One hears Republicans like John Boehner talk about jobs being the most important thing. I am unaware, however, of any real effort by Republican's to produce more jobs except for the fraudulent argument that the wealthy are the job creators so allowing them to have more money will create more jobs.* In fact, the powers that be in the Republican party will do everything they can to eliminate jobs through automation and off shoring. In addition they feel that workers are overpaid and the way to increase jobs is to lower or eliminate the minimum wage, thus increasing poverty level employment if indeed there is any increase in employment at all.**
Because the upper 1% of incomes have done exceedingly well in recent years, the jobs picture should be flourishing if increasing the wealth of the wealthy argument were true, but, though there has been a steady increase in employment, everyone seems to agree it is not rapid enough.
You would think that workers are a natural constituency of the Democrats; however, there is a group of white male workers who feel that the Democrats have done too much for minorities, women, and homosexuals and are thus taking away their jobs. This group is an important constituency of the Republicans who pay them some lip service now and then, particularly in election years (e.g. The Real Americans), but do nothing for them of a substantial nature. I suspect that a significant percentage of the white males workers are also members of the despised 47% (now 43%) of households who pay no Federal income tax.
I'm not sure what Democrats could do to woo these workers back to the Democratic Party except maybe to keep plumping for public infrastructure projects. I have supported the completion of the double fence along our southern border and hiring more guards as a jobs program,*** even if it is ineffective in preventing illegal entry into the U.S. As it is, the Republican party has to do nothing to keep them so the Republicans do nothing for them.
* http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2010/05/effectiveness-of-taxes.html
** http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-race-to-bottom.html
*** http://stopcontinentaldrift.blogspot.com/2013/07/complete-danged-fence.html
About Me
- Everett Estes Ford
- Sandhills Area, NC, United States
- Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, the author is a published poet and author of the monograph "Lead Isotopes." He received a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1960 and a D.Sci. (Honorus causa) from the University of Missouri in 1989. As a scientist, he published more than 100 technical papers in the areas of isotope geology, mineral resources, and environmental concerns. He was involved in the Apollo Program and post Apollo Program in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the National Acid Precipitation Program with the National Park Service in the 1980s. He was the first Western scientist to give the Vernadsky Memorial Lecture in Moscow during detente in 1976. He worked for 34 years for the U.S. Geological Survey in a variety of research and administrative positions, including tours as Chief of the Branch of Isotope Geology and as the Assistant Director of Research. He was president of the Geochemical Society, and, as an amateur tennis player, he served as President of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Golden Racquets Tennis Club for two years.
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