Michigan continues to struggle in the booming economy. The latest jobless (unemployment rate) numbers show the state at 7.5%.
So... that's good according to the Free Press article today.
Bruce Weaver, with the state Department of Labor and Economic Growth, said a lot of February's higher rate was due to a net increase of 22,000 job seekers returning to the market. Economists say that as an economy emerges from a weak jobs market into a stronger one, more people look for work and temporarily drive up the unemployment rate."It's darkest before the dawn" kind of thinking.
Well, let's hope so. Michigan appears to be an aberration... an economic model left over from the halcyon days of industrial USA... while the rest of the country appears to be doing fine selling intellectual property of some sort.
Meanwhile... I'm including this table from the U.S. Census Bureau showing 2004 trade... U.S. Exports versus U.S. Imports... numb3rs....
Total Trade (Goods)
| Rank | Country | Exports (Year-to-Date) | Imports (Year-to-Date) | Total, All Trade | Percent of Total Trade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| --- | Total, All Countries | 819.0 | 1,471.0 | 2,289.6 | 100.0% |
| --- | Total, Top 15 Countries | 614.2 | 1,107.1 | 1,721.3 | 75.2% |
| 1 | Canada | 190.2 | 255.9 | 446.1 | 19.5% |
| 2 | Mexico | 110.8 | 155.8 | 266.6 | 11.6% |
| 3 | China | 34.7 | 196.7 | 231.4 | 10.1% |
| 4 | Japan | 54.4 | 129.6 | 184.0 | 8.0% |
| 5 | Federal Republic of Germany | 31.4 | 77.2 | 108.6 | 4.7% |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 36.0 | 46.4 | 82.4 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Korea, South | 26.3 | 46.2 | 72.5 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Taiwan | 21.7 | 34.6 | 56.3 | 2.5% |
| 9 | France | 21.2 | 31.8 | 53.1 | 2.3% |
| 10 | Malaysia | 10.9 | 28.2 | 39.1 | 1.7% |
| 11 | Italy | 10.7 | 28.1 | 38.8 | 1.7% |
| 12 | Netherlands | 24.3 | 12.6 | 36.9 | 1.6% |
| 13 | Ireland | 8.2 | 27.4 | 35.6 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Brazil | 13.9 | 21.2 | 35.0 | 1.5% |
| 15 | Singapore | 19.6 | 15.3 | 34.9 | 1.5% |