The corporate media wants America to feel secure during a time of unemployment crisis, but people deserve to know what is really happening rather than being told a statistical lie.  The January 2011 unemployment rate released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated that the unemployment rate had dropped to 9% from 9.4%, conveying an illusion that our economy is recovering. This decrease in the unemployment rate is partly explained by a “seasonal adjustment.” Although many people find temporary jobs during the holidays each year so are no longer counted in the unemployment numbers, they have no job security with seasonal employment. Also, once a person has been unemployed for a year, the government stops counting them in the statisticseven though they remain unemployed.
According to Shadowstats.com, the real unemployment rate in January 2011 was 22.2%, which is more than double than what corporate media claims. It seems that the government is keeping people in the dark about the real unemployment rate to make people believe that our economy is improving, so that the government is praised for its success in lowering unemployment.
Source:
“9% Unemployment Rate is a Statistical Lie,” Greg Hunter, USAWatchdog, February 7, 2011. http://usawatchdog.com/9-unemployment-rate-is-a-statistical-lie/
Student Researcher: Ashley Wood, Sonoma State University
Faculty Evaluator: Peter Phillips, Sonoma State University