Chart of the Week: Slow Job Growth Means a Slow Economic Recovery

President Obama will deliver his third State of the Union address on Tuesday night. According to a preview video released this weekend, the speech will outline Obama’s vision for improving the economy and creating jobs. With an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent, there’s much work to be done. But after three years of Obama’s failed policies, it’s unclear if anything Obama says Tuesday night will differ from the Keynesian ideas he’s already proposed. This week’s chart comes from Heritage’s analysis of the December unemployment report. The economy added 200,000 jobs … More

Voters in Iowa, New Hampshire Say Federal Budget Deficit Is No. 1 Issue

New polling data reveals that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire overwhelmingly believe the federal budget deficit is the most important economic issue facing the United States today. Despite the nation’s persistent high unemployment rate, voters in the two early-voting states chose the deficit by wide margins. The CNN/Time/ORC poll was conducted before and after Christmas with 999 registered Republicans in Iowa and a total of 1,508 adults in New Hampshire. The results, released Wednesday, paint a clear picture about what voters are thinking about heading into 2012. They also … More

North Dakota’s Job Creation Formula

When it comes to creating jobs, North Dakota has found the right formula. The state has the largest percentage increase in employment over the past year and was the fastest of all 50 to recover from the recession. The reason is simple: energy production. “North Dakota has been the poster child for what can happen when we unleash free enterprise and allow states to develop and commercialize their resources,” Heritage’s Nick Loris wrote recently on The Foundry. “North Dakota is drilling at record pace.” The state’s unemployment rate is 3.4 … More