Academic

SHOCKER: JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE ?UNEXPECTEDLY? ? AGAIN! And yet, every time it happens, it?s ?unexpe?

By Glenn Reynolds

SHOCKER: JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE “UNEXPECTEDLY” — AGAIN! And yet, every time it happens, it’s “unexpected.” Maybe it’s time to adjust the expectations. . . ?

But how can it be “unexpected” if it’s just due to an administrative backlog?

The jump was due to an ?administrative? accumulation from late December and early January holidays, and did not reflect ?economic? reasons, a Labor Department spokesman said.

Wouldn’t you know about these things piling up? I mean, the holidays come around every year, and you ought to know that if you’re doing your job and tracking data and stuff. . . .

UPDATE: Reader Leo Jiang writes: “It’s probably unexpected because the first person to admit it’s expected gets fired.”

And reader James Somers writes:

Glenn, it doesn’t sound like you’re surprised by the rise in jobless claims. Neither am I. Three weeks of increase in that number may be statistical noise, especially at this time of year. But what’s really scary is that despite a moribund economy, in an effort to improve poll numbers, Obama is leaning toward a full-out, torches-up-the-hill march against business. That should sufficiently scare the hell out of business so as to completely scotch any chance of a recovery.

Maybe he should do something that actually helps create jobs. Unfortunately, that would require acting inconsistently with his treasured ideological beliefs. And they say Bush was stubborn?

Indeed.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on January 21, 2010 (boomark / email).