... are just edging toward the dreaded 10 percent mark; the all-important U6 measure shows an all too large portion of our populations is being affected by the lagging labor market. The slow-down in unemployment growth we saw over the summer doesn't seem to be slowing down, and worries about how sustained unemployment will scar our economy for years to come suggest that more action is needed to alleviate unemployment. Paul Krugman makes this argument today, pushing for further fiscal stimulus action. Krugman references this report [PDF] by EPI's John Irons, which documents how attempts to decrease unemployment aren't just means of helping the unemployed, they also help us strengthen our shared economy for the long haul. Perhaps the quickest -- and most politically palatable -- way to achieve this goal is by increasing aid to states, whose fiscal decision-making, hampered by institutional restraints, often ends up promoting the recession rather than attacking it. -- Tim Fernholz
