| Not since the days of St. Ronnie has South Carolina seen a higher unemployment than that in March, according to figures released this morning by the SC Employment Security Commission. The number of unemployed jumped 10,221 to reach a record high of 248,578. South Carolinians can breathe a sigh of relief, however, as it appears the flood of Yankees - cited by Ungov. Mark Sanford as a key reason for the jump in unemployment rate - has subsided a bit: The state’s labor force dropped slightly to 2,185,451. Actually, there is a bit of good news in the report. The number of non-farm jobs in the state rose for the first time since August 2008. Nearly 7,000 jobs were gained in March with seasonal gains recorded in Leisure and Hospitality (+5,600), Retail Trade (+3,300), and Business and Professional Services (+1,500). Gains in health care pushed Education and Health Services upward by 1,400. This is no doubt a result of the strong leadership of Mark Sanford and Joe Taylor and reaffirms that the free market principles they espouse are sound. In fact, even as I write this, the Ungov and Sic Willie are inside the State House being soothed by the sweet caress of Adam Smith's invisible hand. Meanwhile, the rabid socialist meddling of Barack Obama and the left-wing Congress caused a loss of an additional 4700 jobs in manufacturing and construction. Those commies and Sen. Hugh Leatherman are also responsible for the fact that the overall job count remains more than 94,000 below the year-ago count. |
