Posted on 04/27/2018 2:18:48 PM PDT by Kaslin
Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to announce a plan that guarantees every American "who wants or needs one" a lifetime government job paying at least $15 an hour, with health insurance and other perks. This new progressive workforce will then, according to the Washington Post, build glorious "projects throughout the United States aimed at addressing priorities such as infrastructure, care giving, the environment, education and other goals."
It would be one thing if the nation's leading socialist -- and perhaps the most popular Democrat in the country -- were the only one interested in creating a state-run workforce to "compete" with the private sector. A number of other allegedly moderate Democrats and prospective presidential candidates, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker, favor a universal job guarantee as well. It's rapidly becoming a mainstream idea.
One imagines that a quixotic proposal like this polls quite well. I mean, who doesn't want everyone to have a job? You don't possess a skill set that enables you to find productive work? You don't want to learn a new trade? You don't want to obtain a better education? You have no interest in moving to an area where your work might be in demand? You don't want to start your career with a lower wage even if the long-term prospects of doing so might be worthwhile? Don't worry. The government's got an incentive-destroying job opportunity just for you.
And if you've been fired for a poor work ethic, or for stealing, or for making women uncomfortable with your creepy behavior, fear not; Bernie's got your back. In the rare event that state workers do misbehave, they would be summoned to a Division of Progress Investigation (a relic of our 1930s stab at socialism) to "take disciplinary action if needed." If the DPI were to run anything like major public schools systems do, you can imagine it would be a study in meritocracy.
"Job guarantee advocates," the Washington Post says, make the absurd claim that Sanders' plan "would drive up wages by significantly increasing competition for workers, ensuring that corporations have to offer more generous salaries and benefits if they want to keep their employees from working for the government."
Corporations are concerned with profit. If the minimum wage kills jobs, why should we believe businesses (especially smaller ones) would compete with government-funded projects that can print money and create salaries (and benefits) that are wholly untethered from the real cost of labor? Businesses would simply hire fewer Americans -- especially those Americans first getting into the labor force.
Of course, it's more likely that our state-run workforce would be deployed for ideological and political priorities rather than economic ones. If history is any indicator, it would be used to prop up politically useful projects and keep failing industries afloat, undermining creative destruction, innovation and long-term growth.
You do have to wonder, what would happen if local communities that share President Trump's "priorities" were to demand utilizing this state labor? What if they were to want to build sections of a wall on the southern border rather than make solar panels, or whatever progressive priority Sanders has in mind? We'd be hearing about a rise of fascism in no time.
Then there is the mission creep. No doubt the Washington, D.C., bureaucracy that would emerge to run this project would be both nimble and competent. But why only $15? Who can live on $15 an hour? Well, not a lot of people. Surely, these hard-working public servants who keep the infrastructure from crumbling around us deserve a genuine living wage. How about better pensions? As this workforce grows, it wouldn't possess any special ability other than being able to corral huge numbers of people to demand more.
Most of all, making government responsible for every American's job prospects would change the dynamics of governance -- forever. Not only would politicians be expected to help create the economic conditions that make growth possible; they would then face another unrealistic expectation. Unemployment would no longer be a function of economic conditions but rather heartless politicians who fail to create jobs for voters.
This is exactly what left-leaning economists who obsess about inequality and push zero-sum fantasies about wealth and growth want. It's why they wanted the federal government to control the structure of the health care system, and it's why they want to create a "public" job option. Most of them openly argue the universal job program would let them control wages and benefits in the private sector.
Democrats have yet to tell us how they plan to fund this massive workforce idea that doesn't generate any profit. I have a strong suspicion it will have something to do with the nefariously wealthy not paying their fair share. I'm not sure, however, that even the Koch brothers could afford to bankroll this idea. But it's not really meant to pass. Not yet. Republicans would never go for it, after all. Democrats see this as a promising campaign issue. In the meantime, they continue to normalize destructive socialistic ideas in political discourse.
GOP, you need to strongly counter this.
This is very appealing to voters.
Very much so.
