Don't blame this one on the President. It was a suggestion by the Council
of Economic Advisers.

-------------

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...siness/2411774

Is cooking a hamburger patty and inserting the meat, lettuce and ketchup
inside a bun a manufacturing job, like assembling automobiles?

That question is posed in the new Economic Report of the President, a thick
annual compendium of observations and statistics on the health of the U.S.
economy.

The latest edition, sent to Congress last week, questions whether fast-food
restaurants should continue to be counted as part of the service sector or
should instead be reclassified as manufacturers. No answers were offered.

Gregory Mankiw, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers,
which compiled the report, did not respond Thursday to a request for an
interview. The White House press office also had no comment.

David Huether, chief economist for the National Association of
Manufacturers, said he had heard for several years that some economists
wanted to count hamburger flipping as a manufacturing job, which he noted
would result in statistical reports showing many more jobs in what has been
a declining sector of the economy.
-------------------
http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/

Council of Economic Advisers

N. Gregory Mankiw is Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA).
Harvey S. Rosen and Kristin J. Forbes are Members of the CEA. The CEA was
established by the Employment Act of 1946 to provide the President with
objective economic analysis and advice on the development and implementation
of a wide range of domestic and international economic policy issues.

The CEA includes three members who are appointed by the President, by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate. The President shall designate one
of the members as Chairman. The duties and functions of the CEA include:

to assist and advise the President in the preparation of the Economic
Report;

to gather timely and authoritative information concerning economic
developments and economic trends, both current and prospective, to analyze
and interpret such information for the purpose of determining whether such
developments and trends are interfering, or are likely to interfere, with
the achievement of such policy, and to compile and submit to the President
studies relating to such developments and trends;

to appraise the various programs and activities of the Federal Government
for the purpose of determining the extent to which such programs and
activities are contributing, and the extent to which they are not
contributing, to the achievement of such policy, and to make recommendations
to the President with respect thereto;

to develop and recommend to the President national economic policies to
foster and promote free competitive enterprise, to avoid economic
fluctuations or to diminish the effects thereof, and to maintain employment,
production, and purchasing power;

to make and furnish such studies, reports thereon, and recommendations with
respect to matters of Federal economic policy and legislation as the
President may request.
---------

"Jim" wrote in message
nk.net...
Spell check does not work on subject line!

Jim wrote:

I couldn't believe my ears, but the purpose is to "make the numbers look
better". And, since that works with people who don't look very close,
it makes sense.

Kinda like exporting jobs is a good thing.

I hate a political system that thinks I'm that dumb.
Jim