*http://www.independent.org/publications/the_lighthouse/
The Lighthouse - Volume 12, Issue 24 - June 14, 2010*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Official Unemployment Statistics Mask Phony Government Jobs*
Statistics should be beyond reproach. Too often, however, the reality
falls far short of that ideal. Consider the jobless rate. In the days of
President Franklin Roosevelt, the federal government reported the number
of unemployed workers far more honestly, according to Independent
Institute Senior Fellow *William F. Shughart*. That's because workers
who were supported by public largesse were not counted among the employed.
"People at that time recognized that someone who holds a job only
because Congress has appropriated money for the position is not creating
wealth but is merely the recipient of an income transfer," writes
Shughart in his latest op-ed. "Those who at the time derided the WPA as
'We Piddle Around' recognized the wasteful consequences of public
profligacy."
Today's official unemployment statistics, in contrast, are deceptive:
they treat temporary census workers, contractors receiving government
"stimulus" grants, workers hired for "green" government jobs, and the
like as if their jobs were self-supporting and sustainable. That's a
useful trick if you're trying to mask the ineffectiveness of a flawed
jobs policy. But if you were to remove those gimmicky government jobs
and count only real ones in the private sector, "the unemployment rate
would be much higher than 10 percent," Shughart concludes.
"Obama: Not as Honest as FDR,"
<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/8/obama-not-as-honest-as-fdr/>
by William F. Shughart II (/Washington Times/, 6/8/10)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/8/obama-not-as-honest-as-fdr/
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