A lesson I stress when we cover the instructional block on economic policy is that government doesn't "create" jobs. Yes, you can establish an environment which is conducive to job growth, but to "create" a job you need to expand the economy. The verb implies establishing something which was not previously there. You "create" a job when you have a requirement for additional labor. That need for labor comes from growing demand for goods and services. Without production of a saleable commodity, you can't make a job out of nothing. Government produces nothing, hence there is no way for government to "create" a job. Whitewashing the rocks around the courthouse is not creating a job.
So what do you make of this tabloid piece:
Hire 'em, Fire 'em, Those Are New Jobs
I guess if you can shorten the hiring/firing cycle to milliseconds you can statistically create your way out of this employment slump.
Labor doesn't check the Census hiring figure or whether the jobs are actually new or recycled. It considers a new job to have been created if someone is hired to work at least one hour a month.
That would make me an economic powerhouse apparently. I "create" a couple of jobs every week when I employ my housekeeper and yard guy. If I make them go out and come back in every hour I can up my job creation even more!
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