States rights
The 10 States Leading the Economic Recovery All Have One Thing in Common (And So Do the Worst Ones!) The picture painted here is clear. Brad Polumbo – August 23, 2021 The economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing government restrictions. But newly released Labor Department data show that the recovery isn’t equal across…
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The states working together have the same equal power as the national government in Washington DC. They just have to decide to join and resolve issues that DC can’t. We the people can encourage them to meet and work through the tough issues facing us today. The states can solve the debt problem. Contact your…
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Federalism Is Having a Moment – Let’s Seize the Opportunity! by KARLA JONES – APRIL 28, 2021 A renewed appreciation for federalism – the proper balance of power between the federal government and the 50 states – is sweeping the nation. Earlier this month, Utah Valley University’s (UVU) Center for Constitutional Studies hosted a Functional Federalism…
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States Origin’s Where did federalism come from? How far had they come by 1890? By Mike Kapic – August 21, 2021 It might seem like a simple task to convert thirteen colonies into thirteen states in the mid-1770s, but it wasn’t without effort and determination. The population of about 3 million found themselves in an…
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If there is one way for American citizens to take their country back, it would be as the Founders intended and instituted in the Constitution. They insisted on the people having the ultimate power and next, the states and national government would check each others power. The other three branches followed suit. Just like the…
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The 10 States Leading the Economic Recovery All Have One Thing in Common (And So Do the Worst Ones!)
The picture painted here is clear.
Brad Polumbo – August 23, 2021
The economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing government restrictions. But newly released Labor Department data show that the recovery isn’t equal across all 50 states and Washington, DC. Some parts of the US have almost or entirely returned to pre-pandemic unemployment rates—while others remain strangled in stagnation.
Here are the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates as of July 2021.
- Nebraska: 2.3 percent
- Utah: 2.6 percent
- New Hampshire: 2.9 percent
- South Dakota: 2.9 percent
- Idaho: 3.0 percent
- Vermont: 3.0 percent
- Alabama: 3.2 percent
- Oklahoma: 3.5 percent
- Montana: 3.6 percent
- Georgia: 3.7 percent
Many different factors influence unemployment rates, but there’s one glaring thing these 10 states all have in common: Republican governors. Generalizing, GOP-led states had lighter government lockdowns on their economies and reopened sooner. So, too, except for Vermont, these states have all prematurely terminated the ongoing supplemental unemployment benefits that can pay unemployed households up to $25/hour. (More than what many workers made in their previous jobs.)
In stark contrast, here are the 10 worst states (counting Washington, DC) with the highest unemployment rates.
- Arizona: 6.6 percent
- Louisiana*: 6.6 percent
- Pennsylvania: 6.6 percent
- Washington, DC: 6.7 percent
- Illinois: 7.1 percent
- Hawaii: 7.3 percent
- New Jersey: 7.3 percent
- California: 7.6 percent
- New Mexico: 7.6 percent
- New York: 7.6 percent
- Nevada: 7.7 percent
With the exception of Arizona, these states struggling with high unemployment all have Democratic governors (or mayor, in the case of DC). Generally speaking, they had longer and harsher government restrictions on their economies than the top 10 states. And, except for Arizona, all of these bottom-ranking states continued to offer residents expanded payouts to stay on unemployment benefits. (*Louisiana ended the benefits on August 3, but the unemployment rates are for July 2021, before this change took effect).
The picture painted here is clear.
States that harshly restricted their economies and continue to offer expanded welfare programs are trapped in a labor market coma. Meanwhile, free states that eschewed long-term lockdowns and welfare excess are leading the recovery. That’s no coincidence—and the principle here is worth remembering long after the pandemic.
Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is a libertarian-conservative journalist and Policy Correspondent at the Foundation for Economic Education.
