John Stossel: Who Creates Jobs? (Dear Leader's "Jobs Summit)

Today, the White House holds its “Jobs Summit” stunt. It’s typical Washington-think: Assemble interest groups and concoct special tax credits and handouts to the politically connected. What conceit. The political class think that economies revolve around them, that Washington makes things happen, that politicians are the most important players.

Today’s Washington Post suggests that the way to create jobs is public spending by the federal government:

Obama's options are limited, as the administration already has signaled that it is unwilling to make any investments that would add significantly to the nation's ballooning deficit.

"We want to make sure it is not just the public sector doing this in a vacuum," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama. "It's important we engage the private sector as well." Administration officials, however, have excluded major trade associations from the summit... .

Some of those groups privately complain that their job creation ideas, including enactment of stalled free trade deals that they say would boost exports, are opposed by labor unions, which will be heavily represented at the forum.

The White House, which has clashed with some of the business groups over their opposition to health-care reform and other initiatives, says it has met repeatedly with those organizations and wants to hear fresh ideas.

Yes. I am sure those "fresh ideas" will come from the trade unions whom the White House just hasn't heard from much over the past year. At the summit they will also hear from environmental groups “Green for All” and “Coalition for the Green Bank.” I’m sure they’ll have great ideas for job creation.

Will at least some free-market economists get to speak? No. The White House will hear from Paul Krugman, Joe Stiglitz, and Jeffrey Sachs.(continued)

Jobs? Jobs? Jobs?

There aren't going to be any jobs, other than the ones that Orin Hatch mentioned the other day.

Our economy is kaput! Done! Finito! OVER!

Debt growth has propelled our economy for more than 30 years. And every president, including Reagan helped to get us where we are to day. We are in the final death throes of the last bubble..government debt.

People want jobs. It ain't going happen without radically downsizing government( read reducing entitlements ) and getting back to basics, with domestic energy production being on the top of the list.

You want a parallel..look at the U.S. auto companies at an embodiment of the our country where one worker supports four retired workers. How did that work out?

Too many U.S. residents expect too much..we have burdened our business with labor, environmental, and tax regulations all the while expecting newer and better products. Business amazingly responded with Wall St. providing the financial instruments to achieve the unachievable. Instead of blaming Wall St. ( although the largest piles of money are there ) people need to look at themselves as a big part of our current dilemma.

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