Does Government Create Jobs

As you commute to work, think about how you are getting there.  It is probably on a government made and maintained road.  Perhaps it is on a government public transportation system.  Don’t forget about those government traffic signals and signs that keep you from having an accident and keeps traffic moving (even at a slow rush hour pace).

When you get to that job, the water, sewers, often the power and the communications systems you use are in all or in part supported or maintained or required to be safe by government agencies such as the FCC and EPA.

Actually government facilitated your job.  It made it possible for your company or your business to operate.  The police that protect you daily as well as the fire departments that ensure your safety are all government entities. 

Indeed, the government actually provides the monetary system for your paycheck.  Your business may have been started with the benefit of a government loan.  There are subsidies the government provides that allow many businesses to be able to start up in new areas.

Does your company use the internet?  Guess what.  It was developed initially by the United States government and later made available to the public.  So if your job is in any way dependent on the internet in whole as a web based business or in part to gain information or communicate, you owe your job to the government.

Are you in the airline industry in anyway?  Who do you think built all those airports and operate them?  What about air traffic control?  Yes, if you fly for business you in part owe your job to the government.

Let’s not forget about how you became prepared for your job.  Most of us went to public schools and even most private schools receive some form of government assistance.  Then of course there are those who attended government funded (in whole or part) colleges, universities and trade schools.

By the way, the food you ate to allow you to have the energy to do your job probably has some form of government subsidy to make sure you had a reasonable ability to have a supply of food for you and your family.

Of course, if technology drives your job, as most jobs are so driven in some part, perhaps that technology was developed in whole or in part as part of a government grant or government development.

In fact, most of the jobs today are integrated with the government in some way and have been for many years.  The banks that fund our businesses are FDIC insured and go to the Federal Reserve to get overnight lending.  Remember the financial crisis (crises would be more appropriate).  They went running to the government to bail them out and keep the economy from shutting down. 

Government does more than create jobs.  It facilitates every part of our economy to function so that the businesses in America can function and our private jobs can exist. 

So, the next time you hear someone talk about government being useless, and not creating jobs and how we have to starve the beast; remember, they are talking about your job in the private or public sector being jeopardized.  Saying it is so, doesn’t make it so.  Repeating it over and over does not make it more believable.