Reply #7: GDP is a fudged number.

[ozone_man]

The components of GDP are manipulated and include for the largest part, consumer GDP, which has been fueled by refinance borrowing. This is now about to end, and will eventually kill the GDP as credit is no longer available. From what I hear, the unemployment numbers are pretty real, but they too get fudged. When the partially employed, but wanting full employment and those no longer looking, etc., are included, the employment is about 10.5%. All these numbers are available in the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Once the refinance driven consumer buying ends and deficit spending ends, these numbers will probably go toward historic highs.

U-6 Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers

http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpsatab12.htm