"This conversation between Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE and Chris Matthews shows what a system losing legitimacy looks like. Welch doesn’t believe the latest upbeat official job statistics because they are at complete variance with his own observations. He didn’t see any unicorns running in the streets whatever the papers said. Matthews retorts by demanding that Welch ‘prove that the Bureau of Labor statics lied’.
A society with ample legitimacy doesn’t ask those questions. The official statistics are almost universally believed. People take what they read in the newspapers to be fact. They follow the orders of law enforcement officers by long habit. They would no more doubt the solemn pronouncements of high officials like the Secretary of State than their own eyes.
Legitimacy means trust."..............................
Inflation numbers? How many people think the basket of goods has been doctored with so the Feds can under report inflation and deny cost of living adjustments?
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
LOL wrote: Questioning the accuracy of any statistic is good. Throwing around accusations that there was intentional fudging of the data is another thing.
My take away is the article was that our government depends on the consent of the governed and we are all cynics now.
