For those of you who don't know who
Abbott and Costello were, that's too bad . . . . . but don't worry about
it.
Abbott and Costello explain Obama's
Accounting System.
COSTELLO: I want to talk about the
unemployment rate in America .
ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible
Times. It's 9%.
COSTELLO: That many people are out
of work?
ABBOTT: No, that's 16%.
COSTELLO: You just said 9%.
ABBOTT: 9% Unemployed.
COSTELLO: Right 9% out of work.
ABBOTT: No, that's 16%.
COSTELLO: Okay, so it's 16%
unemployed.
ABBOTT: No, that's
9%...
COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 9%
or 16%?
ABBOTT: 9% are unemployed. 16% are
out of work.
COSTELLO: IF you are out of work
you are unemployed.
ABBOTT: No, you can't count the
"Out of Work" as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.
COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF
WORK!!!
ABBOTT: No, you miss my
point.
COSTELLO: What
point?
ABBOTT: Someone who doesn't look
for work, can't be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn't be fair.
COSTELLO: To
whom?
ABBOTT: The
unemployed.
COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of
work.
ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are
actively looking for work. Those who are out of work stopped looking. They
gave up. And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the
unemployed.
COSTELLO: So if you're off the
unemployment roles, that would count as less unemployment?
ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down.
Absolutely!
COSTELLO: The unemployment just
goes down because you don't look for work?
ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down.
That's how you get to 9%. Otherwise it would be 16%. You don't want to read
about 16% unemployment, do ya?
COSTELLO: That would be
frightening.
ABBOTT:
Absolutely.
COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question
for you. That means there are two ways to bring down the unemployment
number?
ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.
COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down
if someone gets a job?
ABBOTT: Correct.
COSTELLO: And unemployment can also
go down if you stop looking for a job?
ABBOTT:
Bingo.
COSTELLO: So there are two ways to
bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for
work.
ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like an
economist.
COSTELLO: I don't even know what
the hell I just said.
ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like a
politician.
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