For business that has to make decisions with mid-term and long term effect, you want real information, not the recalibrated type oriented for short term voter appeal.

Well you may benefit from mining the information in the article by best-selling author and financial advisor John Mauldin in the periodical Business Insider titled  It's All About The Jobs -- And Gold

He suggests job statistics are worse than Washington wants to admit. For example, he refers to the fact that the recent data keeps getting revised downward after being released.

This matters to you because (a) the optimistic spin goes out with pats on the back so you will move forward optimistically in your business, (b) the revision downward gets a footnote after the fact, which is normally ignored, and (c) by revising the numbers downward after their initial release, it is easier to describe a later month as an improvement.  Think about that if you want one more example of why the majority of Americans believe the government is willing to lie.

http://www.businessinsider.com/mauldin-its-all-the-jobs-and-gold-2011-9

His implication seems to be that we are teetering on a double dip recession, when there is such potential for upside IF the administration and government were less antibusiness on regulations and costs.

With all these concerns, you have to run your business and life.  Should you hunker down or be optimistic? Every person’s situation, particularly their cash resources, is different.  For those fortunate few with adequate to great access to financing, you might remember the concept that the time to make business decisions is to keep you head when others are losing theirs. Those less fortunate might consider how to move yourself into the resource richer status to be able to take advantage of opportunities in this new turbulent world.