Republicans' line on job creation

By Mustang Bobby

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to Fox’s Chris Wallace on the president’s jobs bill proposal:

First of all, Chris, government doesn’t create jobs, the private sector does.

A couple of points here: if the government doesn’t create jobs, then who do all the police, firefighters, public school teachers, soldiers, and, oh, yes, members of Congress work for? In Miami-Dade County, the single largest employer in the county is the public school system, and they’ve already cut their administrative staff by a third over the last five years. The second largest employer is the county itself, keeping — for the most part — things running so that people can actually get to their jobs and provide for everyone.

As for the second point, a lot of the private sector creates jobs thanks to the government with contracts to build roads, support the infrastructure, and provide services to the people who work for the government, be it federal, state, or local. And that includes such services as grocery stores to sell them their food and the hundreds of other businesses that sell the niceties of life like clothing, cars, and haircuts that keep our economy running.

Mr. Cantor probably knows better, but he has to keep up the Galtian mantra so that he won’t get primaried by the cranks who scream about keeping the government hands off their Medicare.

(Cross-posted at Bark Bark Woof Woof.)