The Spin Goes On

In order to ensure that I hear all sides of issues, I spend some time watching MSNBC, CNN, and some network news shows, and I frequently listen to Public Broadcasting Radio – balancing it all with a steady dose of talk radio and FOX News. I am continually amazed by the clever spin from all sides; but, since the Democrats won the presidency and both houses, the spin has reached numbing heights.

Today has been a perfect example. The unemployment numbers were just released, and the rate climbed from 9.7% to 9.9%, yet more jobs were created than lost – a seeming contradiction. The answer, of course, is that the “unemployment” rate does not accurately portray unemployment – it only counts those people who are actively seeking employment through local/state/federal government unemployment offices. The number is always much lower than the actual number of folks out of work, because, once the unemployment checks run out, many people stop looking through the unemployment office. Some continue to look using other means, some work “under the table”, some work part-time, some become self-employed as a cottage industry, and I suppose some just hang out at home. These folks are often called “underemployed”, a rate which is often double the official unemployment rate. Anyway, each Spring, as summer jobs begin to open up, many of these folks once again register at the unemployment office, thus raising the official “unemployment rate”. At the same time, the summer jobs employ many people, thus creating many new jobs.

Both of those phenomena happened the past month and were reflected in today’s seemingly contradictory job figures. All that is fine, and even encouraging, but it is hardly worthy of the response exploding out of the “mainstream” media and press. They have been reveling all day, ecstatic and even delirious with this “evidence” that the Obama economic stimuli are finally taking hold. Their spin is that the improving economy is drawing the underemployed back into the work force, witness the fact that the unemployment rate went up.

So, let me get this straight. If the unemployment rate goes down, that’s good because it proves that Obama’s economic policies are working; and, if the unemployment rate goes up, that’s good because it also proves that Obama’s economic policies are working. It’s as simple as that.

What, are you surprised? This double talk is totally consistent with recent history. For example, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and President Obama explain that development of the health care bill was conducted in secret behind closed doors, yet development of the bill was the most open and transparent legislation ever, just as the President promised. Similarly, Pelosi, Reid, and Obama refused to consider any of the hundreds of Republican proposals and amendments, yet the bill was developed with input from all parties, even though the Republicans stubbornly refused to participate in the process. The heath care bill had overwhelming support of the medical community and the public, even though 70% of doctors and 60% of the public opposed it. The most pork-laden budgets and stimulus packages in history were scrutinized line by line by President Obama himself to ensure a minimum number of “earmarks”. It goes on and on.

Do not be confused. The key to understanding all this is simple: listen to what they say and ignore what they actually do. Get it?

We should not fret. We should thank God that the Obama administration and the congress always do the right thing for us, even if we don’t understand or approve of it. Given how obviously dumb and incompetent we are, we should be eternally grateful that we are led by brilliant elitists who know better than we do. Politics, economics, and government are too complicated for our simple little minds, but have no fear, they will take care of us.

My dream come true: someone to take care of me and free me from troublesome ambition, drive, work ethic, individual effort, personal excellence, and freedom. Whew.