MarketWatch: Follow this fake statistic that the right wing used to trash Obamas economic recovery

[erpowers]

snip

It is true, according to the Labor Department’s surveys, that there are about 95 million civilian, noninstitutionalized residents over 16 who are not in the labor force, which means they are neither working at a job nor looking for one. It’s reported every month, right in this table.

snip

39 million were retired. They are enjoying the real American dream, which is to stop working before they drop dead on the job. They deserve a break from a lifetime of toil. They already made America great. They don’t deserve to be shamed by right-wing pundits who think they should get out of the “cozy hammock” of welfare and get a job.

Then there are 16 million people who aren’t in the labor force because they are in school, learning the skills they need to get more than a minimum-wage job. They deserve our support because they are the ones who will make America great in the future.

And what about the 13 million people who aren’t in the labor force because they are at home with the kids, or caring for elderly parents or a disabled adult? Isn’t family what makes America great? If people choose to contribute by raising the kids, who are Donald Trump or Breitbart to say that they are doing the wrong thing?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/follow-this-fake-statistic-that-the-right-wing-used-to-trash-obamas-economic-recovery-2016-12-10

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Seems They Missed Another Pretty Big Chunk

My wife has been out of the workforce for more than a dozen years, because she left teaching after 28 years and we didn't need the second income. She isn't formally "retired" as she never filed that paperwork and isn't drawing her pension at all, until i retire.

I know that among those retired people some of that is true for more than just the 2 of us. In addition, since there are plenty of retired folks who are in their mid-70 to late 80's, many of the wives were always stay at home moms, so never "left" the workforce and when retirement time came, they wouldn't be counted among the retirees. Hard to believe that out of 39 million that there aren't a few to several million more for whom that description fits.

So while this set of numbers adds up to 84 million and 3 million people who say they've given up, a decent portion of the missing 8 million is pretty easy to explain with the 2 scenarios i envision.