Over at his blog, Walter Russell Mead continues his discussion on the federal War on Poverty. Mead convincingly argues that we need not just "good" jobs, but lots and lots of "bad" jobs as well. On a day that unemployment crept up to 9.2 percent we should listen to him.
Mead on denial,
"Many sensitive and idealistic people in our society work very hard to keep from connecting these dots and admitting to themselves that bad jobs are something we need. Quacks abound promising us alternatives (“green jobs” is the latest fashionable delusion), but ugly problems rarely have pretty solutions. We need entry level jobs that will get people into the workforce, and we need ways that they can learn useful skills at affordable prices that will help them climb the ladder and move on."
As the famous quote goes, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it".
Bonus: If you read to then end, you'll find a Joel Kotkin shoutout!
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