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SC UNEMPLOYMENT RATE SOARS TO 9.5 PERCENT
South Carolina’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 9.5 percent, leaving 207,171 people out of work and making the state one of the hardest hit in the nation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham noted the “painful” significance of today’s startling news, noting that “these are not just numbers on a piece of paper.”
“These are real people – our friends, neighbors, family members who are suffering in these difficult economic times,” Graham said. “We see the signs of the economic slowdown in our towns and communities as businesses both big and small, lay off workers or simply shut their doors.”
The jobless rate is up 1.1 percent from the numbers reported last month as 25,600 people lost their job. This marks the first time in state history that more than 200,000 people have been out of work.
The number of jobs in the state fell by a record 22,000 — despite the cough, cough, “pro-business atmosphere” created by Gov. Mark Sanford — while the labor force grew by roughly 14,300 to 2.18 million. If that trend continues, experts predict that I will eventually run out of Great Depression-era breadline photos to use for the banner.
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UPDATE: Now with awesome audio from Graham:
[audio:http://src.senate.gov/public/_files/radio/graham1_27_09.mp3]
And here’s another asinine swipe at Sanford that doesn’t have any context or support to back it up.
You think sanford sits in his office, and there is a big red button labeled “MAKE ECONOMY BAD” and recently he just said too himself “oh, what the hell? never tried that one before!” and pushed it?
Sanford has no more control over the ups and downs of the state economy than Bush had over the ups and downs of the national economy.
When things get bad in the rest of the country, they get bad here, too. It’s just that simple.
And yet, Gov. Hoover was on television this morning talking about all the jobs that are there that these lazy people just won’t go find.