November 8, 2009

Chortlenomics . . .

As long as I can remember, politicians have promised “jobs.”

When not promising tangible “pork”-based jobs, most of these promises turn out to be the economic equivalent of the computer industry's famed darker side: vaporware.

Call it vaporwork.

Politicians provide the vapor. That's the easy part. The actual work? Well, how much work do politicians cause us to engage in just to unbury ourselves from their silly, wealth-extracting regulations, requirements, registrations and legalistic “refinements”? I know, I know: Every time they add on some new complication to the tax code, jobs emerge in the accounting and tax-consulting industry. But this doesn't exactly make us better off, does it? Not on net.

I guess there are some things government can do to ensure that jobs get created, out there in the bill-paying, profit-making world. But these things amount, mainly, just to doing a few things right and then shutting up about it.

But just try to get a politician to (a) do something right, and (b) shut up about it! . . .

Paul Jacob is President of the Citizens in Charge Foundation, which sponsors Paul’s weekly Townhall column as well as Common Sense, a short radio commentary featured in over 100 radio stations throughout the country. The opinions contained in this column are that of Paul Jacob and do not necessarily reflect those of the Foundation, its supporters, or affiliates.