a record 1.2 million Americans dropped out of the labor force in one month--the highest level in U.S. history.
It is the second set of statistics that poses a major problem for the economy. With millions dropping out of the labor force, the Obama Administration can hardly celebrate any 'good news' contained in the first set of statistics.
To report that 243,000 new workers were added to payrolls across the country, along with the self-congratulatory tone set by Administration officials and even those in the media, is to hide the facts. It is tantamount to the magician's trick called 'sleight of hand.' The magician calls our attention to the hand holding the rabbit, while the other hand, safely out of view due to directed audience inattention, holds the Ace of Spades, which is known in some circles as 'the card of death.'
Similarly, as the public's attention is called to the 243,000 who got a job in December, our attention is deftly directed away from the card in the other hand--the fact that 1.2 million Americans dropped out of the workforce in despair. When the 243,000 is subtracted from the 1.2 million, the result is a net loss of nearly 1 million jobs in one month--957,000 to be exact.
Why did the headlines, then, make the erroneous claim that there was a 243,000 jump in employment in December? The facts show that there was a net loss of 957,000.
Part of the answer may be found here:
A month ago, we joked when we said that for Obama to get the unemployment rate to negative by election time, all he has to do is to crush the labor force participation rate to about 55%. Looks like the good folks at the BLS heard us: it appears that the people not in the labor force exploded by an unprecedented record 1.2 million. No, that's not a typo: 1.2 million people dropped out of the labor force in one month! So as the labor force increased from 153.9 million to 154.4 million, the non institutional population increased by 242.3 million meaning, those not in the labor force surged from 86.7 million to 87.9 million. Which means that the civilian labor force tumbled to a fresh 30 year low of 63.7% as the BLS is seriously planning on eliminating nearly half of the available labor pool from the unemployment calculation.
Not only are Obama Administration magicians utilizing the sleight of hand technique on jobs statistics, they are also doing so with regard to skyrocketing price increases on everything from gasoline to milk, from bread to coffee, from bacon to ice cream.
According to CNS News Service, the Labor Board has reported that since Obama took office in 2009, the price of gasoline has increased a whopping 83%. Ground beef has gone up by 24%. Bacon increased 22%. Ice Creams costs 19% more now than just three years ago.
Yet none of this is counted in the inflation statistics released periodically by the government. The Feds conveniently stopped including gasoline and food in the statistics.
Thus, is the U.S. really in a recovery? Only if your definition of 'recovery' allows for a million citizens dropping out of the workforce and a combined increase in gasoline and food prices by 148% in just three years.
Be sure to catch my blog at The Liberty Sphere.
Visit my ministry site at Martin Christian Ministries.
Subscribe by clicking the links at the top of the page, or below, and you will receive free notifications of new articles plus a free newsletter.
A FREE, COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION IN CONSERVATIVE POLITICS.
You will find it each week at WFHT-AM 1390 in Orlando-Avon Park, Florida on the weekly program 'A Voice for Freedom.' Join Lori Hendry and Ginger Carlisle each Saturday morning from 11 AM to 12 Noon for interesting guests and news of vital importance to conservatives. Those living outside the station's listening area can listen via the Internet.
Oh, and yours truly will provide a rundown of the top political stories of the week plus searing and insightful commentary from a conservative perspective.
Comments