CA Unemployment Spike Highlights Lack of Competitiveness

While the national unemployment rate is leveling off at 9.7%, California's jobless rate just hit a post-World War II high of 11.9%, further underscoring the state's lack of competitiveness at precisely the time we need it most.

Globally, we're seeing Asia move ahead while France and Germany have emerged from recession ahead of the United States. Within our own country we're seeing a huge difference in how well, or poorly, states are coping with the economic downturn.

Texas has an unemployment rate well below the national average: 8% compared to the national rate of 9.7%. Meanwhile, California's high tax/high regulation model continues to force people out of work at a rate substantially higher than the rest of the nation: 2.2% higher than the national average, and 3.9 percentage points higher than Texas.

Liberals really enjoy playing the class warfare card when our team proposes to loosen up job killing regulations or ease the tax burden on job-generating small businesses. Yet, the liberal model of a big, intrusive and expensive government can in these times be seen for what it really does to working people: eliminating jobs and the opportunities that come with those jobs.

LA Times Story: California Unemployment Hits Post-World War II High