Virginia's unemployment rate continues to drop
Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) are taking credit for Virginia's improving employment rate, heralding January unemployment numbers in a joint statement.
Unemployment in Virginia dipped to 6.5 percent in January, the lowest rate since March 2009. That's down from the seasonally adjusted rate of 6.7 percent in December. The Virginia Employment Commission says unemployment has been on a downward trend in Virginia since hitting a high of 7.3 percent in March 2010.
More than 77,000 Virginians now receive unemployment benefits, up from about 60,000 in December but down from more than 100,000 a year ago.
"Today's news that the unemployment rate has fallen to a near-two year low demonstrates that this bipartisan effort is paying off," McDonnell and Bolling said in the statement.. "We're committed to keeping taxes low, making government more efficient, ensuring litigation and regulation are kept at a minimum, and freeing our private sector job-creators to expand, create, innovate and grow. That is how new jobs get created in the Commonwealth."
Against the backdrop of a national debate over the proper role of unions, the Republicans specifically praised Virginia's "right-to-work" laws, which make it illegal for employers to require workers to join unions.
By
Rosalind S. Helderman
| March 10, 2011; 2:22 PM ET
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It's interesting that Helderman characterizes McDonnell and Bolling as "taking credit" when their actual statement cites a "bipartisan effort."
Posted by: tomtildrum | March 10, 2011 4:45 PM | Report abuse
LOL. Funny how job losses are blamed on Obama and job gains are due to these two bozo's that have been busy fighting social battles like covering up the lady's breast on the state seal, limiting access to abortion clinics, attacking scientists, etc etc etc.
Posted by: mikefromArlington | March 11, 2011 9:06 AM | Report abuse
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