The nation’s unemployment rate is above nine percent, with some 15 million Americans looking for work, and millions more that just stopped looking. Our “Shadow Unemployment” is well over twenty percent.  With such staggering numbers, it’s hard for most of us to grasp the human dimension to this atmosphere of despair.  I came across some numbers recently that really provide some perspectives.

• There are 432,000 men aged 35-44 that have been out of work for at least one year
• There are 608,000 men aged 45-54 that have been out of work for at least one year
• There are 369,000 men aged 55-64 that have been out of work for at least one year
• There are 267,000 women aged 55-64 that have been out of work for at least one year
• The median amount of time production workers are unemployed is 25.4 weeks
• There are 962,000 African American workers that have been out of work for at least one year

These are real people, with families, who just want to work.  They keep asking” Where are the jobs?”  And the answer they get from the White House is: “They’re coming.”  But you can’t feed a family on empty promises.  The stimulus money has been a joke.   Big debt – small job creation.

Jobs need to come from the private sector.  That’s where they have historically started, and that’s what ended previous recessions.   But that’s not happening.  Business owners are overburdened with taxes, regulations, health insurance and a sense of uncertainty that has kept employers on the sidelines. Even employers with employment opportunities aren’t hiring until they have a sense of security.

Things won’t change until the status quo on Capitol Hill does.   Elect officials in November that represent your needs.  Don’t let these nameless unemployed workers stay home for another year.   Help them find jobs by sending a message to employers that it’s OK to hire again.