Listen up, President Obama, Gov.-elect Pat McCrory and other elected officials who campaigned on increasing the number of jobs in the county, state and nation. Those who put you in office — or back in office — expect some campaign promises to go by the wayside in the coming months and years. It happens.
In a nation suffering from a weakened economy and unemployment woes, the campaign promise regarding increasing jobs we expect to be kept. On second thought, we demand that promise be kept.
Beaufort County’s unemployment rate has been above 10 percent since January 2009, reaching a high of 13 percent in January 2010. The last time the county’s unemployment rate was under 10 percent was in December 2008, when it was at 6.5 percent.
For 45 months in a row, the county’s jobless rate has been at 10 percent or higher. That’s not good for the work force, that’s not good for area businesses and industries and it’s not good for local governments. Many unemployed workers have exhausted their unemployment benefits. Many of those folks and folks who continue to receive such benefits are spending less. A decrease in sales means a decrease in sales-tax revenue. That decrease means local governments are seeing less tax revenue come in to their coffers.
It’s a dismal picture from any viewpoint.
The county, state and nation need jobs, good-paying jobs.
The time for politicians’ promises is over. It’s time for our elected officials to do something more than pay lip service to the unemployment issue.
We’ll be looking for leadership and results on that issue in the coming months and up until the next election cycle.