17 December, 2013

Washington Cares More About Deficits Than the Long-Term Unemployed: That's Crazy - Matthew O'Brien - The Atlantic

Washington Cares More About Deficits Than the Long-Term Unemployed: That's Crazy - Matthew O'Brien - The Atlantic: Michael Strain of AEI, for one, thinks the government should give people relocation vouchers to cover the cost of moving from high to low unemployment states. Or subsidize wages for the long-term jobless. Or provide better jobs training. Kevin Hassett of AEI agrees with all of the above, but thinks the government might need to directly hire the long-term unemployed too.

But all of these things cost money, and Republicans don't want to spend money on the long-term unemployed. They want to cut spending—at least when that spending isn't for sugar-growers or farmers. Democrats do want to spend money helping the long-term unemployed, but not enough to blow up a budget deal that barely, just barely, cuts red ink.

I hope $23 billion of deficit reduction is worth that.