Economic Update: Who has some data? Magical Thinking in Policy

A discussion of what is going on in the economy and how we know since the Bureau of Labor Statistics along with the rest of the Federal Government is shut down. Also, a response to a listener. The issue we address in our current political situation, policy discussion is focused on which person's are responsible, rather than reasoning about the causal processes that have created the problem. This is a special case of magical thinking which we discussed in some detail.