Not at all, I don’t know you, but I’m fairly certain you could understand it if you took the time to. The point I am making is that there is a disconnect between the way that policymakers view the economy (robust and steady growth) and the way that journalists have been reporting on it (doom, gloom, impending disaster).
I retrospect, my initial argument was fairly tinfoil hat. Another explanation could be that fear and anger brings eyeballs and since WaPo, in addition to many other legacy outlets that still regularly print on physical paper, is effectively underwater from a business standpoint, the editor may feel that sensational headlines are important for growth. Their new CEO has pedigree as a Murdoch crony, and this tactic is in line with the way that outlets on the far right have gotten engagement, so it isn’t difficult to imagine mandating a similar strategy.
As the OP explained in their piece, “major metrics” are showing the opposite of what you, and outlets such as WaPo, are suggesting. We have seen several “major metrics” trending in a positive direction such as real wage growth and unprecedented levels of employment. Sure, the economy isn’t perfect for everyone, but where we’ve identified gaps, in some cases thoughtful policies, such as income-driven repayment plans for student loans, have been introduced.
Yes, housing costs are too high. This is ubiquitous throughout the developed world. Yes, too much wealth has been redistributed to the ultra-wealthy, and this has detrimental effects throughout the economy. But to suggest that, “the economy is tanking”, without providing any argument to support it other than “major metrics” doesn’t resonate with me at all.
Someday I’ll stop feeding the trolls, but apparently today is not that day.
Alright, first up, do a quick Google for anecdotal fallacy and consider whether you may have inadvertently fallen into that.
Second, you seem to simultaneously be arguing that the government is somehow omnipotent and impotent at the same time - which is it? Either the government is carefully manipulating the economy to hit the numbers we’re controlling for or they don’t have a clue how to calculate inflation but I can’t see how they could do both simultaneously.
Third - calculating inflation - how do you think we should be doing it? You state that the government is pretending it is lower than a true reflection of reality but don’t seem to have a perspective on why that is. At one point you’re suggesting that it’s high because fast food prices went up, then you go on to say that things would be better if we measured it like we did 35 years ago. What are you proposing, exactly, and how would your proposal leave us better off?
Let’s say for a moment that I agree with you and the “official numbers” are bullshit. How, exactly, would you like policymakers to make decisions if they have no data upon which to base their decision? Should we expect our leaders to simply rely on their gut instinct?
Not going to comment on crime stats, but I can’t stop myself from asking about, “They change the inflation numbers so inflation stays down.” what do you mean by this? Do you think that the BLS publishes an inflation figure and the entire market economy shifts to conform to that number? I simply can’t.
Regarding housing - yes, we don’t have enough of it. This is something people are running into all around the world and it isn’t unique to the US. I’m certainly not suggesting that it isn’t something worthy of being addressed, but what does it have to do with the Washington Post?