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NC unemployment no longer 5th worst... it's tied for 3rd worst.
Last edited Mon Aug 26, 2013, 07:29 PM - Edit history (1)
GOP measures do little to halt NC unemployment
After the 2013 session ended, state Sen. Neal Hunt sent his constituents a list of what he considers the accomplishments of the Republican-led legislature. One “to-do” item checked off by the Raleigh Republican was typical of the GOP’s claims: “You expected us to create a competitive business climate to lower our unemployment rate and to put our citizens back into high-quality jobs; tax reform and regulatory reform will accomplish this.”
So there we have it, the problem and the solution. Yet the problem isn’t going away, and the Republican solution seems to be making it worse. North Carolina’s unemployment rate ticked upward in July, putting the state in a tie with Rhode Island for the third-highest level of joblessness at 8.9 percent.
Even as the state tries to spur private-sector hiring, it’s increasing unemployment – and cutting demand for goods and services – by squeezing the public sector with tax cuts that lead to budget cuts that lead to job cuts. Employers added 8,200 jobs last month, but that gain was offset by a loss of 5,300 public-sector jobs.
....
State policies can make a bad situation worse, and there are indications that the actions state Republicans are crowing about are actually doing harm. Sen. Hunt uses the future tense in his claim about what will happen, but after two and a half years of Republicans’ controlling the General Assembly, that “will happen” is changing into “when will it happen?” Two years ago, Republican lawmakers refused to extend a temporary 1-cent sales tax despite a plea from Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. Republicans said the money should be returned to taxpayers who would use it to boost the economy. The tax disappeared into its sunset, costing the state $1.2 billion annually. Two years later, unemployment is ticking upward, and North Carolina is nearing the top of the list for jobless rates.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/21/3125679/elusive-jobs.html
After the 2013 session ended, state Sen. Neal Hunt sent his constituents a list of what he considers the accomplishments of the Republican-led legislature. One “to-do” item checked off by the Raleigh Republican was typical of the GOP’s claims: “You expected us to create a competitive business climate to lower our unemployment rate and to put our citizens back into high-quality jobs; tax reform and regulatory reform will accomplish this.”
So there we have it, the problem and the solution. Yet the problem isn’t going away, and the Republican solution seems to be making it worse. North Carolina’s unemployment rate ticked upward in July, putting the state in a tie with Rhode Island for the third-highest level of joblessness at 8.9 percent.
Even as the state tries to spur private-sector hiring, it’s increasing unemployment – and cutting demand for goods and services – by squeezing the public sector with tax cuts that lead to budget cuts that lead to job cuts. Employers added 8,200 jobs last month, but that gain was offset by a loss of 5,300 public-sector jobs.
....
State policies can make a bad situation worse, and there are indications that the actions state Republicans are crowing about are actually doing harm. Sen. Hunt uses the future tense in his claim about what will happen, but after two and a half years of Republicans’ controlling the General Assembly, that “will happen” is changing into “when will it happen?” Two years ago, Republican lawmakers refused to extend a temporary 1-cent sales tax despite a plea from Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. Republicans said the money should be returned to taxpayers who would use it to boost the economy. The tax disappeared into its sunset, costing the state $1.2 billion annually. Two years later, unemployment is ticking upward, and North Carolina is nearing the top of the list for jobless rates.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/21/3125679/elusive-jobs.html
What a disaster this state has become.
6 replies
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