No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

 

Bush wants to create 1.4 million jobs - at a cost to the government of $500,000 per job created.

I can't believe that the Bush administration is so out of touch with reality that they believe their own rhetoric.

As Paul Krugman points out, they are saying that they will create 1.4 million jobs by passing the new tax cut. But of course, that tax cut will cost the government $726,000,000,000 in revenue. By my Microsoft calculator, that is $518,571 per job created. Since the average job created would pay about $40,000 per year, isn't that a rather high price to pay to create the jobs???

Krugman then points out that the states are in financial trouble and will have to CUT jobs - immediately. That is, as a nation we're about to reduce spending on basic needs like education, health care and infrastructure by at least $100 billion, maybe more. And these spending cuts -- the result of the fiscal crisis of the states -- amount to a job destruction program bigger than any likely positive effects of the Bush tax cut.

But now, as Timothy Egan reported Monday in The New York Times, states are "withdrawing health care for the poor and mentally ill. They are also dismissing state troopers, closing parks and schools, dropping bus routes, eliminating college scholarships and slashing a host of other services." Not to mention unscrewing every third light bulb in Missouri government offices. (Honest.)


Of course, since there are serious objections to the tax cut proposals, the Bush administration is willing to phase them in. So those overpriced jobs will be created when??

This simply doesn't add up logically. But then, neither did the reasons offered for attacking Iraq. They lied to us then, and they are lying to us again about the tax cuts and the economy.

Why is Paul Krugman the only person pointing this out? Where in hell is the major media? Even the Congressional Budget Office, with an Economist appointed by the Bush administration as its head has reported that even with the most positive assumptions, the tax cut will only improve the economy by a negligible amount. [Reasonable assumptions all give negative results.] Have you heard that in the media? They should repeat that every time they report the activities of the Republicans to pass the tax cut.

Bush is a disaster for this nation. He needs to be removed at the earliest possible moment.


posted by Richard at 11:50 AM