Stupid Polls on SFGate

Posted on January 20, 2008
Filed Under Public Policy |

When I see polls like the one I clipped below (in SFGate, here’s the story) I really wonder if people pay attention to news and/or understand basic economics. But mostly I just wonder about the IQ of people writing these polls. First of all, tax actions are intended to stimulate economic activity that results in job creation, and food stamps are less about food and more about income maintenance (longer discussion), so any move to stimulate the economy is essentially and effort to stimulate job growth or stem job loss.

Unemployment remains on the low end of the worry spectrum so “funding job creation” alone simply isn’t going to stimulate this economy. Full employment is considered to be 3.7-4%, which means that at that level of employment all the people who want to and are able to work have jobs. Simply put, lack of jobs is not a problem in this economy. We could debate “good jobs” or “high paying” jobs for the middle and low income classes, but that different than just “jobs”.

Also what about stimulating investment by reducing the capital gains tax (as Germany did a decade ago), or putting a rational energy policy in place that addresses production AND consumption, or imposing federal budget discipline, or reducing healthcare costs for employers and individuals, or tort reform or any number of really compelling policy initiatives that this (and prior) Congress has failed to address.

200801201320.jpg

Comments

  • Feeds