If we personally have jobs, we may rejoice and be able to handle many challenges that may come our way. But if we don't have a job, or a prospect of getting one, real hardship and anxiety may be upon us.
It is alarming that the January jobless rate in Tennessee was a painful 10.7 percent.
In some of our neighboring states, the problems were even worse. North Carolina had 11.1 percent unemployment, South Carolina 12.6 percent, Florida 11.9 percent. Georgia was just a little better off with 10.4 percent jobless.
It's hard to realize that January joblessness was only 4.2 percent -- the lowest in the nation -- in North Dakota. Two nearby states -- Nebraska and South Dakota -- had only 4.5 percent and 4.8 percent unemployment respectively, despite their harsh winter weather.
But if it's "my" job that is lost, it feels as though unemployment were "100 percent."
There is no magic prospect for quick recovery. But surely, there should be realization that we long have been doing too many wrong things economically, resulting in our current unemployment pain. We'd better stop doing the wrong things and encourage more of the right things, to produce needed goods and services, at costs that attract eager customers -- to create more jobs.