Sanford's Contradictions

One of the state's newspapers has an Op-Ed piece by Carol Fowler, pointing out a number of faults with the governor's recent "State of the State" address. This one caught my attention:

Sanford claimed in his speech to have predicted our economic turmoil. If so, he did not consult his appointed expert in such matters. On Oct. 20, 2008, Commerce Secretary Joe E. Taylor proclaimed the state was recruiting business at a record pace, "despite what you hear about the state of the national economy." In South Carolina, he said, "Withholding tax collections are up, indicating that more people are working and/or making more money."

By the latest report from the S.C. Employment Security Commission, there are about 182,900 unemployed South Carolinians who might disagree. The state, which tended to have a lower jobless rate than the nation in the 1980s and 1990s, has been worse on that score every year since Sanford took office. In November, when the U.S. jobless rate was 6.7 percent, South Carolina's was 8.4 percent -- its highest rate since September 1983.

Wow, that's since I was born...

Note that the state's Department of Commerce reports "announced jobs and investments" which typically are based upon five-year projections from companies. These projections can change and may reflect the issues with the state's unemployment rate.

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