Unemployment Tops 10% in 15 States, D.C.

Mich. Surpasses 15% - The Highest Jobless Rate in Any State Since 1984

(AP)  Unemployment topped 10 percent in 15 states and the District of Columbia last month, according to federal data released Friday. The rate in Michigan surpassed 15 percent, the first time any state hit that mark since 1984.

The Federal Reserve this week projected that the national unemployment rate, currently at a 26-year high of 9.5 percent, will pass 10 percent by the end of the year. Most Fed policymakers said it could take "five or six years" for the economy and the labor market to get back on a path of long-term health. To get there, consumers must return to a regular spending groove and housing prices need to start rising again.

Home to the nation's struggling auto makers, Michigan has been clobbered by lost factory jobs. Its jobless rate of 15.2 percent in June was the highest in the country.

Still, the U.S. Labor Department said it's the first time in 25 years that any state has suffered an unemployment rate of at least 15 percent. In 1984, it was West Virginia.

The state unemployment report underscores the damage that the longest recession since World War II has inflicted on companies, workers and communities.

The other 14 states where unemployment topped 10 percent last month were: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.

In May, the jobless rate topped 10 percent in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Alabama and Georgia joined the list in June.

While Michigan's rate was the highest in the country in June, the record-high for the state was 16.9 percent in November 1982.

[nottellin1]

I'll admit that Bush wasn't a very successful prez and also that the Dem majority made accomplishing anything in the last 2 1/2 years impossible. How anyone can still be happy about an Obama presidency is beyond me. We watch as American ideas fall one by one to Obamas socialist ideas. His ego is astounding as he demonizes the elite and upper income, such a hypocrite since he has made a lifelong climb to attain upper status and has. When he used the phrase ordinary Americans" while campaigning, I thought he was relating, but he was actually letting most everyone who voted for him know that he is above them. News in So Cal reported a protest at the Bel Air gates where the Govenator lives. Interviews had quotes like "he has everything and we don't", "its not fair, we should have a jacuzzi too", in heavily accented English. Later reported that most were ?home health care workers?, paid by the state and riddled with fraud, with a large number of illegal alien invaders employed. This group is one of Cal?s biggest taxpayers drains and a big part of the current fiscal crisis, but no one talks about that. Oh yeah, lets no forget to make sure they have health care. All are politicians suck. I may never again vote for an incumbent.

[TheStolenGiraffe]

I think I'm going to give it until the end of the year before I start judging whether or not Obama's stimulus has worked. I'm pretty sure 4 months after signing the bill is barely enough time to see any noticeable change in unemployment, especially because it's a lagging economic indicator (an indicator that does not improve the same time as the economy). $700 billion is a lot of money to distribute, let alone plan to distribute, especially when you consider each state's specific issues and needs.

[darthcheney345]

by pubsrtoast July 17, 2009 1:54 PM EDT
Thank god we don't have Tom Delay and his cohorts standing on the house floor refusing to extend benefits for the unemployed.
----------------
Now we have Pelosi and cohorts CAUSING MORE UNEMPLOYED.

Change we can starve with.

[darthcheney345]

How are they causing more unemployed?
---------------------

It is the Democrats' watch.

They are to blame.

[darthcheney345]

by tautomer July 17, 2009 1:40 PM EDT
Can you think of any mission Obama has "accomplished", other than the largest budget deficit in world history and double digit unemployment?
-------------------

ill fated plan to close Gitmo, getting spanked by his own party in Congress
Geithner Daschle Richardson
"Special Olympics" gaffe
"punch drunk" TV interview
Capt Phillips taken hostage
N Korea weapons testing, launched seven missiles in one day on 7/4/2009
NYC "photo op" flight
cancel F-22 program
bow to Saudi king
continuing Bush policies on drones, wiretaps, Gitmo detainees, free trade
GM debacle
Appointed a racist bigot to the Supreme Court
Appointed an obese woman to be Surgeon General

Obama nation!

