Why reporters shouldn't do numbers..

By Jeannine Aversa
Associated Press
Saturday, February 2, 2008

WASHINGTON -- U.S. employers cut jobs last month for the first time in more than four years, the starkest signal yet the economy is grinding to a halt if it hasn't already toppled into recession.

Uh, look Jeannie. You are in the word business. A recession is defined as:

An extended decline in general business activity, typically two consecutive quarters of falling real gross national product.

Now I know you likely didn't have any courses in college that connect with business, but that quote came from Dictionary Reference.com. not the WSJ. Then we have:

The unemployment rate actually dipped slightly to 4.9 percent, from 5 percent in December, as people left the labor force.

Now. Can anyone explain to me how we are in a recession and have lost jobs when the unemoployment rate dropped?? Repeat after me. The unemployment rate would go up if we had had a net loss of jobs.

I mean I will give you that the subprime mess is causing concern. And I will give you that energy prices are hurting us. But although wounded, we aren't dead.

And isn't the real story the dumb and dumber response to energy prices?? Shouldn't the main stream media be demanding that the Demos pass a sense of Congress resolution condeming the lack of drilling for oil in this country? The oil "bidness" has just announced record profits. Ok. Fine. Now oil guys and gals, get your behinds in gear and let's see some holes in the ground.

Oh. You won't because the wacky environmentalists and the looney Left, aka knowns as The Base We Must Make Happy is more concerned about bears than letting Aunt Jane afford to keep her house warm? They'll sue you? Well, you do have a point.

Oh. Now I understand.