United States Misery Index

miseryindex.us ^

[12th_Monkey]

The misery index was initiated by economist Arthur Okun, an adviser to President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960's. It is simply the unemployment rate added to the inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation both create economic and social costs for a country. A combination of rising inflation and more people out of work implies a deterioration in economic performance and a rise in the misery index.

[12th_Monkey]

Just a fun way to see the Obama years

[BitWielder1]

Considering how unemployment rate and inflation are both under reported, we are even more miserable than what this graph shows.

[Berosus]

Why are there no figures for 2013?

[sten]

problem with this is... they are using the ‘new way’ to calculate unemployment, which is a percentage of the total population and not the percentage of working age people

[mosaicwolf]

Nothing but propaganda.

[jim_trent]

What I remember about the misery index (that I lived through) was that it was the sum of the inflation, the unemployment rate, and the prime rate.

It hit about 45% at one time. The inflation rate was about 12-13%, the unemployment rate was about 12-13% and the prime rate was close to 20%. I was trying to buy my first house at the time.

[Cyber Liberty]

My first thought. Those are the two most cooked numbers in the world.

[Bullish]

They should just rename the misery index.... Call it the Obama index.

[uncitizen]

Nothing but propaganda.

What else is new?

[12th_Monkey]

I agree garbage in, garbage out.

[12th_Monkey]

Maybe Michelle ate them

[12th_Monkey]

everything is spin.

[12th_Monkey]

of course

[12th_Monkey]

OUCH

[CincyRichieRich]

If they used the same criteria and method to calculate it during Carter years’ what would the numbers be like now?

[S.O.S121.500]

Had Enough Yet ?

[RatRipper]

True. Manipulation of unemployment rate is fairly recent. If I am not mistaken, grocery and fuel prices do not figure in to the inflation rate. Bubba Clinton is responsible for at least one of those adjustments.

Also, if I am not mistaken, government transfer payments are not added to income to determine income and who is living in “poverty”. Government has become a giant scheme of fraud. Time to starve it out.

[Cyber Liberty]

If I am not mistaken, grocery and fuel prices do not figure in to the inflation rate. Bubba Clinton is responsible for at least one of those adjustments.

You are not mistaken.

Also, if I am not mistaken, government transfer payments are not added to income to determine income and who is living in “poverty”.

You are not mistaken again. Like I said, those numbers are the most cooked numbers on the planet. It's pretty easy to see why they would do that.

[KosmicKitty]

Bogus

No misery in 2009 when BO was elected. I felt a ton of misery. And, things are a miserable now as they were in the late 70’s with Carter - maybe even more so.