Washington- June 4, 2010 - A temporary boost in government hiring has padded jobs numbers for the month of May, but the 9.7 percent unemployment rate belies just how badly Rick Larsen's anti-jobs spending agenda has failed Washington families. The spike in jobs is simply a reflection of over 410,000 new census workers being added to the government’s payrolls at the taxpayers’ expense. Rick Larsen and his friends in Washington are sure to tout the short-term boost in unemployment as an economic success, but Washington families know better. While Democrats have been wasting taxpayer money and growing the size of government with spending sprees, bailouts, and government takeovers, Americans have yet to see the signs of real economic recovery. With the economy limping along, Washington families still want to know: Can Larsen and his fellow Washington Democrats provide economic growth rather than temporary government jobs?

“Most of the jobs expected to have been generated in May were for census workers hired on a temporary basis by the federal government. … By contrast, hiring by private employers — the backbone of the economy — may have slowed down a bit in May.” (Jeannine Aversa, “Jobs data likely to show burst of temporary hiring,” Associated Press, 6/02/2010)

As Democrats attempt to spin the short-term boost to jobs as a success, economists are saying otherwise. In fact, long term unemployment is the worst that has ever been recorded:

“The job market is improving, but one statistic presents a stark reminder of the challenges that remain: Nearly half of the unemployed—45.9%—have been out of work longer than six months, more than at any time since the Labor Department began keeping track in 1948. (Sara Murray, “Chronic Joblessness Bites Deep,” Wall Street Journal, 6/2/10)

The Democrats’ unemployment problem is not going away anytime soon. Long term unemployment could turn into an even bigger problem, possibly creating a ‘pool of nearly permanently unemployed workers’: 

“The effects of long-term unemployment are likely to linger when the overall jobless rate falls toward normal, threatening to create a pool of nearly permanently unemployed workers, a condition once more common in Europe than in the U.S.” (Sara Murray, “Chronic Joblessness Bites Deep,” Wall Street Journal, 6/2/10)

“Rick Larsen may attempt to sell this temporary boost in government hiring as a success, but no amount of spin can turn inflated jobs numbers into a real solution for a healthy economy,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Washington families are becoming more and more frustrated with joblessness, but Larsen and his fellow Democrats only continue to push big-government policies that do nothing but impede economic growth. If Larsen can’t stop his wasteful spending and finally start working on getting Washington taxpayers back to work, it’s time for someone else to step in and do the job for him.”

How much longer will Washington families have to ask: Where are the jobs?

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