Let me say from the start that I realize statistics don't mean anything to someone who's out of work, but they do matter quite a lot to the plans we make. That is, plans we make as individuals, as commercial concerns, and as a nation. And, while I've written in the past that the current economic downturn is not "The Great Depression 2," it's an important point to make again. And again, if necessary. This column does it for me.

Job losses in the Great Depression were of an entirely different magnitude. In 1930, the economy shed 4.8% of the labor force. In 1931, 6.5%. And then in 1932, another 7.1%. Jobs were being lost at double or triple the rate of 2008-09 or 1981-82.

Now, there is a corollary point about the reasons that people of certain political, financial, and philosophical persuasions are emphasizing doom and gloom, and raising public anxiety, and the rhetorical advantages this may bring to them as they promote their agendas. And, I am generally sympathetic to that point, too. But, a familiarity with the facts ought to be in the interest of everyone, even if it's not especially comforting.