Respectfully Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw) – Guest Blogger
In light of the news yesterday that the economy created zero net new jobs in the month of August, I began to think of ways that jobs could be created. I know a little thinking on my part is dangerous, but I came across an article that, in my opinion, really hit the nail on the head. The article discusses a study by professors at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst that suggests that more good paying jobs are created by the government when the money is put towards health care, education and clean energy and even tax cuts as opposed to runaway military spending.“Let’s say we want to create 29 million jobs in 10 years. That’s 2.9 million each year. Here’s one way to do it. Take $100 billion from the Department of Defense and move it into education. That creates 1.75 million jobs per year. Take another $50 billion and move it into healthcare spending. That’s an additional 400,000 jobs. Take another $100 billion and move it into clean energy. That’s another 550,000 jobs. And take another $62 billion and turn it into tax cuts, generating an additional 200,000 jobs. Now the military spending in the Department of Energy, the State Department, Homeland Security, and so forth have not been touched. And the Department of Defense has been cut back to about $388 billion, which is to say: more than it was getting 10 years ago when our country went collectively insane.” Firedoglake
When you take a look at those numbers it is hard not to sit up and take notice. I realize that removing those billions from the military would cause shrieks in Congress, but the 2.9 million good paying jobs on an annual basis is something that citizens and Congress should both be interested in. It would require a culture change in the military and at home. But good things take hard work to achieve.
I do have a problem with the tax break portion of the equation cited by Mr. Swanson in the Firedoglake article. I have not seen 200,000 jobs per year created by the Bush Tax cuts that Obama extended so I would have to be convinced by how targeted the tax cuts were and how the corporations would be required to provide evidence of the created jobs in order to take advantage of the tax breaks. It seems obvious that the waste in military spending is out of control and if the country can rein in the contractors, the military can get more bang for their buck and the savings can be used to create jobs, not deeper pockets for corporate entities.
In order to get a better idea of where the figures used in the linked article come from and how realistic they are, here is a link to the full University of Massachusetts (Amherst) study. UMass I realize that it will be difficult to cut the waste out of the military spending, but I do not think we have a choice. The government sector has already given up large numbers of jobs during the last few years due to the recession and the political push for austerity in important government programs. It is time for America to get control of its military spending and contracting processes. The economy needs these jobs and spending the money in non-military areas will create more jobs and save lives at the same time.
Do we really have another choice?
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty-Guest Blogger
Ola! Jonathanturley,
Maybe a little off topic, however, Navigating your way through this changing economy into the right job, career, or business opportunity is no simple task. The economic downturn of the last few years has affected just about everyone. Every time you turn on the news you hear about rising unemployment rates, increasing job cuts, government bailouts, and massive housing foreclosure.
BTW great blogpost
Obama-Backed ‘Green’ Company Goes Bankrupt
Solyndra Collapse a ‘Waste’ of Half a Billion By Obama, GOP Critics Say
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/solyndra-collapse-waste-half-billion-obama-gop-critics/story?id=14424323
Greenjobs-Gate: House Probes Obama’s Connection to Failed Solar Company Solyndra’s Massive Federal Loan
As the nation tunes in to hear President Barack Obama’s “Jobs Speech” this Thursday, it would be instructive to learn how the last bundle of Keynesian billions were spent on those fabled “Green Jobs” that were supposed to save our economy in 2009.
Meet Solyndra, the latest Darwinian example of how not to run a capitalist economy. The President’s magic bullet to save America’s job disaster and help “Win the Future” was to be a whole host of “Green” businesses designed to take advantage of the enormous market demand for solar energy, electric cars and high speed rail. Of course, since that demand did not actually exist, Obama spent an additional bundle of billions to provide incentives for businesses and individuals to purchase the white elephant products he spent to build.
ABC News reports that there is evidence that the White House was personally involved in ensuring that the solar panel start-up received a $535 million dollar loan guarantee from the Dept. of Energy.
The allegation surfaced in a letter House Energy Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) sent to the White House Thursday night, saying he planned to accelerate efforts to understand an investment deal that may have left taxpayers out half a billion dollars.
“We have learned from our investigation that White House officials monitored Solyndra’s application and communicated with [Department of Energy] and Office of Management and Budget officials during the course of their review,” the letter says.
Thursday’s letter, which calls on the White House to turn over correspondence between administration officials, Solyndra and its investors, presents the most pointed suggestion that the White House had direct involvement in the financing.
http://biggovernment.com/sright/2011/09/04/greenjobs-gate-house-probes-obamas-connection-to-failed-solar-company-solyndras-massive-federal-loan/
Not bad for a lackey from the Hill Country…But he did have a great mentor….Mr. Sam….Now you wanna talk about patronage…..he served his constituents well….
I have thought for a long time that Obama should be more like Johnson when it comes to dealing with Congress. LBJ not only understood the system, he knew how to use the rules to his own ends. He had no peer when it came to arm-twisting. And if being nice did not work, he unleashed the most volcanic temper since Attila the Hun.
OS,
I think you might have a point…then again, LBJ knew no bounds, from what I have read to his payback system….I am sure there are some congresspeople that he’d sent on foreign missions never to be heard from again….But that is just speculation on my part….
AY,
Imagine what LBJ could have done if he had the Patriot Act and the TSA. The no-fly list comes to mind….
OS,
I think someone might have ended up on the last furlong of the 9th hole at midnight missing the last putt…..But becoming a dead ringer….
Or they could have suffered the wrath of the IRS….that was a favorite….
AY, I seriously doubt they would have pulled that stunt on LBJ. Can you imagine the fallout? Obama needs to study Lyndon Johnson and his tactics, not Kennedy and Lincoln.