It’s repeated so often that it has practically become a Republican mantra: Government spending doesn’t create jobs. Except, of course, when it comes to defense spending. Any cuts to defense spending are an outrageous suggestion because that spending creates jobs. ThinkProgress has a round up of some of the prominent Republicans contradicting themselves on this one:
SEN. JON KYL
Now: “The whole point here [staving off the sequester] is to try to get some economic growth, job creation, to get out of this recession.” [5/24/12]
Then: “Faced with the reality of historic unemployment rates and record federal debt, I had hoped that President Obama, by now, would understand that even more government spending doesn’t create jobs.” [9/09/11]
REP. BUCK MCKEON
Now: “Sequestration’s impact on the economy would be sudden and severe, … result[ing] in the loss of about 1 million jobs in 2013 and 2014 and a half a percent cut to America’s already meager economic growth.” [6/24/12]
Then: “We don’t look to the government usually to create jobs. What we like to see them do is get out of our hair and let us create the jobs.” [5/21/12]
It reminds me very much of those same Republicans who said, and continue to say, that the stimulus bill didn’t create any jobs at all while at the same time pushing for projects funded by that bill in their district because those projects would create lots of good jobs. Apparently, every infrastructure project in every district other than theirs was done by ghosts or invisible leprechauns.
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Pierce R. Butler
July 23, 2012 at 12:16 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The state government of South Carolina has created at least one job.
thegoodman
July 23, 2012 at 12:49 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
As an invisible leprechaun construction worker, I take offense.
Area Man
July 23, 2012 at 3:38 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wait, are you suggesting that Republican economic beliefs are incoherent and are constantly changing to meet whatever their current agenda is?
Robert M.
July 23, 2012 at 3:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@ Area Man
No, they have always been what they currently are. What they have always been tomorrow is an entirely different matter.
brian
July 23, 2012 at 6:39 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Nothing better than a bunch of dudes with government jobs saying how the government doesn’t ever create jobs.
Modusoperandi
July 23, 2012 at 8:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
brian “Nothing better than a bunch of dudes with government jobs saying how the government doesn’t ever create jobs.”
Well, they’d know, wouldn’t they?
Ace of Sevens
July 23, 2012 at 9:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
At my last family gathering, my uncle complained about the bailout, saying that government spending can’t create jobs. A few minutes later, he complained about illegal immigrants coming over and taking jobs when other people had been paying taxes to create them.