The other important number that is manipulated is inflation (CPI). When you add the manipulation of inflation and joblessness together along with encouraging financial asset bubbles you can pretend to have a great economy when there is actually a recession or even depression. [1]
The government has every incentive to manipulate the CPI: it even reduces their social security payouts.
I don’t know that the government excessively manipulates the CPI, given it shows constant steady inflation since the 1950s[1].
My sense is merely that the metric is focused on “cost to survive” measures and does not reflect the changes in “cost to thrive.” Food, clothing, transportation, and technology are actually getting cheaper over time. But it’s hard to care when housing, education, and healthcare costs are skyrocketing.
Also, as a footnote, I was interested to read the article you linked, but I seriously distrust any information presented as a video under the headline “shocking answer revealed!”
The government has every incentive to manipulate the CPI: it even reduces their social security payouts.
[1] https://www.georgegammon.com/will-there-be-a-great-depressio...