OBAMA = One Big A** Mistake, America!!!

[darthcheney345]

by GeorgeWHoover July 17, 2009 12:58 PM EDT
It's really amazing the complete and utter destruction the Bush Administration wreaked on this country.
----------------------------
by jgg00000008 July 17, 2009 5:08 PM EDT
Are you telling us that in 6 months Obama has managed to destroy our economy?

==================================

It is OBAMA'S WATCH.

Obama is to blame.

Remember, he's the one who fought for this job.

He hasn't accomplished anything.

The Dow reached its all time high of 14,000 on Bush's watch.

Ever since the GOP lost their majority in Congress, it's been all downhill since then.

OBAMA NATION!

OBAMA = One Big A** Mistake, America!

[darthcheney345]

by rushlimpdrug July 17, 2009 12:22 PM EDT
Just think how great a nation this would be if these people
had work.

================

THEY WOULD have work, if our federal government wasn't INTENTIONALLY PUTTING US OUT OF WORK by letting illegal workers keep swarming across our borders, by allowing temp workers like that idiot who got hit in the head and fell into a chocolate vat, and by

CONTINUING TO ISSUE H1B VISAS even when there are not enough jobs to go around.

The FIRST step Obama could take IMMEDIATELY is to declare a moratorium on H1b visas. But he has not taken even this basic and simple step.

OBAMA WANTS TO DESTROY THE U.S. WORKER.

OBAMA NATION!

[darthcheney345]

by GovernmentControl July 17, 2009 12:19 PM EDT
When will the obama/media complex admit that the "stimulus" was the greatest waste of tax payer money in american history?

--------------------------

Maybe sometime after the finish passing the SECOND stimulus giveaway that's in the works right now.

Obama is a GIANT FAILURE.

Obama is WRECKING OUR COUNTRY, and DESTROYING OUR FUTURE.

OBAMA NATION!

[debinok1]

Unadjusted unemployment is close to 20%, maybe even past 20%. This is no longer a recession, it is a depression. And it is only getting worse. A second stimulus would help, but it would have to be bigger than the last one, would have to be spent in areas like jobs, mortgages, and feeding people. The best thing to do, is let the system crash, and start over from the ground up. Which is what they SHOULD have done in the first place.

[xlib]

To quote Margaret Thatcher "socialism works until you run out of other peoples money."
And this one will really set the libtards over the edge. To quote Ronald Reagan "the best social program is a JOB".
But we don't need jobs anymore, do we? The thug in charge is going to take all those rich folks money and divey it out to the lemmings.
Here's a fact for you lemmings and see if you can connect the dots. The 4th largest bank failure is about to happen. A group known as CIT is the single largest lender to small and medium sized businesses. You know, those businesses that create almost all our jobs. Well, they are about to go under and is YOUR messiah using any of our TARP money to help THEM out? H&^L NO!!
He bails out Goldman Sachs who donates exclusively to the dems. He bails out the big guys. Ever wonder why?
See, your usual drivel about the Republicans and Wall ST and big business is a farce.
For God's sake, do some homework.

[ubrew12]

The members of 'too big to fail' banks was established by Paulson under Bush, and CIT wasn't in it. But, I don't want my 'homework' to confuse your rantings.

[xlib]

the74blaster-everything that has been done to this country starting 1/20/09 is on the thug in the WH. You can try and blame Bush but the actions of this administration, and the actions of your dem controlled congress for the past 2+ years are on YOUR party.
You want facts, those are the facts, no BS. What they are doing is a concerted effort to totally transform this country into some bastardized version of socialism.
Tell us, just why does your thug need 32 czars?? These people do not answer to anyone but him. There is no vetting of these people in high ranking positions. Not covered here (of course) but his car czar, rattner, left due to a scandal that was brewing right here in NY state. He and hevasi bilked pension funds of millions.
The money he is printing, borrowing and spending will be the downfall of this country. He has quadrupled the deficit in 6 months. But, you lemmings don't have a problem with that.
Those are the facts.
Now, go put your ACORN hoodie on, grab your pitchfork, take a good swig of koolaid and continue to carry our your thugs bidding.
GOOD LITTLE LEMMING!

