HOW BAD IS THE ECONOMY?

It's so bad that the unemployment systems in many states can't keep up with the demand. This article doesn't mention Arizona but I can provide some details. I've called the unemployment line several times in the past couple of weeks and I have always gotten the message that the call system is too busy to accept calls at the moment. Sunday afternoon, I twice tried to file my weekly claim online and the first time, I got "server unavailable" and the second time a more detailed message about how contact from an external server was not allowed. I finally got through at 11 PM.

Jobless claims overwhelm state offices
The unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent in December.
By Ron Scherer Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
from the January 12, 2009 edition

New York - Officials at state unemployment offices say they've never seen anything like it: Layoffs are happening so fast that those seeking unemployment benefits are overloading state computer systems, jamming phone lines, and making it necessary for administrators to hire temporary workers.

In some states, it's so bad officials suspect that only half the calls are getting through. Frustrated, the unemployed are e-mailing anyone they can find at the state agencies or are just hitting redial on their phones, sometimes hundreds of times. The problem will get worse before it gets better, say some officials.

"For the last six weeks, we have seen the highest [number of] weekly claims since we've been keeping records in 1985," says Mike Cullen, Colorado's unemployment insurance director.