According to the Government, the Truth is What They Say It Is!

We should examine the unemployment figures as published by the government.

Salem-News.com

(HARRISVILLE, N.H.) - If you ever have to testify in a Federal court (or any other court for that matter), you must place your hand on a bible and be sworn-in using an oath that goes: “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God”. Doesn’t it seem more than just a bit odd that government departments and officials are not held to that same oath?

It was just a week or so ago that the government proudly published the figures for “Initial Unemployment Claims” for the first full week of September. Only 451,000 new claims... the lowest figure in nearly two months. The problem with this announcement was that nine states, including California and Virginia (two heavy hitters) did not file an “Initial Unemployment Claims” report due to the Labor Day holiday. Of course, that fact was omitted . . . but that is the whole truth.

Next, we should examine the unemployment figures as published by the government. Right now, the government is telling us that unemployment is at 9.6%. Here’s the rub: the 9.6% does not include anyone who has already received the maximum unemployment benefits, it does not include anyone who has been unemployed for a year or more but given-up looking for employment, nor does it include those self-employed individuals who cannot find work. The real number of U.S. citizens who are unemployed right now is closer to 21.7% that it is to 9.6% . . . but that is the whole truth.

Today, an AP article, written by Martin Crutsinger and titled “Inflation remains flat in August as consumer prices rise 0.3 percent”, states “Consumer prices edged up 0.3 percent in August, matching the July increase, the Labor Department said Friday. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, showed no increase in August”. I don’t know about you but the price of food and energy has a rather large impact on my budget and I can tell you this . . . I cannot visit my local grocery store without becoming only too aware that we are experiencing inflation... but that is the whole truth.

Somehow, it appears that the government has convinced itself that if they don’t count certain segments of unemployed individuals, those individuals really are not unemployed. They have convinced themselves that if they don’t count certain products or services that we use every day, for say 20 years, those products and services do not cost us any more than they did at the beginning of that 20 year period.

The logic behind this “It is what we say it is” approach to everything eludes me. Are there really U.S. citizens and voters out there who don’t realize that their paycheck is gone when they lose their jobs? Can it be that there are families who can’t see that their weekly grocery bill is higher today than it was a year ago?

It would be so nice if we citizens and taxpayers could simply stop the paychecks for all Congressional Representatives and Senators as well as their retirement contributions and healthcare contributions explaining to them that we only recognize elected officials who have placed their hands on the bible and swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth... so we could charge them with perjury when they failed to do so . . . but, that is just my opinion!

You can write to Bob Collingsworth at this email address: colli2@webryders.net