Regarding the letter, “Jobless numbers complete fiction”: Yes, jobless rates do not include those who have been unemployed for over 100 weeks, because generally if you aren’t being paid you stop applying; if you don’t apply you’re not reported, if not reported you’re not counted. It’s been that way since President Clinton. The jobless rate comparison between years is fairly close to comparing apples and apples. A President Bush rate of 8 percent is still 2 percent higher than the President Obama rate of 6 percent. The well-read person would know this, but if not, would look a little further.
The word liar was used a lot and seems to reflect our current political climate of incivility. The first part of the letter called a bunch of different people and The Herald liars, yet the truth seems to have slipped in the last part where “millions” have stopped looking and the unemployment rate would be closer to “20 percent.” Where do these numbers come from? Which database has these “millions” listed? Was this the truth? Is it because everyone knows? If someone wants to shout fire, he should check his own pants first.
Chuck Best
Duvall
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