The U.S. unemployment rate stands at 9.1 percent -- and has been in the 9 percent to 10 percent range for practically all of President Barack Obama's time in office.
But even that dreadfully high "official" unemployment figure masks the true extent of how ominous the jobs picture is becoming in the United States.
Besides the more than 14 million Americans who are "officially" jobless, nearly 9 million more are scraping by with part-time jobs when they really need full-time work. They are labeled "underemployed."
And then there are close to 3 million more whom the federal government doesn't include in its official tally of the unemployed because they have simply given up the fruitless search for jobs.
So when you combine the nearly 17 million Americans who are "officially" or "unofficially" out of work with the 9 million who can't get enough hours to support themselves and their families, a shocking 26 million people in our country are in alarmingly painful employment circumstances.
Adding to the crisis, about 6 million of those without jobs have been unemployed long term -- more than 27 weeks.
So many have been jobless for so long, in fact, that unemployment benefits have been extended to 99 weeks -- almost two years! And there is talk of extending them longer.
Meanwhile, even for those of us who are fortunate enough to have full-time jobs, wages have been stagnant, and the economy's anemic growth means the specter of layoffs is ever present.
The prospects for improvement in the economic picture look slim, too, at least in the short term. The Obama administration predicts that a more normal unemployment rate of 5 percent likely won't come until 2018!
Sadly, even that disturbing projection may prove too optimistic. While the administration is tacitly beginning to acknowledge that our economy is not really in a "recovery," it continues to support policies that have failed to make things better.
The president wants Congress to approve lots more of the deficit spending that has already failed to "stimulate" economic growth. And what tiny amount of growth there is will probably stall further if Washington adds job-killing tax increases to the spending.
Congress' and the president's actions over the next few months will have a major effect on job creation, or lack of job creation, in the coming years. They can take the painful but necessary path of real spending cuts, or they can increase debt, spending and taxes.
We see no evidence that bigger government will grow the economy and jobs. It's long past time at least to begin trying to live within our nation's means.