Unemployment Hits 10% in 4 States

Ariz., Fla., Ill., Mich., and NJ among others facing crises

(NEWSER) - California has by no means cornered the market on enormous financial problems at the state level, with a report out today saying Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin are also at tremendous risk. The Pew Center sees widespread unemployment, huge budget deficits, and the ongoing foreclosure crisis as common factors—plus various constraints that keep many of the states from raising taxes. More»

(NEWSER) - The unemployment rate in California rose to 11.2% in March, the Los Angeles Times reports today. A loss of 62,100 jobs puts the state at the highest jobless level since 1976, when recording started. It trails only Michigan (12.6%), Oregon (12.1%), and South Carolina (11.4%). California has lost 637,400 jobs in the past 12 months, and its jobless rate far exceeds the national average of 8.5%. More»

The 1996 reform is making it tougher for needy to get help as economy flatlines

(NEWSER) - Welfare programs, rewritten in 1996 to give individual states more control, do not seem to be responding to the growing needs of the disadvantaged as the economy tanks and unemployment soars, reports the New York Times. Some 18 states—including many of those with the highest job losses—actually cut their welfare rolls last year, and the national figures remain at or very near a 40-year low. More»

Uncertainty is the 'new normal' in America

(NEWSER) - For many Americans, "recovery" feels a lot like recession—and it may take a decade for that to change, finds the New York Times . At the current rate of job creation, for instance, it would take nine years to recapture jobs lost thus far. Home prices, meanwhile, are down 20% since 2005; even assuming 2% inflation, it would take 13 years for the market to reach pre-crisis levels. Everywhere, offices sit empty. More»

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(NEWSER) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner, gaining three seats, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington each adding one. More»