Jan 27 2009

South Carolina Unemployment Rates Hits 9.5 Percent

WASHINGTON – U.S Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on news the South Carolina unemployment rate for December has risen to 9.5 percent.

“These are not just numbers on a piece of paper.  These are real people – our friends, neighbors, family members who are suffering in these difficult economic times.  We see the signs of the economic slowdown in our towns and communities as businesses both big and small, lay off workers or simply shut their doors. 

“The current recession is as painful as any we have faced in decades.  Our economy, both in South Carolina and across the nation, continues to shed jobs at an alarming pace.  In December another 22,000 South Carolinians lost their jobs and for the first time in our state’s history more than 200,000 people are now out of work.

“Just yesterday, over 65,000 jobs cuts were announced by some of the most respected and well-known companies in our country.  It seems hardly a day goes by when some company does not announce additional layoffs and I fear the end is not yet in sight.

“So where do we go from here?  I don’t believe Congress and the President can solve all of our economic problems nor should we try.  But I do believe we can get the ball moving in the right direction with the passage of a responsible stimulus package that contains the appropriate mix of tax cuts and spending on infrastructure projects.  If the tax cuts or spending do not create jobs in the near term, they should not be in the stimulus package.

“South Carolinians expect their elected officials to stand up and address the most difficult issues facing our nation.  Today, none are more pressing than the current economic situation.

“I have made it clear I am ready to work in a bipartisan fashion to get our economy moving again.  I will continue to speak with and work with Obama Administration and my Senate colleagues on an economic stimulus package that creates jobs and puts people back to work.  South Carolinians expect and deserve nothing less.” 

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