Good jobs

The basic economic policy of the democratic party is income and in some cases wealth redistribution. Ten percent of the wage earners pay 72% of all income tax while the bottom 50% pay 3% with 76 million families paying no income tax. The policies are designed to take money from the top and give it to the bottom in the form of public assistance programs. This puts the government in control of who gets what and when. It leads to some low-income people becoming dependent on the government. Most everyone understands the need for a safety net for those who for reasons beyond their control need help. The discussion centers around the needy and those who are scamming the system. In a recent example, changes were made to Medicaid. One interpretation is that millions were cut from Medicaid. Many of these are able bodied adults who could maintain their insurance if they agreed to work 20 hours per week. Others are losing coverage because they don’t know how to fill out the paper work. What these programs need is oversight by congress to prevent abuse but congress turns this over to groups who have a vested interest in keeping the programs going and growing. Some of the wasteful spending has recently been exposed but it is only the tip of the iceberg. The bureaucracy has become so large it is unmanageable. The emphasis must shift from providing benefits to providing good paying jobs so people will not need public assistance. Bringing back manufacturing jobs is a start in this direction.