Thursday, May 17, 2012

Blaska, Wigderson And Kleefisch All Agree: Monthly BLS Numbers Are The Ones To Use

On a tip from a reader, we find that some of the staunchest supporters of Scott Walker unanimously agree that the job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics are the ones to use.

David Blaska:
The good news: Wisconsin added 12,900 private sector jobs in June -- the largest single-month gain (PDF) since September 2003. What's more, our Badger State accounted for half the new jobs created in the entire Obama-stricken nation, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.
James Wigderson (and subsequently, MacIver Institute):
Wisconsin, you’re among workers.

According to the latest Labor Department statistics, Wisconsin added 9,500 net jobs last month using seasonally adjusted numbers. In the private sector, 12,900 jobs were created, the largest one-month gain since September 2003, the first year of former Governor Jim Doyle’s administration.

Manufacturing continued seeing job growth with 800 more jobs added in June.. That’s 14,100 new manufacturing jobs created this year.

Listening to some of Governor Scott Walker’s critics you would think the news is somehow bad news for the governor, or that these numbers from the federal Department of Labor are somehow made up.
And last, but least, Rebecca Kleefisch, Walker's lieutenant governor (even though she was no this first choice):
When Gov. Scot Walker told me what the new labor numbers would say, there was no mistaking the significance: Wisconsin is open for business and the numbers put an exclamation point on our omnipresent slogan.

The outrageously good news came on the heels of concern. Our Department of Workforce Development Secretary, Scott Baumbach, had warned us that the nation’s financial woes would almost certainly trickle into Wisconsin’s job growth numbers this summer: the tremendous pace with which Wisconsin was growing jobs might hit a speed bump, he said. The secretary didn’t want us to be disappointed if there was a minor setback on the road to success.

But then the numbers were released, and there were 12,900 net new jobs in Wisconsin last month. It was one more endorsement of the tough, smart decisions that have made Wisconsin uniquely attractive to job creators.
Walker should take note. If his biggest supporters, even his own second in command doesn't believe his numbers, he probably shouldn't have tried something so desperate.

And no, I don't believe these three would have changed their minds just because the numbers don't say what they'd like them to say. Why, that would make them almost as hypocritical as Walker!

2 comments:

  1. Stats are mind-numbingly difficult to untangle. We all rely on someone more adept than ourselves to translate difficult to simple. When a translator lies, however, the trustee is duped. It's unfortunate that so many are untrusting of academics, scientists, and teachers to do the translations.

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  2. Rule Number for any Republican- Our rules don't apply to us. The cynicism of these scumbags knows no bounds.

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