Cory Booker's new big idea: guaranteeing jobs for everyone who wants one

[Donkees]

His bill would guarantee jobs in 15 urban and rural areas to test if it works.

Excerpt:

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has a big idea: give 15 local areas federal money so they can guarantee all their residents a job.

The Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act, announced by Booker on Friday, would establish a three-year pilot program in which the Department of Labor would select up to 15 local areas (defined in the bill as any political subdivision of a state, like a city or a county, or a group of cities and counties) and offer that area funding so that every adult living there is guaranteed a job paying at least $15 an hour (or the prevailing wage for the job in question, whichever’s higher) and offering paid family/sick leave and health benefits.

The idea of a government job guarantee ensuring all adults who want employment get it has a long history in American politics, but it has gained popularity as the Democratic Party has sought to embrace bigger and more ambitious economic policies in the wake of the 2016 election.

“The federal jobs guarantee is an idea that demands to be taken seriously,” Booker said in a statement. “Creating an employment guarantee would give all Americans a shot at a day’s work and, by introducing competition into the labor market, raise wages and improve benefits for all workers.”

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/20/17260578/cory-booker-job-guarantee-bill-full-employment-darity-hamilton

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. It's not really a new idea: FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps

created during the Depression provided unemployed people with jobs planting trees and doing other things that benefited the environment. https://www.history.com/topics/civilian-conservation-corps Booker's idea would be a broader version of that. It won't happen, of course, because it would involve spending money to help people.

[shraby]

2. The CCC was only as good as those who ran it locally. My dad worked there and when he went

to get his last check, the one passing them out was acting like it was coming out of his own pocket, so my dad told him to shove it and left.
He never did get his last check.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. True. A friend of my dad's worked for the CCC and raved about it

for the next 50 years. He must have had better supervisors.

[LanternWaste]

3. More accurately, the WPA, as the CCC was for young males only

More accurately, the WPA, as the CCC was for young males only, while the WPA was open regardless of gender or age.

(And I don't think anyone, from Booker to the OP is arguing it's a new idea)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. The OP title says "new big idea," which is also the cited article's headline.

[Sophia4]

9. My dad worked for the WPA back in the 1930s. It was great.

[NCTraveler]

14. My grandfather worked in the CCC program.

He counted trees. Most of his money went home to his mother. He filled out a government employment survey while working in the CCC and landed a job in DC. That is where he found the sales job of his dreams(Westinghouse) that he ended up retiring from.

His stories about camp life were wild. He would talk about the burden on young men being greater than that of today. He said young man after young man would come in with no self worth, always referencing how he got a real quick lesson in toughness. But is wasn’t just counting trees. They worked with them to find gainful employment.

[NCTraveler]

10. More recently than that.

This has a federal work program attached to it. It was signed by Carter as well. A lot of it is directed at the private market but shortcomings were to be made up by a federal work program.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/how-to-guarantee-a-job-for-every-american

[CentralMass]

6. The post on Bernies similar plan earlier today got hammered.

[Sophia4]

8. New ideas, good, new ideas usually get hammered.

Ignore the hammers.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

13. Yeah, but now that Booker has jumped on the Bernie Bandwagon, no doubt he'll be lauded...

as he (and Bernie) should be!!

[OilemFirchen]

22. LOL!

"Hey! You put bunting on my grandstand!"

"What? I bought this caboose!"

[lapucelle]

38. Like Medicare for All, this is actually John Conyers' bandwagon.

Let's hope that both chambers continue Conyers' work.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/676

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1000

[elleng]

27. Right. ;-(

[Sophia4]

7. Bernie Sanders is suggesting something similar.

They should work together on this.

[Tavarious Jackson]

11. Everyone who wants one already has a job

We are at top employment

[haele]

15. Well, wanting a job and having a job are two different things.

Depends on how you look at the "supply and demand" of employment.

Peak employment indicates that all available jobs are being filled by people who want jobs in those areas.

However, not all people who want jobs have access to jobs, as there are fewer and fewer jobs available.

It can be a matter of many factors.
It could be that there are fewer jobs available. Technological advances aiding productivity has drastically reduced the amount of jobs in a wide range of factory, agricultural, lower skilled and management support positions. While tech is booming, tech jobs require a skill set that not all people have; the average person might not be capable of the logic skills and dedication to skill maintenance hours that tech workers often need to be able to do their jobs.

