Well, the new unemployment numbers are out and it looks like things are getting better.  However, looks can be deceiving.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the unemployment rate for January 2012 is 8.3 percent.  The fact is, the real number is more like 22.5 percent.

The 8.3 percent number leaves out people who have given up looking for a job or part-time workers who would love full-time employment. This number is completely misleading.

The Great Depression saw unemployment rates in excess of 25 percent. The government doesn't want anyone thinking we might be approaching that, so the BLS reports the data in such a way as to make things look better than they actually are.

Sugar coating is not the answer. People aren't so uninformed that they cannot figure out what's going on. It will just end up making people more angry and in this current economy, they won't be very forgiving towards those fudging the numbers. 

We need leaders who will tell the truth and not try to trick consumers with mental gymnastics and fuzzy math.