The Real Question Americans are Afraid to ask about a 7.8% Unemployment Rate

The Real Question Americans are Afraid to ask about a 7.8% Unemployment Rate
By: Todd M. Schoenberger, @TMSchoenberger

Friday’s jobs report was one of those pivotal economic moments that successfully mixed in Wall Street, Main Street, Politics and conspiracy theories. It wasn’t expected to be as dynamic as it was; but the second the announcement of a 7.8 percent unemployment rate was made, every pundit and opinion-maker decided to stir the pot and make Americans think.

‘Unemployment Rate Slides to 7.8%’ was the headline on every newspaper in the country come Saturday morning. Why? Well, until Friday’s release, the unemployment rate had been above 8 percent since February 2009; and every Wall Street economist and analyst had forecasted September to be in the range of 8.0 to 8.3 percent. Naturally, landing on a 7.8 percent print leads many to question to credibility of such a number considering the smartest guys in the room working on Wall Street were so off the mark.

And, so we enter the old-fashioned conspiracy theory. Did the White House artificially manufacture a lower unemployment rate? Did the government alter the figure for political purposes? Lots of questions that will go unanswered, of course; but, the real question behind these questions is why are we even wondering if the number is legit?

One thing is absolutely certain with the current Administration working in Washington: Americans don’t trust government. Now, I’m not talking about some loony baby boomer club from the 60s. You know the type: smoking pot, listening to Janis Joplin, and questioning authority while walking around waiting for others to hold your hand and lead you to the land of prosperity. (Kinda makes you think of the Occupy folks, as well.)

No, I’m talking about every day, hardworking Americans wondering out loud if the U.S. Government is sending a bunch of guys in an A-Team van to kidnap you and take all your personal belongings. I can never remember feeling so insecure, especially in the form of free-speech, about the overreaching powers of the U.S. Government. What a sad situation our country has fallen into.

I remember an interview a few years ago between Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter, when Sean acknowledged how concerned he was the Obama administration would attempt to “keep him quiet.” That was a telling sign. After all, this has always been a country where one can get paid for voicing his or her own opinion in the media without retribution. But, suddenly, a guy with millions of listeners was publicly concerned about his own well-being.

And, here we have a number that ordinarily would have been celebrated, but was met with jeers and anxiety. Unemployment at 7.8 is a good sign, but nobody believes it. Now we have Americans wondering what the next “October surprise” is going to be, or should I just say ‘October lie.” That’s too bad, but the underlying tone of Friday’s cynicism is Mitt Romney has successfully made Americans question the actions and methods of the Obama Administration. If this wasn’t true, the country would feel remarkably positive that prosperity is just around the corner. Instead, we feel even more miserable than we did just 72 hours ago.