Most of us must depend on our jobs to support ourselves and our families. So it is troubling that U.S. unemployment is stubbornly high. The July figure was 9.1 percent, only slightly down from June's 9.2 percent. Full employment would usually be considered about half that -- allowing for factors such as time off during voluntary job changes.
Tennessee's unemployment is even worse, at 9.8 percent. Georgia is close with 9.9 percent, matched by Alabama. Our nation's highest jobless rate is in Nevada, at 12.4 percent.
The lowest unemployment, meanwhile, is in North Dakota, at just 3.2 percent.
We are eager for every American who wants to work to have a good job, with working conditions that make employment a pleasure.
But obviously, we have a long way to go to reach the point at which everyone who wishes to be productively employed can be.