Questionable Statistics

http://www.bls.gov/bls/glossary.htm

Employed persons (Current Population Survey)

Persons 16 years and over in the civilian noninstitutional population who, during the reference week, (a) did any work at all (at least 1 hour) as paid employees, worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in an enterprise operated by a member of the family, and (b) all those who were not working but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent because of vacation, illness, bad weather, childcare problems, maternity or paternity leave, labor-management dispute, job training, or other family or personal reasons, whether or not they were paid for the time off or were seeking other jobs. Each employed person is counted only once, even if he or she holds more than one job. Excluded are persons whose only activity consisted of work around their own house (painting, repairing, or own home housework) or volunteer work for religious, charitable, and other organizations.

I’m not big into the governments statistics about current employment and unemployment numbers. Each day I hear and read articles and blogs about the loss of jobs and the gain of jobs. The above paragraph is the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics glossary definition of who is an employed person. The telling feature of this is that for someone to be considered employed they have to work ONE WHOLE HOUR a week, and not necessarily get paid for that work.

Years ago when Ronnie was president he set the standard for lowering the unemployment numbers. When I learned that he had the government define an employed person as someone who worked two hours or more a week I had to laugh. I ignored the definition of who was employed until this morning when I dug around and found the above definition.

So what should we do about this statistic? It’s widely known that one can make statistics tell whatever story one is trying to sell. Sean Hannity frequently beats his opponents over the head with the term intellectually honest or intellectual honesty. The government is certainly not being intellectually honest when it publishes employment numbers based on the above definition. I know of no one who makes less than I who could afford to work for one hour a week and pay the bills and I am sure they would not consider themselves employed.

I believe we should call this what it is--- a lie. The numbers the government publishes for the number of people employed and unemployed is a feather in the wind. The government needs to admit this and stop wasting our tax dollars trying to tell us to feel good about the country because X number of people have jobs.

As I drive through Phoenix I notice the number of white trash scum standing for hours at intersections with signs that invariably read “Disabled Vet Please help” scrawled crudely, sometimes in crayon, on dirty pieces of cardboard. Are these dirtbags considered employed? They stand on the corner for more than an hour a week and perform the service of conning people into giving them money so the poor donors can feel good about themselves. Let me tell you, if one can stand on the corner in Phoenix during the summer for six hours begging, one certainly has the stamina to get a real job and work for a living. Why? Today it’s already topped 109⁰ on my shaded porch.

I’m simply going to ignore everyone who spouts employment or unemployment numbers until our government stops the dishonest categorization of who is employed. Better yet, I’m in favor of the government helping these leaches who work as statisticians immediately join the statistics in the unemployed category.

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