Let’s talk about jobs

Ben Bernanke demonstrated a political split personality this week, first saying job-growth is the issue and stimulus is probably necessary and then following with a “maybe, not now, later, soon.”

Washington is stuck on the debt ceiling debate and the dangerous push to slash and burn the federal payroll, which will mean lost federal jobs and more state jobs flushed down the toilet. In South Brunswick. There were more than a hundred school jobs cut. Other districts did the same, as did municipal governments without anyone talking about the reality that public jobs are still jobs and that cutting these jobs does nothing to improve our debt situation (fewer workers means fewer taxpayers) or the economy (fewer workers means less money around to spend on consumer goods or housing or w en necessities).

This approach is not goin to u us to fiscal or economic health, but continue the downward spiral.

I say this all the time, but it bears repeating hers: end our multiple wars now, bring the troops home and slash the military budget. Use some ofthemmoney to pay down the debt and the rest for infrastructure and aid to states and towns. That will create jobs and create lasting improvements on which our future e onomic health can be built.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet