The collection of statistics can be useful or it can be used for deceptive purposes. The ruling capitalist class uses statistics often to deceive us, to make social-economic life among ordinary people look good in order to support their continued rule, to cover over gross problems, and to reduce expenditures for social programs so that more money can be devoted to weapons and military campaigns. Clancy focuses on the lies they are telling us about unemployment and those who are missing from the data collection.
The U.S. government issued its monthly jobs report on Sept. 4. Although only 173,000 new jobs were added — fewer than expected — the Obama administration immediately heralded the new unemployment figure of 5.1 percent, which they claim is the lowest since 2007.
Does this mean — as many capitalist apologists and economists claim — that the U.S economy is improving and that workers are better off now? It is crucial to look at the lies and obfuscations behind the report.
