Shadow Government Statistics

[unlawflcombatnt]

This site provides some alternative statistics to highly manipulated statistics published by the Bush Corporate Plutocracy.

Shadow Government Statistics

Shadow Stats Inflation Calculator

The "alternate Consumer Price Index" graph below is an example of the kind of information found at the Shadow Government site. Note that their estimate of the current CPI is over 7%, not the currently touted 4.3%.

[unlawflcombatnt]

John Williams Shadow Stats discounts some of the gimmicks used to understate inflation. Most of these gimmicks were incorporated into the inflation calculation sometime in the 90's. Some were incorporated during the 80's under Reagan. Prior to 1982, Williams' Shadow Stats gave the same rate of inflation as the BLS did. It was after 1982 that the downward manipulations began. Interestingly enough, there appear to have been additional manipulations added under the current Bush administration.

Williams discounts much of the "hedonics" related adjustments, as well as the "owners' equivalent rent" deception. Also, I believe Williams uses the earlier fixed "basket-of-goods" weighting, instead of the ever-changing "basket-of-goods" weighting that substitutes the price of cheaper good for a more expensive good for each subsequent year.

[unlawflcombatnt]

Here's a link to the latest alternate data from Shadow Stats

www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data