The unemployment rate decreased .1% last month. That sounds good but the cause was more people giving up on searching for a job. There weren’t even enough jobs created last month to keep up with increased population.
Today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics report included the following statement. “The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over)was essentially unchanged at 5.3 million in March. These individuals accounted for 42.5 percent of the unemployed. Since April 2010, the number of long-term unemployed has fallen by 1.4 million.”
There is the problem that neither President Obama nor Mitt Romney has addressed. American industry doesn’t need most of those long term unemployed. The reason is that technology and the export of American jobs has reduced the numbers of people required in the United States.
The president’s job plan does include the following proposals
– A $4,000 tax credit to employers for hiring long-term unemployed workers.
– Prohibiting employers from discriminating against unemployed workers when hiring.
Nice gestures that do not answer the question of who will hire these un-needed people?
I have found nothing in Mitt Romney’s proposals that even suggest any solutions. His focus is on “free market.” My question is, where were the free markets under George W. Bush when the economy was in free fall?
My solution is higher tariffs on all imported products. Neither Obama nor Romney agree with that solution. They don’t have a solution!
Coast Contact 
I agree that would be a good start, but would like to add that all corporations that outsource jobs and manufacturing to overseas, be penalized and give rewards to those that hire in country and manufacture in country.