If you believe the data, Michigan's depression is moving toward a recession:
| Data Series | Back Data | July 2009 | Aug 2009 | Sept 2009 | Oct 2009 | Nov 2009 | Dec 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | |||||||
Civilian Labor Force (1) |  | 4,857.1 | 4,844.7 | 4,833.0 | 4,850.0 | 4,843.9 | (P) 4,812.7 |
Employment (1) | | 4,126.9 | 4,108.7 | 4,093.9 | 4,116.9 | 4,131.6 | (P) 4,111.7 |
Unemployment (1) | | 730.2 | 736.0 | 739.1 | 733.1 | 712.4 | (P) 701.0 |
Unemployment Rate (2) | | 15.0 | 15.2 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 14.7 | (P) 14.6 |
This is one of those quirks where employment drops and unemployment drops. Either people are rapidly leaving the state after successfully selling their homes... or the statistics are somewhat less than complete. What do you think?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides this alternative view for the total U.S. [click image for larger view]:
This, dear readers, "is the rest of the story".... Now you know why doublethink and doublespeak from Washington, D.C. just do not ring true in your communities.