One of the main economic cornerstones in President Obama's State of the Union address was the issue of job creation, and for good reason. The latest Harris Poll shows just one in ten Americans (10%) believe the current job market of their region of the nation is good while 70% believe it is bad, and one in five (20%) say it is neither good nor bad.
Looking at the different regions of the country, the South seems to be the "best" place for jobs right now as 14% of Southerners say the job market in their region is good while 64% believe it is bad. The Midwest is the worst as only 6% of Midwesterners say their job market is good and over three-quarters (76%) say it is bad.
According to the Harris Poll, most people do not see a light on the near horizon for the job market. Just 7% of Americans believe the job market has already started growing while 14% say it will start to improve in the next six months. One-quarter (24%) say the job recovery will begin between six and 12 months from now while two in five (39%) say it will not happen for another year or longer.
As Washington lawmakers start talking about new taxes to re-balance the 2009-2011 state budget, they need to remember that employers in Washington, whether they be a small business along Main Street, a major employer like Microsoft, a hospital, school, university or college, non-profit charity like Goodwill, or your doctor or dentist, have already had their workers compensation rates and unemployment taxes increase this year. Taxes are a costs of doing business and for families struggling to make ends meet and put a few dollars in the bank for their children's college education.
In Olympia, they need to connect the dots and do the math. It is the cumulative impact of costs of the federal, state and local governments which must be considered before each separate set of elected officials goes about increasing taxes and fees. It all comes from the bank account.
That's what the American people are saying in poll after poll. Allow the private tax-paying sector to restore its footing, create jobs and generate more revenues for government through increased economic activity.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
