Truly "Irked"

By Carl

Erik Erickson, or as I like to call him, Irked Irksome, is a doosh:

You know, I don't think it's a coincidence that the states that pay the least amount of unemployment benefits over time have the lowest unemployment and when we keep subsidizing the behavior, the behavior continues.

Irk needed to do more work.

For example, here's an analysis of unemployment by population density, most unemployment versus state ranking in density:

Michigan - $362 14.6% 16
Nevada - $362 13.0% 42
Rhode Island - $641 12.9% 2
South Carolina - $326 12.6% 21
California - $450 12.4% 11
Florida - $275 11.8% 8
North Carolina - $476 11.2% 15
Illinois - $511 11.1% 12
Alabama - $235 11.0% 27
Oregon - $463 11.0% 39

You'll note that of the top ten states in unemployment percentage (as of 2009) only two rank in the bottom half in population density (which also correlates to cost of living, which directly correlates with the amount in unemployment insurance.)

Of the last ten states in population density, only one has a rate over ten percent (roughly the national average):

Alaska - $320 8.8% 50
Wyoming - $387 7.5% 49
Montana - $386 6.7% 48
North Dakota - $385 4.4% 47
South Dakota - $285 4.7% 46
New Mexico - $455 8.3% 45
Idaho - $364 9.1% 44
Nebraska - $298 4.7% 43
Nevada - $362 13.0% 42
Utah - $427 6.7% 41

It gets better.

Of the top ten states in terms of unemployment benefits paid, only one ranks in the bottom half of population density:

Rhode Island - $641 2
Massachusetts - $628 3
Connecticut - $576 4
New Jersey - $560 1
Pennsylvania - $547 10
Minnesota - $538 31
Hawaii - $523 13
Washington - $515 25
Illinois - $511 12
Maine - $496 38

But here's the kicker, the ten states with the lowest unemployment benefits, and their ranking by unemployment percentage (10% being roughly the national average):

Michigan 1
Nevada 2
DC 6
Wisconsin 30
Delaware 25
South Carolina 4
Alaska 29
Georgia 16
Missouri 19
Nebraska 49
South Dakota 50
Florida 7

So Irk's little benefits = unemployment is absolute and utter bullshit.

(Cross-posted to Simply Left Behind.)