And of course, only so many people can be managers or "leaders" or "owners". Most people are workers, and dependent on those few managers, leaders, or owners and the decisions those people make for their paycheck.
To accrete in positions is difficult, especially when the requirement for extra training or time outside the normal working hours is often the difference between keeping your position or being relegated to entry level work for the rest of your life.
People are not drones - everyone has that a certain level of sacrifice they're willing to dedicate before they say "f*** it, it's not worth it, there's more important things in life." So it's out of a bad place and off to the McJob or the Gig economy while one tries to get training to get a job they both need and want to provide for themselves and whatever else is dependent on that job. With more and more working positions being those McJobs or "gigs", it's getting more difficult for people to maintain some form of regular employment that allows them a modicum of the security their own grandfathers and grandmothers fought for and won with unions or with government jobs.
Because the global market economy is just happy as anything keeping the majority of the workforce tied to low-paying jobs while those lucky enough to win a position or education competing with everyone else struggling for it is the way things are now. You may work your ass off to get a job, but unless you created something new, it was the luck of how you could market yourself and what attracted that hiring person or manager.

Haele

[PatrickforO]

25. I put another post up piggy-backing on yours, but

I also want to add that not only should Americans have a guaranteed minimum income, but should also have guaranteed universal healthcare.

Take care of these two huge factors, strengthen Social Security and make college a boatload more affordable, and you've solved some really big problems in our society.

[Tavarious Jackson]

30. I agree with you in all ways

It just seems like a pipe dream with republicans in full control. Raise federal minimum wage, trash Trumps tax cuts and increase taxes on people who make over 250,000 inc corporations, Single payer or medicare for all which ever one can get passed the fastest. We need a super duper majority for all this since we know not all democrats will go along but most will. If we have purist demanding no incremental change than I don't see it happening. If we consolidate the left and agree.. It can happen.

[Hortensis]

36. Need will create critical level of demand, and it's building now.

For the first time in history a hundred million Americans and more are looking into the future unable to visualize what it'll bring, for their children as well. That empty darkness is causing tremendous anxiety.

Both the Tea Party and Trump were already rebellions by conservatives against their party's plans to destroy the entitlement retirement programs they'd paid into all their adult lives. In large majority, they also want universal healthcare, the ACA but with more benefits, lower costs, and a new Republican label on it so they can claim it as their own. That's all.

And of course it's a pipe dream now with these totally corrupted Republicans in control. But we were within a minescule 70-80,000 votes out of 200,000,000 registered voters (!) of making it happen a year and a half ago.

The pressure to make big adjustments to new realities is even greater now than then and is going to be much greater in 2020. The 2016 Democratic platform, and more, will come about because it has to.

And because 30,000 rich people who count their wealth in hundreds and thousands of millions can't do anything that 330,000,000 people don't agree to. They're about to reach the end of their 40-year run of uncontrolled greed in many nations, not just ours. If they don't like taxes and regulation now, just wait until they experience what's coming. They know it too, and increasingly there's nowhere for them to run. What's happened over those 40 years isn't just our nation's problem.

[PatrickforO]

42. I LOVE that kind of talk!

Please let it be so!

[quartz007]

31. Guarantees will be great!

Guaranteed minimum income, free healthcare, free housing, free dental care, free cell phone, and free car! Now that would make us truly Great America!

[ck4829]

17. LOL. Good one.

[PatrickforO]

24. Piggy-backing on haele's post,

even in a 'full employment' market, there is a skills gap, and if you look at the 'alternative measures of labor underutilization tables, you find that there are still a substantial number working part time for economic reasons, marginally attached or discouraged.

But kindness and mercy really aren't the primary reasons for implementing such a policy.

The real reason for a guaranteed minimum income is to keep demand for goods and services up if the economy contracts.

This is why a balanced budget amendment is such a stupid policy idea. You pass a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, and the next big recession, the government won't be able to spend in the red to keep demand for goods and services up. And without the government acting as the spender of last resort, you're looking at depressions, not recessions, with people rioting, looting and starving in the streets. Look up the panic of 1893 and histories of the early years of the Great Depression, under Hoover. In 1932, people were rioting in the streets and the country was in very real danger of going communist.

Until FDR introduced Keynesian economics in the form of the New Deal. Though dirtbag billionaire parasites like the Koch brothers and the Mercers wouldn't ever admit it, FDR actually SAVED capitalism with his New Deal. Funny how supply and demand works.

[Blue_true]

37. The problem with the Kochs and Mercers and people like them.

Is they have absolutely no grasp on history. Everytime that increasing numbers of people were driven into destitution, revolutions resulted and the rich either had their money taken, or they were killed. The current issue of people being driven downward is a worldwide problem, it does not impact one or two countries as past cases. When this current dam breaks, the flood is going to be a doozy, and there will be nowhere for the rich to take refuge in and hide.

Someone mentioned that almost 1 in 3 Americans can't see a future for their children. That is startling and scary. Unfortunately the number of people seeing no future for their kids will grow.

[msongs]

12. does everyone in vermont and new jersey have one yet? those would

be good test case studies

[JCanete]

16. huh..."corey booker just trying to stay relevant..." I expect to see that post any...

oh wait...probably not going to happen.


how about..."not his idea so pfffftttt...."

