Marc Abear: Reliable data is coming with Antoni in charge of statistics

To The Daily Sun,

We all understand America’s economic data system is broken. Nobody trusts it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is supposed to be the gold standard of government data. But our inflation numbers are gamed, jobs reports massaged, that’s the “Washington Way.”

The problem is: When the numbers are wrong, the policies built on them are wrong. When that happens, we pay the price. Donald Trump fired the head of the BLS. Political statistics are on the way out; reliable data, is coming.

The new head of BLS, E.J. Antoni, is a serious economist with a record of rigorous analysis. He’s independent, principled, and fearless; he is change. His mandate is to fix the broken system. The biggest critic of BLS is in charge of reforming it.

Professional D.C. pretends their data is sound. Though their attacks are not because Antoni’s wrong, rather, he threatens them and the status quo. E.J. Antoni is the cleanup crew brought in by Trump to clean up the statistical mess.

Expect modernization at BLS, an end of politicization, and accuracy over spin. Data will come cleaner, faster and with less spin. The swamp’s excuses dry up. Data integrity is not theoretical or academic. Bad numbers means bad policy. Bad policy hurts real people.

The louder the critics are, the clearer it is, Antoni’s over the target. The noise isn’t about the merits; nobody’s defending the numbers. The noise is personal smears. They are trying to make the reformer the issue; the system is indefensible; we all know it.

Investors, businesses, workers, and families all need BLS to produce reliable facts. If we cannot trust the numbers, we lose trust in government itself. Americans deserve honesty. Nothing threatens the permanent Washington like effective reform. E.J. Antoni is making Washington bureaucrats yowl like mashed cats, for a reason.

Marc Abear

Meredith