File this directly under: No Shit Sherlock

[TalkingDog]

"Main Street" Economic Conditions Misrepresented by GDP

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218173128.htm

Traditional gauges of economic activity severely overstate the standard of living as experienced on Main Street, say University of Maryland researchers, who have worked with their state officials to apply a more accurate and greener index.

snip

"This is not merely a question of dueling statistics -- the difference in the two figures can be startling and represents very different pictures of our standard of living," says Matthias Ruth, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER), which calculated the GPI for the state.

"In 2000, the classic economic measure showed Maryland more than 50 percent wealthier than we actually were, as measured by the GPI." Ruth explains.

In a perfect world every state adopts this, House and Senate take notice and ice cream and ponies for everybody.....

Crap.