JOKE: If you're out of work are you unemployed?

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[V K Lee]

COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America. ABBOTT: Good subject. Terrible times. It's 5.6%. COSTELLO: That many people are out of work? ABBOTT: No, that's 23%. COSTELLO: You just said 5.6%. ABBOTT: 5.6% unemployed. COSTELLO: Right, 5.6% out of work. ABBOTT: No, that's 23%. COSTELLO: Okay, so it's 23% unemployed. ABBOTT: No, that's 5.6%. COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 5.6% or 23%? ABBOTT: 5.6% are unemployed. 23% are out of work. COSTELLO: If you are out of work you are unemployed. ABBOTT: No, Obama said 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 his 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 ALL of them are out of work. ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work. Those who are out of work gave up looking 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 it gets to 5.6%. Otherwise it would be 23%. 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 have people stop looking for work. ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like a Democrat. COSTELLO: I don't even know what the heck I just said!

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like Hillary.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

The problem is that it is wrong. If you are no longer reporting to the unemployment office that you are looking for work then they consider that you have stopped looking. But why would you report to the unemployment office if your benefits have run out? It makes no sense for you to report. You will gain exactly nothing but will have used up time and resources reporting.

So the 23% are not, "not looking" they are just not telling the government that they are looking.

[Kickass Conservative]

If we didn’t pull each others chains around this place once in a while we all would go crazy. LOL