Dan Fagan, Opinion Writer For The New Orleans Advocate Takes a Cue From Pesident Trump's Fake News

In his opinion column dated 7/28/19 titled, "While national economy booms, La.'s is in the tank" Fagan tries his best to compare apples to oranges in comparing Louisiana's economy to the national economy in order to take a slap at the Edwards administration in an election year.  But Fagan has a serious problem because his numbers are "fake news" emulating Donald Trump.  Fagan makes this statement posted in his article.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS DOWN 3.3%, THE LOWEST IN 50 YEARS.  WE'VE NEVER SEEN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE STAY THIS LOW, THIS LONG AS IT HAS UNDER TRUMP.  ITS MORNING IN AMERICA AGAIN.  But here are the facts:  The unemployment rate has never been 3.3% under Trump.  The lowest unemployment rate under Trump was 3.6% which took place in April and May of 2019.  In June and July of 2019 it was 3.7%.  The lowest sustained unemployment rate actually took place on the watch of Kennedy-Johnson from November 1967 through January 1969 a total of 15 straight months when it stood in the range of 3.9 to 3.4%.  The unemployment on Trump's watch has been between 3.8 to 3.6% for the last five straight months only in 2019.

Fagan then made the following "fake news" statement:  UNDER TRUMP, THE COUNTRY'S GDP INCREASED 14% WHILE LOUISIANA'S INCREASE HAS BEEN LESS THAN 7%.  Here are the facts:  The country's GDP has not increased 14% under Trump.  The GDP grew 2.4% in 2017 and 2.9% in 2018.  And so far in 2019 it has grew at an annual rate of 2.1% in the second quarter and 3.1% in the first quarter and for the full year the Labor Department projects the full year growth to be between 2.6 and 2.7%.  So as of this writing the country's GDP growth under Trump is 7.9%, a far cry from 14% that Fagan talks about and if the prediction holds true it will be the same 7.9% at the end of the full year in 2019.

Its not morning in America again under Trump, but the state of Louisiana and its people are better off today than they were on the republican watch of Bobby Jindal.  Fake news will run its course in due time and those that care about the truth will never feel ashamed.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio