Unemployment Keeps On Keeping On

Unemployment topped 10% in 15 states and D.C., last month, according to federal data released Friday. The rate in Michigan surpassed 15%, the first time any state hit that mark since 1984. I just love those stories that proclaim the worst is over: It ain't.

The Federal Reserve also projected that the national unemployment rate, currently at a 26-year high of 9.5%, would pass 10% by the end of the year. Most policymakers say it could take five or six years for the economy and the labor market to get back on a path of long-term health. Thanks so much for that rosy forecast.

Meanwhile, New York governor Patterson continues to turn a blind eye to the fact that New York has the lowest unemployment payout of any state in the Northwest (for example, New Jersey pays out $584 a week and Connecticut $576). In New York, $430 a week isn't cutting it, dumbass...

In New York City alone (you know, the state's predominant tax base), the unemployment rate jumped to 9.5% in June, matching the national rate and suggesting that the city’s economy is continuing to weaken a year and a half after the national recession began.

Hey, Patterson, as usual, thanks for nothing. When are you up for reelection? I can't wait to cast my vote.