Community Corner
Marylanders Need Work, Hope Obama Jobs Plan Succeeds (VIDEO)
While President Obama shared his new jobs bill with the public last week, some Marylanders still see a long road ahead for their own economic recovery.
Marylanders are suffering under the economic downturn but the state could fare well under President Obama's jobs plan, residents and a political scientist said Tuesday.
"It's hard to believe Maryland isn’t going to end up a big winner with the allocation of dollars," said Laura Hussey, assistant professor in political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. "[Maryland Gov. Martin] O'Malley and Obama have a close relationship...I wouldn’t be surprised in particular if Maryland has a lot to gain assuming that the bill passes as a whole package."
Obama presented his plan in a speech before a joint session of Congress last week.
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As part of the plan, Obama said he wants to cut taxes for employers who hire workers or give current workers a raise, provide funds to state and local governments to prevent the layoff of teachers, police officers and other first responders, and help homeowners refinance their mortgages at lower rates.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country's unemployment rate is still at a soaring 9.1 percent; statewide the unemployment rate is somewhat lower at 7.2 percent.
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Residents were less specific about their take on Obama's plan than they were on the fact that they are facing hardships in employment (see video).
Some described their declining monthly incomes and even layoffs.
"I just can't imagine how [Obama is] going to turn things around when it's so bad right now," said Catonsville resident Sadie Zaccari White, while she got coffee with friends in Ellicott City Tuesday.
But Hussey said Obama's speech played well to the general public.
"I think he hit all the right buttons in an attempt to move the American middle," Hussey said. "He sounded the right notes; he appealed to American exceptionalism."
When it comes to local employment rates some Maryland counties are faring better than others.
Baltimore County has one of the highest state unemployment rates at 7.9 percent, while Prince George’s County's unemployment rate is 7.5 percent. Three counties with relatively lower unemployment rates include Carroll County, at 6.7 percent, Howard County, at 5.7 percent, and Montgomery County, at 5.5 percent.
