Article: Looking at U.S. imports through rose-colored glasses; U.S. imports aren't adding up ; Distortion between data and reality paints too rosy a picture of economy

LOUIS UCHITELLE
International Herald Tribune
11-10-2009
Looking at U.S. imports through rose-colored glasses; U.S. imports aren't adding up ; Distortion between data and reality paints too rosy a picture of economy
Byline: LOUIS UCHITELLE
Type: News

If parts start to be made overseas, American jobs are not recovering, but the economic data do not track those parts adequately.

A widening gap between data and reality is distorting the U.S. government's picture of the country's economic health, overstating growth and productivity in the world's largest economy in ways that could affect the political debate on issues like trade, wages and job creation.
The shortcomings of the data-gathering ...