Who needs work, anyway?

Here’s a quote for you: “If we want an economy that employs all persons who want to work, we must be certain that all jobs are real jobs, adding real value, and not merely make-work jobs financed by taxes on the productive economy.”

That comes courtesy of Thomas G. Donlan, who scribed an editorial, “Stand Up to Steel” for the March 1 issue of Barron’s. Barron’s, by the way, is a weekly business publication put out by Dow Jones, the same folks who produce the Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Donlan’s comments are aimed at the U.S., as trade unions try to eliminate competition from foreign steel makers by having the government mess with imports. It’s the same old struggle between consumers (who would like to be able to purchase goods at the best prices) against organized labor (which is powerful enough to have government do its dirty work).

Donlan’s quote, though, is certainly valid here in the CNMI. For that matter, it’s valid anywhere in the world. While we’re mulling over the unemployment rate here, we should give Donlan’s observation some thought. Has the CNMI created an economy burdened with make-work jobs financed by taxes? What do you think?
Donlan understands the dynamics of economic production and competition, and sees that the more burdens you heap on an economy today, the weaker that economy will be tomorrow (or at least at some point in the future). For the CNMI, tomorrow has arrived.

This is the only place I’ve ever heard of that is “flooded” with labor, and yet has “high unemployment.” Go figure. Talk about a lopsided economy.

Here’s a way to reduce unemployment: get a job.

Don’t tell me that there aren’t any jobs out there. I know some business owners who are going bonkers because they can’t find reliable employees. The situation here isn’t any “shortage” of jobs, it’s that a lot of people refuse to work.

Hey, that’s their choice. I, for one, have never said that high unemployment is “bad.” No valid text on economics would say that, either. All we can say is that high unemployment is higher than low unemployment.

You want zero unemployment? Simple: pass a law requiring people without jobs to work in labor camps. Labor camps kept unemployment under Stalin pretty low, I’d imagine. Or, you could keep unemployment low by making it illegal to quit a job unless another job has already been secured. Or, perhaps, you could enact a property tax on land and cars, forcing owners to generate income to pay the taxes. See? Maybe we can reduce unemployment these ways.

As for me, I’ve got no use for labor camps, more laws, or property tax. If people don’t want to work, why should I care? You won’t hear me lamenting the unemployment rate in the CNMI. To work or not to work is a personal decision, and if you’d rather go to the beach than take a job, I say go for it.