Don’t give this issue to the one, you oppose.
The GOP needs to stop sending American jobs to other countries, and needs to strongly be for American jobs.
Or else the left, will win on this issue.
Big time.
Record unemployment. Why do we need a jobs plan?
Can you say vote Venezuela?
And every $15.00 an hour govt. worker would be a new union member to support Democrats with union dues and would go on strike for higher pay,of course.
What a win for the unions and Democrats.
“In the rare event that state workers do misbehave, they would be summoned to a Division of Progress Investigation (a relic of our 1930s stab at socialism) to “take disciplinary action if needed.””
How about ... barely working at all? Show up, be there, shuffle a few things, go home. So far the only hint of removal comes from outright offensive/illegal behavior - nothing relating productivity to wage.
And a reminder:
Minimum wage prohibits people from productivity if they can’t produce _enough_.
Those sub-productive people are thus compelled onto the dole, even if they want to earn their keep.
Socialism IS synonymous with Disaster.
A lot of unemployed morons think employment begins and ends with McDonalds. If an unemployed person wants a real job, apply with a contractor or a tradesman. Reliable helpers are always in demand, and contractors will happily train a square shooter, and pay them a good wage.
Many successful contractors started their own road to success when they were young by knocking on a door themselves.
Bernie Sanders is blowing smoke out his …
IIRC, this was announced the same day that Finland announced it was ending it’s free money basic income scheme as unworkable.
However, Bernie and the Democrats will show the world how to fail at the same thing mores spectacularly and at greater consequences,both intended and unintended.
I think it’s a wonderful idea!
The only thing is, since Democrats value EQUALITY over all other values, $15.00 per hour would have to be the maximum wage paid to any government employee.
This is very appealing to people that don’t want/can’t afford to go to college. Two people combined in a household working 40 hour weeks will bring in over $60000/year ($62400).
I bet this becomes very popular. Wouldn’t surprise me
And a unicorn too!
What is he going to do about those who need one, but don’t want one?
Democrats plan is already a disaster.
This is what had the Soviets almost all in poverty and helped to collapse the Soviet Union.
Street sweeper
Homeless Relocation Specialist
Sidewalk sanitation
Fundamentally a guaranteed “job” is a sinecure. If you can’t be fired, you deserve no credit for keeping your job, and you know it. The job comes from the government. It’s an entitlement, for which you have no need to be grateful and which, for that reason, cannot make you happy.The Key to Unhappiness - Denis Prager (5½ minutes, but a jewel)
ANY, and I mean ALL nations that ever tacked socialist or communist on their names ended up in a TOTAL disaster!!! Only Red China was any kind of success and THAT was only after they started to be capitalists when it came to business matters. They knew they could make things for 35 cents and then ship them to Amerika, where they could sell them for $38.65 and make a nice profit. All the other socialists failed and failed miserably. Venezula, the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea, East Germany, Laos, all crashed and burned. Only commie states, like Vietnam, who is making those 35 cent items and sending them to Amerika and selling them for a nice nifty profit are showing a positive. They got that idea from the Red Chinese, not the Soviets, or the Dimocratic Socialist Peoples Liberal Party of Amerika.
The Federal Government is already the largest employer in the entire USA, not even counting any of the military. Just all the federal workers who sit on their asses most of the day and drink coffee and text message, have these jobs. In my 20 plus years in the United State Army, of all the civilian employees who worked in jobs supporting the Army, I would put those that worked their butts off and earned their pay checks at no better than 35-45%. The grand majority that worked around my area was lazy as crap. They would NEED that smoke break every 10 minutes or damned near die. 20 minutes in the office and 10 minutes on a smoke break, all day long. You could not fire one of them. It takes damed near an act of congress to fire one of them. A 1,000 rules and crap you have to run through. And then if you moved out of that job, the next guy could not continue with everything you had done. NO!! The program started from scratch again. Lazy asses who had a job for life and worked as slow as molasses going up hill.
You should support this plan if you want to destroy the country.
(Remember, Bernie honeymooned in the Soviet Union.)
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