Font Rants on Many Subjects

Robert Samuelson thinks we shouldn't blame the President for the economy. He compares it based on "selecting a doctor based on palm reading." Lets look at his reasoning:

Jobs are created by employer's (true)
Employers create jobs when:
-demand justified new workers.
-labor costs aren't unprofitable.
-they think healthy conditions will last.

On the demand side. He seems to suggest that the President can't with his vast powers of office do anything to increase consumer demand. Yet the tax cuts did this; Yet the jobs got added in India and China. Maybe that's because of point #2 labor costs. So can the President do anything about marketing American workers. I mean he has Airforce 1, a friendly congress. Certainly we can do something to make the cost of labor lower, or make our labor force more attractive. On to point #3 will the healthy conditions last. Well by Bush's own admission that whole WAR thing kind of put a damper on confidence.

So by all three of these measures there is a lot the President can do. It makes imminent sense that we should choose a President based on performance. Samuelson seems to think that if we could do this unemployment would always be at 3.5%. But the reality is some people are better at doing their job than others. The only way to improve this is either improve the person; or remove the person. After 4 years of poor performance, its time to pick someone new. You don't have to hate Bush to reach this conclusion. Its nothing personal, or bitterly partisan we just say, "Sorry, Mr. President, you aren't cutting it." This scene is replayed at every level of corporate America every single day. Why should it be no different in the White House.