In last week’s edition of USA Today, there was an article discussing the states cutting unemployment benefits. The states cutting unemployment benefits didn’t get people back to work, they didn’t get people back to work at all. That is quite unfortunate. So, let’s talk about this for a moment, shall we?
There has been a recent report that says that Florida was the top job killer in the United States of America. Why is that so? Well, because Florida has un-filled jobs. Florida, which is ranked number one, has a problem with its labor force, which is leaving the state millions of dollars in unemployment cash. So obviously cutting unemployment benefits didn’t work. So, who is to blame?
The fact that Florida continues to lose people to the larger neighbor to the south in Georgia should ring a bell, as well as the fact that California is losing people to Texas. If you take a look at the economies of those two southern neighbor states, you will see a huge discrepancy in their job growth. They have very healthy economies indeed. But, why did they fail to join the “beltway club” of economically booming states?
Well, it appears that Florida is just not a big enough state to support the populations of those two states. In order for Florida to grow it will have to import labor from other states to fill the available jobs. Which means more taxes on your citizens, which means less money for your pocket and less money for your local economy. You see, when you drive through a southern state, it almost feels like you are visiting another country. And it is true. It feels that way.
Now then, if you are a resident of Florida and you just went through a news article or a television program detailing the cutting of unemployment benefits in Florida, I would like to offer you this thought. Maybe it was just a horrible day and you were overwhelmed by the events that transpired, but if Florida was such a great state, why did they choose to cut its unemployment benefits? The simple answer to that question is the simple answer to all questions; Politics. That’s right.
Why are Politicians so stubborn when it comes to allowing the free market to work its magic and create jobs for people? Why are they opposed to allowing more freedom and choice for people? Because they are afraid. That’s right, they are afraid to not be re-elected, and they are afraid to be held accountable for their decisions.
They know that there are plenty of jobs out there for people to work right now in Florida, but they are unwilling to do the work, and rather than allow people to have a choice in where they work, they want people to move there because they are afraid that if people move to Florida, they will lose their jobs. Folks, this is nothing new. In fact, I bet it is a problem that has plagued this nation for decades. Yet, the politicians continue to do nothing about it, even though the rest of the country is doing exactly what needs to be done. Why?
It doesn’t make any sense to me at all. Why do these politicians have so much trouble attracting good-paying jobs back into the private sector here in America? Is it because they don’t wish to see more people working for themselves, and earning money for themselves? Perhaps, but that doesn’t make any sense either, does it?
Maybe it is because they don’t wish to see more people working in the private sector and therefore cut off their benefits? That would make a lot more sense, and yet, the politicians keep on going on about cutting the budget and the government’s debt. I’m just not buying that one bit, and it really makes no sense. Instead of cutting off people’s benefits, why not simply give them a small bump in pay, to keep them employed so they can get the job back. Isn’t that a better way to get people back to work in Florida?
And, if Florida is suffering because of a lack of jobs, then it might behoove the federal government to start putting those people back to work right now. Let’s say you were a construction worker just losing your job in a big construction project, and suddenly your job is gone. You are now unemployed. But, instead of panicking and losing all hope, why don’t you try to find a job? This is what the government was doing, and it worked because there is a lot of construction going on in Florida right now. So, if the state is cutting off unemployment benefits, then they will be getting people back to work in Florida construction companies or hire people through the state jobs board.
So, when the politicians talk about cutting off unemployment benefits, they may be cutting the jobs that people need, and which are being created right now. Not only did this cause mass panic but also caused mass confusion, as people who had lost their jobs were suddenly discovering they could get them back. In other words, the panic was caused by people looking for jobs, and the politicians had just caused mass confusion. Perhaps, we should take the time to study the real unemployment situation, rather than simply pretend the politicians are doing everything they can to help.
