jobs

Here is a great quote from a Bloomberg story on the Obama job summit:

Sense of Urgency

Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, said the president “feels a sense of urgency” about unemployment and the summit is part of an “ongoing effort to jumpstart the economy and create jobs.” She said other forums would be organized around the country.

At the same time, Jarrett said the administration is constrained by a budget deficit that reached a record $1.4 trillion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 and is projected to be $1.4 trillion again this year.

“There are definite limitations to what the federal government can do,” she said in an interview.

Ya think? Ya think there are definite limitations to what the federal government can do? Here’s the problem, Valerie: the President is trying to “jumpstart the economy and create jobs.” That’s the problem. A President cannot create jobs. All a President can do is take money from someone, and give it to someone else. That doesn’t create jobs.

What creates jobs is a business man or woman who takes a risk, invests some time and money, and creates a product or service of value that people are willing to pay for. If the business is successful, the owner hires people to serve their customers. That’s how jobs, and wealth, are created. If the owner makes a bad product, or performs a bad service, the business fails, and the owner loses their investment. That’s capitalism. There are winners, and losers.

Here’s a trivia question for you: in the entire range of human history, how many jobs has government created? Answer: none. Zero. Zilch.

But wait, you say: what about all of those construction workers employed to build roads; are they not jobs created by the government? No, the government taxed me, to get the money to hire the people to build the roads. If they hadn’t taxed me, I would have more money, which I would have spent, or invested, and I would have created jobs.

And what about President Obama, who got elected on a promise to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and is now doing the opposite, with a “surge” of 30,000 more troops on the way. A surge? Who is this guy; George W. Bush? Here’s a quote, from Der Speigel’s report on his speech announcing the increased war effort:

Extremists kill in the name of Islam, he said, before adding that it is one of the “world’s great religions.” He promised that responsibility for the country’s security would soon be transferred to the government of President Hamid Karzai — a government which he said was “corrupt.” The Taliban is dangerous and growing stronger. But “America will have to show our strength in the way that we end wars,” he added.

Unfortunately for Mr. Obama, the average person is now gradually realizing that rhetoric is empty, and only actions matter. The average person on the street understands that the “war” in Afganistan is an un-winnable war. The Russians occupied for many years, and left in defeat. The Americans (and Canadians, and others) have been there since 2001, and despite the most sophisticated weaponry in the world, and billions of dollars, and thousands of lives lost, nothing has changed. A fancy airplane is no match for a local who knows which cave to hide in. We haven’t found Bin Laden, and we won’t win this war (which really isn’t a war; I don’t recall Afganistan ever attacking us).

The sad truth is that the words “Bush” and “Obama” are interchangeable. Both have engaged in un-winnable wars for political reasons, and both will continue to spend money to stay in power. Obama’s plan is exactly the same as W’s: big surge now, that can be drawn down to declare victory just before the next election. It didn’t work for W, and it won’t work for O.

Sorry to be such a downer, but government’s don’t create jobs.

They tax, and they fight wars.

So spare me the job summits, and spare me the “surges”, and, Mr. Government, stand aside so that real people can take risks and create real jobs.