Jobless rate keeps falling

Published 9:03am Friday, May 18, 2012

The jobless rate continues to drop in Marengo County, falling .7 points in the past month to settle at 8.6 percent for the month of April.

Governor Robert Bentley on Friday announced that Alabama’s preliminary April unemployment rate is 7.2 percent, down from March’s revised rate of 7.4.  April’s rate represents 154,307 unemployed persons, down from 157,494 last month and 203,520 in April 2011.

The Marengo County figure represents 651 out of work residents, down from 713 the month before.

“Alabama hasn’t seen an unemployment rate this low since the start of the recession,” Bentley said.  “I think we are getting to a point where we are seeing many areas of the economy improving.  For example, the automotive base in Alabama is increasingly strong.  Just yesterday, we announced Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama will be expanding its production facility in Huntsville.  We have also seen many other exciting developments across the state that are leading to new jobs for Alabamians.  We will continue our job creation efforts with the goal that anyone who wants a job is able to find one.”

The last time Alabama’s unemployment rate was at or below 7.2 percent was in November of 2008. Marengo County’s 8.6 percent posted in April is significantly lower than the 11.3 percent recorded in April 2011.

Statewide, the news may continue to improve.

“The Gulf Coast and other areas of our state are gearing up for what looks to be a record year for tourism, and that’s adding jobs.  Also, our automotive manufacturing and auto supplier industries are nearing full employment, which is contributing significantly to our decline in unemployment,” said Alabama Department of Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees.

Preliminary figures show that the number of employees in the Motor Vehicles Parts Manufacturing industry has increased by 13.1 percent over the past year.  The number of employees in the Motor Vehicle Manufacturing industry has increased by 3.96 percent.  Employment in the Leisure and Hospitality industry has increased by 3.03 percent over the last month, and 3.15 percent over the last year.

 

  1. Dave Francis

    In this climate of reducing illegal immigration, one of the most urgent laws to our countries financial survival, is to revisit the Birthright citizenship law. Presently anybody who can steal into this sovereign nation across the northern or southern border with an unborn child and settle here? Then can immediately gain citizenship for the child, opening the door for the whole immediate family and an abundance of special free privileges, This is not oriented to just illegal border crossers, but pregnant females who has the price of airline ticket, to impersonate as a visitor or other tourist, so they can take advantage of the welfare system in America. Just this week the Census Bureau announced that children, by racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S., capping decades of massive immigration growth that is now slowing. Those white people are not having children, unlike people of other nationalities. Most Americans with a Social Security number cannot meet the expense of a baby, let alone two, three or four or even five, that foreigners seem to conceive, specific in this current economy and especially under the Obama administration, as they unable to afford the expense of delivery or bringing up the child.

    Whereas, migrants and illegal alien pay nothing for any of the prenatal services as it’s all free; Compliments of the unsuspecting taxpayer. Americans who have property, possessions and other assets are liable for hospital services with a $6.000 dollar bill to contend with, while a foreign national walks in, get free treatment for whatever that ails them and walks out free of any payment. Afterwards the U.S. citizen or any legal resident is hounded by debt collectors who have a range of possibilities, to force you to pay the bills, including dragging you to court.

    The majority of thinking Americans have no trouble that is aware of costs for every foreign baby born here? Just ask the most welcoming state. The sanctuary state of California is now carrying the huge burden of $16 billion dollars, because of the strain allotting public assistance to every illegal alien who reaches the state of refuge. Los Angeles Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich website states that an illegal immigration costs $550 million for public safety and nearly $500 million for healthcare, a total cost to County taxpayers that exceeds $1.6 billion dollars a year and doesn’t include the billions more in education. California, the epitome of a Sanctuary states will be the epicenter as millions of absconding aliens arrive there, from less benevolent states? Unfortunately left wing Governor Jerry (moonbeam) Brown is now preaching more taxes, cuts in benefits—when removing the millions of foreign national could save the state from this perfect financial storm.

    The 14th amendment governing citizenship must be changed and although there are at this time over 87 sponsors to (H.R.140) Birthright citizenship bill, there it sits in limbo. Pressure groups are adverse to any amendment to this law and downright lying about the law has detrimental results. That not granting automatic citizenship to anyone and everyone born on U.S. soil would cost taxpayers money? The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) repudiates claims made by a high-immigration group that ending Birthright Citizenship would cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars per year. The argument is the National Foundation for American Policy early this year released a new report alleging that ending Birthright Citizenship would create a new “baby tax” for all U.S. citizens, create a second-class society, decrease income tax revenues for the federal government, and cause children born to illegal aliens to become stateless. Jon Feere, a legal policy analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, challenges every point set forth by the National Foundation for American Policy’s report and says, “Supporters of the status quo understand that history is not on their side and have resorted to scare tactics to discourage discussion about the subject.”

    The claim that not granting citizenship to children born to illegal aliens would contribute to a growing population of illegal aliens. Feere argues that if immigration laws are enforced and illegal aliens are deported, they won’t give birth to children in the United States. The fact that this happens in the first place has nothing to do with our birthright citizenship law, but rather lack of enforcement at the federal level. Another claim is CLAIM: Newborns born to illegal-alien parents will be stateless. Mr. Feere says this claim from the National Foundation for American Policy is flat-out false. Children born to illegal-alien parents in the United States are citizens of their parents’ home country. A child born to parents from Mexico will receive Mexican citizenship. CLAIM: Children of illegal-alien parents will work in an underground economy. Feere says the United States can prevent illegal-alien children from entering an underground economy in two ways. First, the federal government can enforce immigration laws and deport illegal aliens, and second, Congress can pass an E-Verify law, requiring all employers to use E-Verify and imposing heavy fines on companies that participate in an underground economy.

    Despite the lies in Leftist media reports, the U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on whether or not children born to illegal-alien parents, or to parents visiting the United States with temporary visas, are entitled to birthright citizenship. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has introduced the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011 that would:
    Eliminate the practice of Birthright Citizenship by requiring at least one parent of children born in the United States to be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.

    Birthright citizenship for illegal aliens not only encourage illegal immigration and adds to the population growth, it also acts as a “foothold” for illegal-alien family members to remain in the United States and eventually legalize their status.

    You want to change Washington for the better, then find a local TEA PARTY and join? If you trust the doctrines of the U.S. Constitution, then find your place with the TEA PARTY to unseat all the politicians, governors, Mayors and other officials that are still ruining your life through tax and spend. Both political parties have been irresponsible at enforcing the border or interior enforcement. The TEA PARTY will rescind and punish all those responsible for Sanctuary cities, state Dream Acts and denounce any chance of Comprehensive Immigration reform or Amnesty from passing. It’s absolutely unfair when special interest groups including the leaders of religions are inviting illegal nationals to live in the United States, when they stand financially free and clear and leave the American taxpayer to cover all costs.

    Our country has been neglected for years, occupied by illegal immigrants and hordes of criminals. Mitt Romney better not turn on the massive TEA PARTY on this issue, or they will realize he cannot be trusted. Americans haven’t learned that you cannot get something for nothing. Half of this country’s population lives off the other half’s income and that is why our social safety nets are failing. The last realistic chance we have of getting out of our financial mess is to remove the old members of Congress and state capitals, with Tea Party leaders. It happened in Indiana when Senator Richard Lugar was retired, replaced by a Tea Party lawmaker. The TP demands is a urgent need for a unprejudiced tax code with no subsidies, loopholes for corporations, industry or anybody else; an end of bureaucratic tricks to stop drilling on public lands or coastal waters with its massive deposits of oil, natural gas, that can ease our need for foreign imports and begin the Canadian oil pipeline to Texas. Lessen the out-of-control 16 trillion dollar deficit. TP is for a balanced budget amendment and an end to the massive U.S. treasury deficit. Make obsolete the Department of education and return the power to states, communities and parents for better educational performance. Downsize the Environmental Protection Agency and reverse the many of the unnecessary regulations that is crushing entrepreneur and small business opportunities. No more government bail outs for the friends of the Oval Office, no more ‘cronyism’ to Wall Street and an end to massive spending by Obama’s Czars. Introduce a waste and reduction law, which begins the process of shrinking the size of government.

    Want more facts, and then investigate American Patrol and NumbersUSA web sites.

    We must also promote mandatory (E-verify H.R. 2885) that needs to be the policy of this country? If E-Verify is enacted the mass exodus of millions of foreign nationals will begin, as they will be unable to find a job and it will discourage the annual influx of more foreigners into the country. Because of this fiasco of our Immigration laws business owners are directly responsible for the growing amount of $113 Billion dollars in public welfare programs.

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