Even people -- a few of my coworkers suffer this, even though they're plenty smart enough to get it once it's explained -- who should know better don't have the proper background to connect the dots and say, "Oh, well, what are the differences in population and productivity growth?"

There are plenty of people who well know what it means who are just looking to prey on people's ignorance.  I suspect the pundits are probably 95% tools, though.

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin