Cheer Up Michigan! You're Better Off than California

All you comment leavers from Michigan who are concerned that your state is going to hell in a hand basket and your jobs are going right along with it can take heart: Recent statistics released by the Bureau of Labor Services show that California's employment problems are even worse than yours.

Among the 17 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent in November, 11 were located in California, while only three were in Michigan. It's not Detroit that has the highest percentage, but the arid El Centro, Calif., and neighboring Yuma, Ariz. areas that continue to record the highest unemployment rates, at 29.2 and 21.1 percent, respectively.