When Americans head for the polls this fall, a lot of people will be voting on just one issue: jobs. But so far, much of the political rhetoric sounds like it could be coming from one job that's pretty much obsolete - a carnival barker. It's awash with sweeping generalizations and vast oversimplification.
There's almost no talk of the enormously difficult, long-term challenges we face on jobs. "Elect (or re-elect) me, and everything will be fine," the candidates seem to say. The reality is that the Great Recession destroyed 8.4 million jobs, and technology and a competitive global economy have changed the rules on what it takes to create and keep good ones here in the United States.
In our book--Where Did the Jobs Go--and How Do We Get Them Back? (William Morrow, $16.99)--we examine some of the myths and oversimplifications voters need to watch for. Political campaigns tend to gloss over the details. We'll see the candidates in their jeans or khakis standing in front of factories shaking workers' hands. We'll hear them praise American workers and entrepreneurship. They'll express their concerns about people who've lost jobs or whose businesses have failed. But that doesn't mean they have solid ideas for addressing the problem.
We need to grasp the depth of the challenge and be open to a whole range of old and new ideas for creating jobs. And we need leaders who will be straight with us. We're deep in the hole already and fighting powerful global trends. We're not going to rev up our economy's job creation capacity in just a few years. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something - usually themselves.
So when you hear candidates say things like this, it's time to ask some tough questions.
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I first decided to become self-employed when I was working may tail off for a major company, performing far beyond expectations, selling far beyond my quota, and earning excellent commissions, only to find myself laid-off when some bean counter in the home office made the brilliant decision that money could be saved by getting rid of the guy in the Midwest that was being paid more than anyone else in his position. I decided that if I would work that hard, and make so much money for for someone who cared so little for me, why wouldn't I work that hard for myself? So I started my own company with only a legal pad, pencil, a phone and my own proven sales ability, and I have been self-employed ever since. I don't even have a resume - who would I give it to?
lesser, wiser spending is the only alternative