But no one is talking about jobs. Except for North Carolina voters, that is. Does anyone in the NCGA care -- or even know, for that matter -- that jobs and the economy are still the most important issues to voters?
The April employment report was released on Friday. There was a jump in the current 8.8 percent unemployment rate to 9 percent and a jump in private sector job growth, offering a harsh contrast of how deep the roots of North Carolina's job problem goes and how great the challenges remain. Keep in mind that our economy needs to add thousands of new jobs every month just to keep pace with new entrants into the job market. While other economic indicators, such as the stock market and GDP growth, are rising, employment is lagging far behind. In fact, job growth after this recession is the weakest on record. Ultimately, job security matters the most to the people of North Carolina.
We are now more than four months into the new congress, and discounting partisan rhetoric, congress, the senate and the governor have paid scant attention to the plight of the unemployed.
Last week, McDonald's announced with much fanfare that, after sifting through more than 1 million applications, it will be hiring 62,000 new workers. As one sly writer noted, a higher percentage of applicants got rejected by McDonald's than by Harvard, though the prestige of flipping Big Macs is not yet on par with a Harvard degree. We will not "win the future" by relying on low-wage service sector jobs to lead employment growth.
Other troubling facts are being overlooked. The outlook for summer jobs for teenagers is the worst on record. The unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 9 percent. Hiring in manufacturing, which has recorded more than 250,000 net new jobs over the past 15 months, has slowed in each of the past two months.
As the NCGA obsesses about spending cuts, the impact of fewer jobs has been swept completely under the rug. The consequences of this has been a political backlash and an economic turn for the worse. North Carolina lawmakers are sacrificing ten of thousands of long term unemployed, for a budget that is consuming all of the political oxygen and time at our state's capital.
Finally, the NC Republicans, led by Senator Phil Berger seems unlikely to initiate a stand alone bill for continuing extended unemployment benefits, which has provided some fuel for our economy at a time when private sector investment has been lagging. Indeed, the NC Senate seems to have chosen to fight job loss at the expense of the jobless. That's precisely the wrong course.
When will someone show enough courage to throw down the gauntlet on jobs in the way that some Republicans have thrown it down on spending cuts? The squeaky wheel gets the grease. A cliché, yes, but also a truth in Raleigh.
There are, however, some smart policy proposals that could be considered. Investing in both infrastructure and R&D come to mind, as does legislation to stop China's currency manipulation (which would do wonders for North Carolina's manufacturing). There is also a consensus that our vocational education system is in need of serious repair, with shop classes disappearing, and shrinking opportunities for the next generation of skilled workers. Last but not least, we need to enforce 'Buy America' laws and other domestic procurement requirements to ensure that tax dollars are directed to America's manufacturers and their workers whenever possible.
One way or another, the economy will catch up with our political leaders in North Carolina. The smart ones will remember the lessons of the 2010 campaign. The not-so-smart ones? When they find themselves looking for a job in 2012, they'll wish they'd made a real effort to create them.
Contributing Article: Alternet.org
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