It's the Economy Stupid, and It's Not Simple, but It's Worth Trying

People need jobs. We all know that. The private sector...small business, big business, mom-and-pop business....creates jobs. We know that too. And the private sector works well, better than a government, at creating good business. That's the beauty of our capitalist system. Good businesses survive, bad ones don't. The job of capitalism is to create good business. The job of capitalism is not to create full employment.

Government needs to help capitalism out when we don't have enough jobs for all the people. And government needs to help people out when businesses try to call it a day with low wages or pollution or monopolies or any number of other poor business practices.

It IS the economy, though contrary to the campaign slogan Clinton used against Bush in '92, we're not stupid for not understanding it. Economics is not simple, even to economists.They disagree more than they agree. However one thing is clear: if the economy is to work well, business has to thrive and the government has to be a watch dog.

There is a vital role for government in this big picture. The role is simply described, though the execution is anything but simple. The role is easy....make sure there are enough jobs to go around, and make sure these jobs provide folks with a livable wage and a decent work environment. Doesn't seem unreasonable or outrageous. And it doesn't seem out of wack to lean on the government to pursue this role and leave it to business to make the best product possible.

The devil, of course, is in the details, and the details can be complex.
How much is a minimum wage? Is it the same in all parts of the country? We want to be sure people have adequate shelter and enough food to eat. What does that entail in a winter climate, a summer climate, in the city, in the rural heartlands?

Right out of the gate we can hear from those who have made it in our society, why the hell do I have to worry about the lazy bum who doesn't have a job, or a home, or enough to eat? Again, the answer is simple and the solution is not. You have to worry about the lazy bum who doesn't have a job, or a home, or enough to eat, because it's quite possible she's not lazy, it's quite possible she got screwed by the same system that works so well for you. And, finally, it's quite possible that you could be the next lazy bum, and you KNOW you aren't lazy. Seriously. I'm not being sarcastic. You aren't lazy, and in this world's economy, you could be out on the street tomorrow, and in debt next year, if not next month. (If you're the 1%, I'm not talking to you. You're lucky in this lifetime, by birth, genes, environment, circumstance, at least one of those factors. Not to take away from your hard work and drive, you're still lucky, and it doesn't take a very big imagination to appreciate that.)

So even without being religious and taking to heart that we are indeed our brothers' keepers, we can acknowledge with even the smallest amount of compassion that we should create a world in which everyone shares in the basic necessities, in which everyone has a job, a home, and food.

That's the simple part, agreeing that everyone deserves a decent job.
Creating an economy that provides those jobs....that's the hard part.