Colorado Employment Still Lagging

Bob Powell of Exponential Improvement has analyzed the job situation in Colorado. We're still lagging from the highs of 2001. No surprise there -- gee, who's been in charge in Colorado since then? Governor Bill Owens [R], and a Republican house and senate.

Some highlights:

• Colorado is 25,000 jobs short of the 2001 peak.
• Considering those who would have come into the workforce since the 2001 peak, the Colorado job backlog is between 35,000 and 42,000 jobs.
• The Colorado job growth rate in the 1990s was 71% greater than the current job growth rate.
• "Official" unemployment is a vast understatement of real unemployment. "Effective" unemployment is of order 9 - 12%. Counting others, the slack in the labor force is over 20%. Whether 1 in 10 or 2 in 10, that's a lot of slack.
• Economic development must be based on increased innovation and the ability to profit from innovation (e.g., by keeping manufacturing in the U.S.).
• Because of where the economy is in the "long wave" with a global glut of supply, tax policy should be geared to increasing demand, not increasing investment.

The Democrats came back into power last year thanks to an inspired base, fed-up independents, and a revulsion at the constant hate-mongering and social regression of the right.

Dems immediately started working on substantive issues that affect Coloradoan's daily lives: schools, roads, that G*D* TABOR, and jobs.

(Editor's note: may you rot in hell, Doug-Z)

The Dems didn't work on gay marriage, the ten commandments, lowering taxes to zero, or any of that garbage. They are doing what all good civil servants do: they're serving all Coloradoans responsibly to make this a better place to live.