Remember when we all thought we were going to get swine flu, lose our jobs and turn into vegan communists after B-Rock got elected? Well, that middle part is the only myth that just won’t die. Here’s a hat trick (and then some) of economic terror… just in case you thought little Timmy Geithner was making nice with the markets and whatnot…

Kentucky’s unemployment rate jumped to 10.6 percent in May … [the] highest that has been reported in Kentucky since October 1983. [via (where else?) The C-J]

And:

In both Kentucky and Indiana in early June, initial applications for unemployment benefits increased.The June 19 report shows that job losses are easing after companies made deep cuts earlier this year. But it’s not clear whether recipients of unemployment insurance are finding new jobs or simply using up all their benefits, which typically last 26 weeks. [Also C-J]

As well as:

Based on prices posted on June 18 at courier-journal.com/gas, it appeared that the price for regular unleaded gasoline was generally around $2.76 a gallon. In recent days, fuel prices actually had been dropping a few pennies from the vicinity of $2.70 that was seen the week before.

However, some drivers were seeing prices approaching the $3 level once again. Some stations were charging around $2.90 a gallon on Thursday morning. [C-J, yet again]

Plus: