Obama's 'Focus' By the Numbers

OBAMA CLAIMS JOBS "WAS MY FOCUS LAST YEAR, AND THAT IS MY FOCUS THIS YEAR." "When it comes to domestic policy, I have no more important job as president than seeing to it that every American who wants to work, and is able to work, can find a job, and a job that pays a living wage. That was my focus last year, and that is my focus this year." (President Barack Obama, Remarks On Energy Efficiency, Savannah, GA, 3/2/10)

BUT NEW BLS REPORT RELEASED TODAY SHOWS "ANNUAL AVERAGE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ROSE IN 2009 IN ALL REGIONS, DIVISIONS, AND STATES ..." (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Regional And State Unemployment, 2009 Annual Average Summary, 3/3/10)

• 50 Out Of 50: Number Of States That Saw Statistically Significant Unemployment Rate Increases In 2009. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/3/10)
• 4 Out Of 4: Number Of Regions That Saw Statistically Significant Unemployment Rate Increases In 2009. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/3/10)
• 9 Out Of 9: Number Of Geographic Divisions That Saw Statistically Significant Unemployment Rate Increases In 2009. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/3/10)
• 9: Number Of States That Saw Highest Unemployment Rates In 34 Year History Of BLS Reporting. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/3/10)
• 9: Number Of States That Saw Unemployment Rates Increase By At Least 4 Percentage Points In 2009.  (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/3/10)
• 14: Number Of States With Average Unemployment Rates Of 10 Percent Or More In 2009. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/3/10)
• 14: Number Of States That Moved From Single-Digit Unemployment In 2008 To Double-Digit Unemployment In 2009. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/3/10)