This is the first post in my newly created Ideas category.
This category will contain very brief posts addressing random insights that occur to me, well, randomly. I’m jotting them down here because this is a web log, after all. And I’d like to keep track of them for possible incorporation into a future book or article. I’m also posting them here to invite feedback, which would also assist me in putting together future books and articles.
Today’s idea is job programs.
Finally, there is a major jobs program being created in Washington, DC.
After last Tuesday’s (1/19/2010) Massachusetts special election, which changed the political dynamic in the nation’s capital and effectively derailed the health care reform initiative that polls had been telling Washington for months they were ramming through despite the electorate’s wishes, the Democrats finally realized that they were at odds with the people’s desires.
The majority party is now turning, in a deliberately obvious fashion, toward other “issues of concern,” such as the economy and jobs. Yesterday, Mr. Obama announced new, proposed banking regulations and frightened the financial markets. This strategic turn, which is more politically-based than economically-based and (this next clause was added after the market close on Friday, 1/22/10) looks to be nothing more than a temper tantrum from a guy who never even ran a lemonade stand, was made at this point in time in an effort to take the public’s attention off the health care reform failure. Today, he doubles down on this new “hissy-fit” strategy and goes to Ohio to give a speech about jobs. All done, I believe, in an effort to convince the electorate that the majority party is addressing the people’s main concerns, jobs and the economy. Duh. It took them this long to figure this out? (For now, let’s put aside the fact that Mr. Obama’s proposed banking changes would actually do more to hurt the economy than help it.)
Yes, these strategic shifts are the leading elements of a new government jobs program.
But this program’s primary intent is not necessarily to generate jobs for the general public. The primary intent of this new program, this strategic shift, is to allow the majority party members to keep their jobs after the November 2010 mid-term election.
After last Tuesday’s election, the majority party knew that if they continued on the course of ramming health care reform through, against the trend revealed by just about every poll taken on the subject and definitely against the results of the Massachusetts special election, then most of them would be packing their desks come November and hitting the unemployment lines with their constituents.
So, yes. They are now turning to a jobs program. It’s just not the kind that you think it is.
The question is, will people see his proposals as an effort to help the economy? And if they misguidedly do, will that save the jobs of the dweebs in Washington? Or will the people recognize it for what it is? A poorly conceived notion. A notion which will actually damage the banks when it’s now that we need them the most. If so, then this jobs program is doomed from the start.