I wouldn't let the 10% figure disturb me. Most of us are acutely aware of
the fact that only about thirty to forty percent of all able bodied persons, male of female, actually work, and contribute to the tax coffers
on a steady basis. It is a bit creepy to know that millions of adults will
go through life, living on some kind of assistance, or with the "advances"
they have been able to achieve through identity theft and other fraud, obtain four or five checks under different aliases. I am not talking about retirees, the disabled, or otherwise legitimate recipients.

[vietnamwar]

Enjoy this time while you have it, because it's only going to get worse. I almost forgot your Federal Taxes are going to increase. You can thank the Liberal President and of course the Democrats.

[vietnamwar]

"Change we can believe in" ... high unemployment, more taxes, bigger government, trillions to the banks and billions to the car makers and their unions but nothing for Joe taxpayer and his family except for more taxes ... the liberal socialists Democrats have controlled both houses since 2007

[gramto8]

What you keep forgetting to mention is that the trillions to the banks was signed into law and originated by none other than .. (drum roll, please)... George W. Bush!!

[ubrew12]

Over the past 30 years, the income of the top 1 percent of income earners has, adjusted for inflation, doubled: the top one-tenth of 1 percent tripled, and the top one-one-hundredth quadrupled. Meanwhile, the average income of the bottom 90 percent has gone down slightly. Meanwhile, wages for most Americans didn't improve from 1979 to 1998, and the median male wage in 2000 was below the 1979 level, despite productivity increases of 44.5%. Between 2002 and 2004, inflation-adjusted median household income declined $1,669 a year. To make up for lost income, credit card debt soared 315% between 1989 and 2006, representing 138% of disposable income in 2007.

[ubrew12]

In 1955, the richest tier paid an average 51% of their income in taxes under a progressive federal income tax that included loopholes. By 2006, the richest paid only 17% of their income in taxes. In 1955, the proportion of federal income from corporate taxes was 33%; by 2003, it decreased to 7%. Today, the top taxpayers pay the same percentage of their incomes in taxes as those making $50,000 to $75,000, although they doubled their share of total U.S. income.

[rushlimpdrug]

interesting.

[the74blaster]

I suppose this could be a partial reason for declining federal revenues.

Where can I find this information?

[mary-miami]

President Obama is doing good things for the nation. He's only been in power for six months. Once the jobs are created and sorted out, the minimum wage should be increased to no less than ten dollars an hour. Do the math and you will see that is not a large sum of money, once you deduct: rent, bills, food. People making a miserable minimum of seven dollars an hour, have no choice but to ask for food stamps...they don't want to, they have no choice. The President will become a national hero, if he leads the nation out of this Depression.

[ubrew12]

Wealth has been concentrated in America to an astonishing extent, ever since Reagan cut taxes in 1980. Today, 400 Americans own more wealth than the poorer half of the nation (150 million people). To me, that's astonishing inequality. While freedom and liberty don't lead to equality, at some point its difficult to be free when the nations resources are tied up in a mere fraction of her people.

[grabandgo]

Great news, and Goldman Sachs made over 3.4 BILLION in profits

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090717/us_time/08599191105600

While we the people of this country pay for what they had set aside to compensate workers $11.4 billion this year.

Great job nobama we are all getting a real snow job here!

[thusspokezara]

We need confidence. More confidence. But how can we have confidence with all this uncertainty and the prospect of war in Korea, and the likelihood of an Israeli attack on Iran? How can we have confidence when our leader has the ear of such clowns as David Axelrod?

[guyfrompa46]

Well let's see Obama has made things worse.. Interesting. And for all you liberals that want to blame Bush remember you voted in a democratic congress almost 3 years ago. We all knew this would happen except you clowns.