On tyrants and recalcitrant statistical agencies II: The case of the BLS

[Oh geez, I forgot that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was coming out today. I had planned to specialize the last post to the BLS eventually -- as regards not just the Jobs Report but also the CPI. So here goes, quickly...]

Obviously the previous post applies to the current Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report situation. Let's hope we don't go too far through the playbook. 

But there's more with the BLS situation. BLS produces not only the Jobs Report, but also the CPI, and hence the key data on inflation faced by U.S. consumers. Just as there's a strong temptation for a tyrant to declare weak jobs data as rigged, so too is there a strong temptation to declare increased inflation data as rigged -- and widespread tariffs will likely produce increased inflation.

So the BLS will likely be under immense pressure on multiple fronts in the coming months. I fear that we may go significantly through the playbook, particularly as the CPI just happens to be the price gauge to which Social Security benefits are indexed. If a tyrant who wanted to eliminate the U.S. Social Security system could discredit the CPI, then they could discredit inflation-protected Social Security benefits, and then...