Economics 101: How to put Americans back to work—Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Here is a novel idea on how we should put people back to work, let us start by making construction workers work on public works projects for their unemployment benefits. In the depression, they called it WPA. If voters start taking pictures of schools, roads and bridges that need fixing then federal representatives could use those as proof of what needs fixing in their states. Schoolchildren would then have safe schools, roads and bridges for the coming year.

Then we could look at courthouses and jails that need improving or built in the first place. Larger courthouses will need more staff and judges to work inside them so that justice can be done quickly therefore businesses will have a solid result in a shorter span of time.

Businesses will not have to deal with as much property crime if criminals are behind bars. It is hard to stop property crime when judges are forced to keep letting the same people go because of overcrowding in the prison system. With new prisons comes a need for more guards, which will provide more jobs. We could even force low risk prisoners, such as property criminals, to pick crops for the farmers thereby reducing the cost of the product, and increasing the farmer’s ability to bring their crop to market on time. It would also teach criminals a trade, which would reduce the likelihood of their reoffending. Not to mention, exhausted prisoners are less likely to cause problems within the prison system.

All of this work will increase demand for products and services, which will require more people at work to provide these products and services. In turn, those people once back to work will spend their income creating even more demand for products and services.

Where do we get all of the money to pay these government salaries? First, we make people who are on unemployment start working for their benefits. Then we start taxing large corporations and the ultra-rich who do not use their money to create jobs. If someone can prove that they are creating jobs with their income and not hording that incomes then they deserve tax breaks, otherwise they should be forced to pay the government to create those jobs. Government jobs should not pay wages that are higher than private industry jobs. This will encourage people who are on unemployment to seek public sector jobs. The government should not pay people to stay at home and do nothing either. Either the unemployed should be working in government jobs or they should be going to school to increase their marketable jobs skills.