The Contradictory Store of Unemployment Numbers
- Author: Natasha Yundt
- Posted: 2023-11-23
The Contradictory Store of Unemployment Numbers
If you woke up every day to the sound of bombs going off, saw tanks in the streets, and soldiers marching constantly, you'd likely be in the middle of a war. All the evidence is there; you're witnessing said war play out in real-time in front of your face. Now, imagine that politicians and pundits got on the television and told you "None of this is happening. You weren't really seeing bombs; those aren't actual tanks. There is no war!" How would you react? Would you believe your own eyes and experiences, or would you believe someone's empty words? This is the conundrum that Americans find themselves in as it relates to unemployment figures. On one hand, you live in the world and see all the evidence of the largest unemployment crises ever. On the other hand, those politicians and pundits tell you everything's great, despite states like New York needing costly grants to improve their unemployment services.
As of right now in New York, there are so many unemployed people that the system is absolutely overwhelmed. They can't even figure out how to get every unemployed person to apply for benefits. That's how much of a crisis it is. Yet, according to President Joe Biden and most of the televised corporate media programs, America has its lowest unemployment in 50 years, and it's getting better every single day. Well, which one is it? Is unemployment low in a record-setting productive economy where everything's going swimmingly for Americans? Or are there multiple crises happening at once, with unemployment being such a problem that it's collapsing the government's infrastructure? The latter is demonstrably true in New York, which is why the federal government has no choice but to give their state Department of Labor a grant worth over $9 million to help fix it.
According to New York, there are so many thousands of newly unemployed people trying to apply for unemployment benefits that the system crashed, physically and digitally. Not only are the new applicants clogging up the system, but they've also overwhelmed every physical location where they need to show up to file a claim. The problem was so enormous that New York could not even afford to pay for it on their own. After spending money and not being able to fix it, they had to reach out to the federal government for an additional $9.1 million in funding. Keep in mind, of course, that states still have (theoretically) billions left from the CARES Act. This goes to show just how bad unemployment actually is. It's causing stampedes like Black Friday at department stores.
The story of unemployment in America really is contradictory. The narrative is that all Americans are doing great, everyone has a job, inflation is under control, and things have improved a lot. The reality that people live in America, however, is a nationwide labor shortage, food, fuel and rent being more expensive than at any other point in American history, and so many unemployed people desperate for benefits that they're collapsing the entire system.
What's really the most amazing thing here is that the government and news media get away with lying to the American people on a daily basis. There are zero repercussions for the lies told to Americans. The government and media just keep lying.
The Benefits of Lying to Americans
The American government has taken an adversarial position against its citizens for generations. This isn't a Republican or Democrat, right or left issue. If you like one party and not the other, such is your right as an American. Participate in the democratic process and vote! Though, objectively speaking, both parties have a long history of lying to Americans about practically everything. From Ruby Ridge and Waco to weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, it's one lie after another, and it benefits no one but politicians and their bids to get elected. That's what a lot of independent experts believe is the real crux of the issue. If the American people knew what was really happening in the world, they would instantly vote for someone else to hopefully do a better job. Though when you're told, time and again, that things are going just the way you wanted, you're more likely to vote to keep that status quo going.
High unemployment numbers are to be expected. Coming right off of a pandemic, and dealing with record inflation, everyone expects an economic downturn. Perhaps America will start turning around when politicians start admitting the problems exist.
