Palin Still Trying To Figure Out Unemployment Stats: "I Do Not Believe {Numbers} Are Accurate"

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201202160007

Palin Still Trying To Figure Out Unemployment Stats: "I Do Not Believe {Unemployment Numbers} Are Accurate"

February 16, 2012 12:38 pm ET

From the February 16 edition of Fox News' Happening Now:

[spanone]

1. well, sarah dear, why don't you put forth your own numbers?

[niyad]

2. and explain how she ascertained them

[liberal N proud]

3. They can't be accurate in her idea of utpoia

It is an election year with a Democratic incumbent and they don't want the ecomony to improve.

The nerve, the economy improving and how it could help Obama, whatever will Caribou Barbie do!

[lastlib]

4. Forget statistics, she's still trying to figure out addition and subtraction.

[wilt the stilt]

5. Sarah, one thing I know

from your college transcripts that you were and excellent math, quantitative analysis, and statistics student therefore I know you have a deep understanding of the methodology.

[Demonaut]

9. is this sarcastic because I really can't imagine her a great student

[MadHound]

6. Well, actually, they aren't

And they haven't been for a long, long while.

Presidents and politicians like to put the best possible spin on the figures, so over the years they've massaged them in order to make them look better. Seasonal adjustments were one big move. Another was Reagan's move to count the military as being employed in the civilian work force. And yes, Palin is correct about a couple of things(after all, a stopped clock is right twice a day). The lowering U3 numbers(the figure that gets broadcast by the media) don't reflect the increase of discouraged workers and underemployed workers.

Again, the inaccuracy of the unemployment numbers has been pointed out under presidents ranging from Reagan to Bush II and now to Obama. It has been estimated that if we counted the unemployed like we did under FDR, our current number would be well into the double digit range.

This also applies to other big government statistics. Another favorite number for politicians and presidents to massage is the inflation rate. CPI has been massaged to keep artificially low in order to get maximum propaganda value. Things like not including "volatile" food and fuel prices. Thus, we are left wondering why our paychecks are disappearing at an ever increasing rate, while inflation remains steady.

Frankly, a lot of these numbers serve nothing more than propaganda value, and you should take them with a huge grain of salt.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. +1. nt.

[DCKit]

7. Bet she's a huge (but secret) Harry Potter fan. nt

[dmallind]

8. She must read DU. Same schtick abounds here. nt

[malaise]

11. That semi-literate 'moran' figure out the difference between a fork

and a spoon.

Why doesn't she STFU and go away,

[Brother Buzz]

12. Sarah Darling, I believe you learned that little nugget back in high school

I did.