What happened to the jobs?  Did the economy really crash down on job creation in March?  If so, what’s to blame – higher gasoline prices?  Is seasonal adjustment playing a role?  These are the questions that the mainstream press is asking after a weak addition of 120k jobs were added in the March report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

For all the hand wringing, one possibility never comes up – that the data are simply whacked.  That may seem unlikely, but given that a different labor report comes out with a potentially better method of collecting the data you never know.  Let’s be fair and call it a bit of a mystery for now.  Here’s why:

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As we reach the end of March, it will soon be time for more monthly and quarterly data on jobs and the economy.  This election year, a lot will probably hinge on what we see from those reports.  A job now is likely to be a very happy voter by November, but a job later on may still leave some lingering anxiety when it comes time to vote.  The clock is running out.

Good thing Obama, an NCAA hoops fan, knows how to slam the buzzer-beater.  Or does he?

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There have been many stories in the news about the rising price of gasoline.  This was to be expected, given that it is the kind of story that people can relate to easily.  It’s the point where ordinary people meet a dark and strange part of the global marketplace, commodities futures.

The increase in these stories was predicted in Barataria, but that was an easy call.  The potential for this to not go the Republicans’ way was also obvious.  But this could be even more devastating as groups like Better Markets get the message out that unreasonable speculation is the real cause of the recent price spike.  It has the potential to very much change domestic politics completely.

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