Friday, August 13, 2010

Full Employment

The primary justification of our market-based economy is its ability to create decent jobs at decent wages.

Markets only function with extensive legal and cultural support. In creating that support, government policy must be explicitly guided by the goal of ensuring that all who want to and are able to work can find good jobs at good wages.

The Full Employment Act.

In our economy, the private sector has primary responsibility for job creation. However, when it fails to meet that responsibility, the public sector should pick up the slack. Condemning Americans to idleness and poverty when we could provide them jobs is cruel and wrong. Moreover, putting people to work can create a virtuous cycle, as they improve their skills and spend the money they earn, thus creating additional demand,encouraging the private sector to grow and provide jobs, and ultimately increasing both general prosperity and the tax base.
  • If the private sector shall at any time fail to provide sufficient
    jobs at decent wages for Americans, the Department of Labor shall
    create a program to hire, or pay states to hire, Americans at the
    minimum wage to perform necessary, labor intensive, skilled and
    unskilled jobs, including but not limited to street cleaning, park
    creation, landscaping and maintenance, providing security, teaching,
    neighborhood beautification, arts performances and production, installation
    of insulation in public and private buildings, or other useful tasks.
  • Sufficient jobs means enough jobs to keep the unemployment rate
    below 5%.

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