Things are becoming EXTREMELY frightening. The Bush Administration came in intent upon remaking reality to suit THEM (as though that could work). They began by changing the way the economic statistics are kept by the Department of Commerce ... and most of the old heads among the Statistical Analysts at the Census Bureau started quitting in utter disgust. Within a year or two they were almost all gone, and they were replaced by folks who were politically vetted.


Yes, vetted. I can swear to that. I WAS a Statistical Analyst of the Census Bureau, as I have mentioned a few times in here. It was never a full-time job - few jobs there are - but it was a great side job for years, and more hours than I could stand during the Dicennial Census years. Many of these measures of our economy have been kept since the 1930s and always, always, ALWAYS they used the same basis measures so that the results would MEAN something month after month, year after year.


Under the direction of the administration, many of the most important measures - including those of employment and of inflation - were revamped into forms such that they no longer mean much of anything. For instance, by directorial fiat authorized (I understand) by executive order, food and energy - the two most volitile and essential expenses to most Americans - are no longer part of the official inflation numbers. Seriously. They DO include the price of clothing and housing and automobiles, but not the two things you have to buy EVERY WEEK OF YOUR LIFE.


They did this across the board, reshaping reality so that it fit their preconceptions, and distorting the results so that no matter WHAT happens to the economy, inflation (by the official statistics) remains in check, and employment (by the official statistics) remains nearly full. When a Democratic president takes over, he WILL have to change these back ... and by the numbers, the economy will suddenly tank ... and Rush and his dozens of imitators will rush to assure Americans that the "downturn" is entirely the Democrat's fault.



Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!!