Joblessness and politics

This paragraph from David Leonhardt's column this morning, pretty much sums up the problem with the Senate and our dysfunctional response to permanent unemployment.

This pattern probably helps explain why the Senate has taken such a leisurely approach to helping the economy in recent months. Many of the states in the best shape also have small populations and, as a result, outsize political power. In Nebraska, where the unemployment rate is 4.8 percent, there is one United States senator for every 900,000 people. In Florida, where the unemployment rate is 11.4 percent, there is one senator for every nine million people.

Andrew Mellon nods, approvingly.