[algernonpj]

... do you believe what they say? Can they be trusted?

John Williams is a consulting economist who also sells a newsletter. Out of necessity he became a specialist in government economic reporting. It started when a client of his who used the GDP for sales prediction found their calculations no longer worked.

He publishes primers (open content) on how the algorithms that produce government statistics have been manipulated over time.

He also publishes (open content) alternate charts representing government statistics with the various manipulations removed. These alternate charts allow you to compare 'apples to apples' so to speak.

IMHO, from my experience as an independent IT consultant, and from the experiences of friends and acquaintances in IT and other fields, Shadowstats data much more closely reflect what we see going on as regards jobs, inflation, etc.

You can find government notices regarding info in Williams primers 'hidden in plain sight', and will find him quoted by respected writers on the economy.

[Tarpon]

Thanks, I will give it a look.