Hat tip to Zero Hedge, which notes a real oddity about it:
…After last month the data for April food stamp recipients indicated the we may, just may, be reaching an inflection point in the foodstamp participation following a mere 60 thousand jump in those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), today’s just released data confirmed that the BLS and BEA may have had a hand or two when determining this latest data series. Because the just announced jump in foodstamp usage of over 1.1 million entirely out of the blue…
…But wait, there’s more. Digging into the numbers reveals something pecuiliar: virtually the entire surge in monthly SNAP participation is due to one state alone: Alabama, which saw those living on foodstamps jump from 868K to 1.762MM…
The fact that this many people are on food stamps is bad…but the indication of data manipulation is worse. I ask the question: Is the Obama Administration fudging the data to make the economic picture look better, and only correcting the data when it becomes so bad there’s no way around it?
It isn’t just here – almost invariably, each week the previous week’s first time claims for unemployment are revised upwards. Almost invariably, when new unemployment rate data is released there is a reduction in labor-force participation. Both of these actions tend to help Obama. Experts I’ve read indicate that if labor force participation was in line with what we’ve seen over the past ten years, the unemployment rate would be above 11%. Imagine for a moment what the political picture would look like here in August of 2011 if unemployment was officially at 11% and figured to go higher all through the rest of the year…there would be a stampede for the exits away from Obama. He’d be a lame duck…Democrats would just be trying to protect themselves, and a genuine (as opposed to fringe) primary challenger to Obama would become possible.
The political facts of life are that even if unemployment is above 7% in November of 2012, it will be hard for Obama to secure re-election. Every point higher magnifies Obama’s difficulty…and getting above 10% makes it just about impossible for Obama to win, even if we nominated a Paul/Huntsman ticket. I’m really starting to smell a rat here…a manipulation of data in order to make it appear that things aren’t that bad, thus giving Obama his chance to win. The data can be adjusted towards reality after the election…and whether Obama has won or lost won’t matter at that point.
Congress should investigate this. This is what “oversight” is for: to ensure that the Executive Branch is carrying out its duties in accordance with law. We need to know if we’re being lied to for Obama’s political benefit.
Blogs For Victory 
Congress should investigate this??? LOL big time. Maybe its just my natural negativity comeing out but asking congress to investigate anything seems to be pretty much worthless anymore. You think boener or mcconnell is going to lead the charge to impeach bams??? Even if it could be proven bams comitted a crime? Please stop killing me here. LOL
GMB,
Oh, we’ll never get him impeached because we’ll never get to 67 votes to convict in the Senate. Obama could be caught re-handed robbing a liquor store and the Democrats wouldn’t vote to convict.
But, we should investigate…the exposure of a lie in this matter will both show how lousy Obama is, and taint the whole of his Administration, making it impossible for him to be taken seriously by the American people.
Mark, I think everybody und ihre Tante und Onkel knows how lousy bams is by now. It is kind of obvious that noone on the donkrat side cares. They got thier hardcore leftist into office and will do anything to keep him there.
Repubs seem ok with it. Again I state, An opposition party that refuses to oppose.
GMB
but asking congress to investigate anything seems to be pretty much worthless anymore.
they could call the usual hollyweird suspects charlie sheen, bwabwa stristand, alek baldschwin, of some other lefty loon to “TESTIFY”
or maybe the traitor JFnK of jane fonda &%^$#
. We need to know if we’re being lied to for Obama’s political benefit.
HUH?????????????
we need an INVESTIGATION to determine THAT???
some body shake the Man, he must be dreaming 🙂
GMB
If congress won’t investigate maybe it’s a job for supercongress!!!! 🙂
C’mon GOP constitutionalists. Here is your chance to denounce the ultimate power grab. Just think, it could even be used to ram through tax cuts. Talk about a complete abdication of responsibility.
Ultimate power grab? What the heck are you talking about?
http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-sounds-alarm-on-disturbing-super-congress/
I found the link at drudgereport.
Wasn’t dolf just complaining, in another thread, about his compensation going down and his workload going up?
Yet he has time to wander through the Net and post inanities, all day long.
Looks like his school is paying him for a lot of ‘personal time’.
Amy
I wasn’t complaining -error number 1. I was answering Neoconehead who said my workplace should have 15% fewer people and be paying me less. It is.
I work for 9 months and am paid for 9 months. So my time during the summer is my time – error number 2.
If you would like my job I recommend night school for 3 years, community college for 2 more, 4 years of undergraduate in a degree other than your basket weaving major, taking the GRE’s to demonstrate actual skills, 5 years of grad school, a postdoc, …
The only problem is that at various points you leave yourself open to the fact that recognizable skills must be demonstrated. Strangely enough, riding horses and correcting grammar mistakes isn’t a large enough skill set for even a community colleges to put you in the classroom. The alternative is to fail out of half a dozen careers and get a friend to find you a nice office job at the local U where you can pretend you had the right stuff.
Right now asking Congress to investigate this is a non-starter. With the Democrats in control of the Senate, they will effectively shut down any investigation.
In 2012, if we take the majority in the Senate and hold the majority in the House, then it will be time to investigate the hell out of everybody during Obama’s term of office. Until Republicans take control of Congress, not much is ever going to happen.
I’ve written an analogy on my blog about congress as regards to spending, but it also works for a lot of other things happening.
Crooks investigating criminals? Won’t be much other than a show trial.
Great graph, Aewl.
It is a great graph.
I am still sorting out the new format, dropping in when I can but not spending a lot of time on navigating it, so I wondered how you found this graph. Then I clicked on Aewl’s name, and up came his blog and the graph.
I like the idea of an investigation into it. If unemployment data is being fudged to show a rosy picture, I think it needs to be public….not to show how lousy Obama is, but rather to put a nail into the coffin of “economic stimulus” spending forever.
doug
id settle for a nail in the coffin (figuratively) of the marxist, muslem, usurper’s regime for ever.
so is he a muslim or a christian who sat in church for 20 years? which is it fake marine?
I think your old age has you delusional and scared to come out from underneath your rock.
cry me a river…….wimp.