Lies, damned lies, and statistics

Has Trump really been good for the economy?  Some folks out there seem to dispute it.  There is one way to check out what is going on.  It is the number of people actually working.  You can argue about unemployment numbers all you want.  However, if the number of people actually working doesn't change all that much, well then...

So, what is the case?  What has really happened in the past year since Trump became POTUS?  Let's look at the chart and see.

Bureau of Labor and Statistics Household Data

Looks like nearly 2 million more people at work since Trump took office.

A question here:  is there data showing acceleration, or a mere continuation of a trend already in place?

Apples to apples comparison:  last year of Obama and first year of Trump

Looks like Obama did about the same as Trump.  If anything, slightly more.  Nope, there is no acceleration here.

Without digging a whole lot deeper, Trump's numbers may be better in the private sector.  Just a hunch, there.  Obama's government job machine has been shrinking a bit, or so I heard.  Trump's private sector job machine may be getting cranked up.  May have to wait a few years to see what that produces.

Not a whole lot of difference for now.

If you get past all the hype, there hasn't been any real change in the trend.  Of course, if they would just do what I suggest, and start prioritizing the development of nuclear energy, a few things might improve at a faster clip.

Even more if we prioritize space as well.  But, I am beating an old drum here.  Fact is, none of these people are going to make much of a difference.  The culture hasn't really changed, and until that does, things are not likely to change much from what is already there.