Jobs: A grand bargain

[Donnachaidh]

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/brent-budowsky/38201/jobs-a-grand-bargain

America is a nation of Great Generation citizens, a lost generation of workers and a failed generation of self-centered and small-minded operators in business, government and finance who appear incapable of leading the nation.

I will suggest below a grand compromise to create jobs that is currently beyond the imagination of our small-think Democratic president or his extreme and hyper-partisan Republican opponents in Congress, but first:

The economic crisis of our generation results from a collective failure of leadership by the president, Congress and the CEOs of the largest American firms. The solution to this crisis, in an era of divided government in a nation with poor leaders, is to think big and take big ideas from both sides of the aisle, not to think small and do nothing of consequence.

The plight of jobless Americans is a national scandal and an American tragedy. Our Democratic president has given no indication for 18 months that he knew or cared about the tragedy of the jobless. The Republicans in Congress are divided between those who treat politics as a cult of ideology; others who believe their path to power is through total obstruction; and others who privately know better but are too fearful to act.

More at the link --

[Madam Mossfern]

1. Good read

Sometimes the legislative aids are better informed and equipped to understand issues and set policies than the politicians for whom they work. The aids are smart enough not to be burdened with running for office themselves.

[dkf]

2. He lost me when he says infrastructure will create jobs Quickly.

We've seen that this isn't true. It may create jobs and many of them but our regulations and permitting processes and contracting procedures make fast action impossible.

We aren't China who can sweep away obstacles at will. We have ridiculously complicated procedures and people who only know how to do it the long slow way.

You would think the easiest jobs to do would have been the green jobs programs. Small jobs, not too much to disturb for nimbys, not very complicated. But no. They can't even process these decently fast.

Government doesn't understand the urgency of now. If they did, they would have better used the first set of stimulus dollars when we had a better chance to keep the economy at a steadier course.

It's just frustrating to me when I realize that we have shown a lack of competence in government that makes me lose faith. I wish I could believe, but I don't.