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What happens when US economic data becomes unreliable

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Re: What happens when US economic data becomes unreliable

#12

[flagged]

There is a valid both sides argument to a lot of these issues IMO, but where the discussion ought to be is at how extreme “one” side has taken it.

Whether it’s executive orders, corruption, pardons, appointments, obstruction, gerrymandering. pedophilia, lying, etc. I don’t think there’s a valid defence of just how far one particular side has gone (and proactively I might add).

Re: What happens when US economic data becomes unreliable

#13

It's what we regularly accuse China of, right? While we're on the topic, why is it that we love to point the finger at other countries' corruption and we completely ignore the very obvious, rampant corruption in our own government? And I mean on both sides - Democrat and Republican. Insider trading, revolving door policies, etc. That's not even mentioning why we have people like Luigi Mangione. That's a whole separat…

Not accuse. Observed.

This is a lot of similar-sounding-but-different problems.

EDIT:

For those not realizing that China has a long history of less-trustworthy stats, along with Iran and some other governments, here is some reading you can consider

[0] https://sites.pitt.edu/~tgrawski/papers/2001%20What%27s%20Ha...

[1] https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w29349/w293...

[2] https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/epr/2...

[3] https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/245398/1/cesifo1_wp9...

[4] https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/350051528721174623-0050...

[5] https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/cesifo1_wp10630.pdf

[6] https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5140733

[7] https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/22/4620

[8] https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2022/06/03/mea...

[9] https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/cesifo1_wp10630.pdf

[10] https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w23323/w233...

[11] https://www.jstor.org/stable/26372649

[12] https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w15199/w151...

[13] https://www.economic-policy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/S...

[14] https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1273505

[15] https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/epr/2...

[16] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S10439...

Re: What happens when US economic data becomes unreliable

#14
post #3

I feel like we're dancing on the razor's edge. On the one hand: high inflation, tariffs, layoffs, unemployment, high interest rate, energy crisis. Tons of economic red flags flashing. On the other hand: AI is showing signs of being the next industrial revolution, we're re-industrializing, onshoring/friendshoring, and have a clear lead on chips and space tech at a time when it matters the most. It's absolutely insane…

You really do not understand how interdependent everyone is. The chip machines Taiwan uses come from Europe, for example.

The US kneecapped itself for no reason.

Re: What happens when US economic data becomes unreliable

#15
The reported economic data has been squirrelly for many years.

For instance, the employment report (establishment survey) has an error rate or +/- 122,000 with 90% confidence--completely swamping the actual value.

It be like I said I was 2m tall on my dating profile and one date is frightened off by my being -0.2m tall and another by me being 4m tall.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.tn.htm#

Re: What happens when US economic data becomes unreliable

#16

It's what we regularly accuse China of, right? While we're on the topic, why is it that we love to point the finger at other countries' corruption and we completely ignore the very obvious, rampant corruption in our own government? And I mean on both sides - Democrat and Republican. Insider trading, revolving door policies, etc. That's not even mentioning why we have people like Luigi Mangione. That's a whole separat…

[deleted]

Re: What happens when US economic data becomes unreliable

#17

It's what we regularly accuse China of, right? While we're on the topic, why is it that we love to point the finger at other countries' corruption and we completely ignore the very obvious, rampant corruption in our own government? And I mean on both sides - Democrat and Republican. Insider trading, revolving door policies, etc. That's not even mentioning why we have people like Luigi Mangione. That's a whole separat…

Please don't "both side" this. As much as there is corruption in any administration, R or D, the levels we are seeing now are completely unprecedent and blunt. EG: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/13/politics/trump-fundraise-emai... (from earlier this morning on the HN frontpage)
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