More are working -- jobless rate falls for seven months in a row

The N.C. Employment Security Commission announced yesterday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in North Carolina fell from 9.7 percent in August to 9.6 percent in September.

The jobless rate in NC has now fallen for seven consecutive months since standing at 11.2% in February, and indicator that things are slowly getting better.

Good news, I hope for my friends and acquaintances that are unemployed. 

I know quite a few of them as I spent 10 months actively looking for a job.  

When I say looking for a job, I mean all day, every day, looking for openings, following up with anyone at the company I could contact and networking.  

So I know what it feels like to be unemployed.  And just because I was fortunate enough to have capabilities that some organization needed doesn't mean I've forgotten.

So, first, a note to the unemployed.  Keep  trying!  Keep talking to people -- they might not have a job lead, but they could have a new idea you could try.  

Second, -- a big thank you to President Obama and the Democrats in Congress that extended unemployment benefits and passed the COBRA subsidy (that unfortunately has expired).  Those measures helped my family weather my unemployment.  Without it, we may have had to go without healthcare coverage, and the small amount I collected helped at least pay for food as we watched our savings dwindle.  

So I really get upset when politicians say that the unemployed are lazy and unemployment is some type of hand out.  

I hope all those politicians who said that have to look for a job themselves soon.  

So don't forget to vote, and choose wisely!

Sincerely,

Tracy

Would repealing health reform be healthy for the economy?

From an editorial in the News and Observer in Raleigh, NC:

My granddaddy had a pack of hunting dogs, some of which liked to chase cars. One day we were trying to break them of doing so, and he stopped short and said with a twinkle in his eye, "I wonder what that dog thinks he is going to do if he catches a car?"

So it is with Republicans who say they want to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). What are they going to do if they catch the car?
Before health care reform was passed, our health system was unsustainable and was going to bankrupt our nation. If the act is repealed, our health system will again be unsustainable and will bankrupt our nation. If PPACA is the last step, we still won't have a sustainable health care system. However, it is a step in the right direction and can be improved upon.

The law has many flaws, but does two important things.

Read the rest at : http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/17/742470/repealing-reform-wont-be-healthy.html#storylink=misearch#ixzz12kloC43r

 Here's to thinking about issues this season!

All the best,

Tracy

http://ow.ly/2VuRZ

Voter checklist

Since researching candidates can be somewhat dry, and watching debates sometime frustrating (depending on the questions and how the candidate you thought you liked is answering those questions), I was thinking that a quick checklist for candidates would be helpful.

So watch for the next post -- Tracy's checklist for a productive (and sane) government.

Thanks,

Tracy