After talking to me about those figures, CNNMoney reporter Tami Luhby wrote, “Though Labor Department statistics say there are 5.5 job seekers for every opening, Reynolds said there is work available if people are willing to relocate or take jobs in a different field.” What I actually told her was that it is completely untrue that BLS statistics “say there are 5.5 job seekers for every job opening.” I also remarked, with less emphasis, that making 79-99 weeks of unemployment benefits available only in states with the highest unemployment rates has the perverse effect of punishing people for moving to the 14 states where unemployment ranges from 4% to 7%.

This is from Alan Reynolds, “Don’t Believe the Double-Dippers,” in tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal.

The whole piece is worthwhile. He shows how weak a measure the U-6 unemployment rate and points out that both right and left seem to be claiming there’s a double dip because both have an agenda.

Great closing:

Those who want to know what is going on must sift through all of this bipartisan gloom to distinguish between (1) agenda-driven dire warnings and (2) the boring reality of a sluggish recovery being partially paralyzed by ominous threats of punitive taxes and onerous regulation.