No wonder Al Melvin hates The Weekly

by David Safier

AZ Blue Meanie gave Cap'n Al a pretty good going over this morning for the captain's "everything's coming up roses" op ed in the Star.

Dan Gibson on The Weekly's Range piled on as well. It couldn't happen to a more deserving state senator.

Melvin wrote about Arizona's job growth in August. Yeah, says Gibson, but just look at the July numbers for non-farm jobs in Tucson.

After the worst numbers of the year, there was nowhere to go but up. And "up" is still far worse than May.

Gibson goes on to say, to the extent jobs are being created in the state, they're mainly in Maricopa.

So, what exactly is Melvin claiming that he's doing for his district and for the rest of us here? Sure, another call center opens every few months, offering a series of $10 an hour cubicle jobs, but where's the private sector growth for anyone south of the Gila River. If there's actually job growth to be excited about (which is still arguable), maybe Melvin should be sending his commentaries to the Arizona Republic. There's at least a better chance that someone up there might see the evidence of his claims.