Statistical Discrepancy

Table No. 646 of the 2001 US Statistical Abstract reported that Personal Savings in 2000 was a negative $8.5 billion, or -0.1% of GDP, and Table No. 711 reported that the Statistical Discrepancy was $83.7 billion.  But Table No. 640 of the 2002 edition reported that 2000 Personal Savings were a positive $67.7 billion,and that the Statistical Discrepancy was suddenly increased by 56% or $46.7 billion to $130.4 billion.

Where did this additional $76.2 billion in Personal Savings, a figure which represents 58% of the Statistical Discrepancy, come from?

If it all came from Personal Savings, then adjusting for this Statistical Discrepancy would adjust Personal Savings downward by $130.4 billion to a negative $62.7 billion, or -1% of GDP.

This Statistical Discrepancy was only $1.1 billion in 1989, so what caused it to increase 118 fold in only 11 years?  Is this simply a creative accounting method for concealing our record low, and negative, Personal Savings rate, or did government become so incompetent that it's error rate increased 118 times?

Copyright @ 2007 by Fathers' Manifesto & Christian Party