Good on Booker for actually making a case that he wants to lead democrats into 2020 on big progressive ideas.

[Wwcd]

32. Booker doesn't have to "try to stay relevant". He has a long record of ALWAYS being so.

He doesn't have to do so to suddenly build a 2020 Ad campaign because his yrs in politics were practically nonexistant.

Booker has a steady & consistant history of stepping up & being vocal as to creating & successfully presenting public policy.

He doesn't have to piece together photo ops & last minute breaking news stories to quickly build up his creds for a coming election.

If Booker runs for Pres in 2020, he's already got his proven history on record. He can stand that steady history up against anyone the GOP runs.

Booker doesn't have to suddenly prove he gives a shit about people & country, he has built the long consistant record necessary to run on honesty

His strength is in his consistant proven history.

Thanks

[JCanete]

41. We clearly laud different aspects of people's political histories, but that said, there is

a lot to admire about Booker. However, when Sanders comes out in favor for this people don't talk about the issue at hand, they talk about him. They shit on the issue to take a shot at him. That's fucking tragic.

[sheshe2]

18. So Booker anounced this on the 20th...

Then Sanders follows on the 23rd?

Then there is a huge difference

Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will unveil a plan for the federal government to guarantee a job paying $15 an hour and health-care benefits to every American worker “who wants or needs one,” embracing the kind of large-scale government works project that Democrats have shied away from in recent decades.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210529165#top

Booker

The Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act, announced by Booker on Friday, would establish a three-year pilot program in which the Department of Labor would select up to 15 local areas (defined in the bill as any political subdivision of a state, like a city or a county, or a group of cities and counties) and offer that area funding so that every adult living there is guaranteed a job paying at least $15 an hour (or the prevailing wage for the job in question, whichever’s higher) and offering paid family/sick leave and health benefits.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/20/17260578/cory-booker-job-guarantee-bill-full-employment-darity-hamilton

So Booker is offering this as a localized test, to, I assume see if it is viable and Sanders is proposing this to Every American! Guarenteed!

How is this all going to be implimented and paid for.

[hueymahl]

21. Well done

You managed to bash Bernie on a post when he was not even mentioned. I applaud your jujitsu.

[sheshe2]

45. Well...Donkees provided the link....

Well...Donkees provided the link....from his Bernie OP. I just followed. Perhaps you should follow as well.

Here ya go.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10529564

[NurseJackie]

23. "How is this all going to be implemented and paid for?" -- Nobody knows...!

How is this all going to be implemented and paid for?

Nobody knows... as far as I can tell! Just more pie in the sky. It would indeed be interesting to find out how such a thing would be paid for... but ultimately, this can be categorized as wild and unrealistic promises that will likely never see a vote. (But it makes for a great way to motivate people to make campaign donations, doesn't it?)

Me? Personally? I live in the real world where incremental progress is more likely... and, I hasten to add... it's much better than a belligerent or aggressive shoot-for-the-moon all or nothing approach that generally results in "nothing".

[Eliot Rosewater]

28. As long as no Senator or anyone else uses this issue to BASH other democrats, it wont matter.

But if this becomes a litmus test, we lose.

Big time.

So, if you see someone making this a litmus test my assumption is they WANT dems to lose.

[Wwcd]

34. Thank You Elliot. I just experienced exactly what you described.

Ugh!

[Hortensis]

19. It'd be happening RIGHT NOW if we'd won in 2016.

So, it'll start after we take control of congress and some state governments in November instead and really take off in 2020.

As said, this isn't a new idea. We've done versions of this many times federally and in states. Other nations have also many experiences in this that we've studied, and we'll benefit big from that in 2020.

[Eliot Rosewater]

29. Yeah but emails...you know, way more important than jobs, air, water, etc.

Oh and nose holding...dont forget the number of potential Hillary voters who stayed home or voted 3rd party because they heard that term over and over
over and over
over and over
over and over
over and over
over and over
over and over
over and over
again.

[Hortensis]

35. You sound just a tad fed up. Wish I could give you

a piece of apricot-almond whipped cream cake to think about instead. It's good.

[Eliot Rosewater]

48. I have a darn colonoscopy thursday at 11, because my last one was inconclusive I have to

start fasting TODAY at noon...sigh

Oh well, just wanna be healthy

[Hortensis]

49. Oh my at starting today. That's sadistic.

My husband had a similar problem, and we got to drive into Atlanta metro for second-try ERCP with an endoscopist experienced with tricky anatomy. He'd turned yellow, scared us to death, but he's just minus his gallblader now, came out of anesthesia and went home. Love modern surgery. Relatively speaking, of course.

[left-of-center2012]

20. My dad had a great experience with FDR's "CCC"

It helped my parents survive the Great Depression.

[Adrahil]

26. Again.... not a new idea, really...

though I do like the idea of a pilot program.

[lindysalsagal]

39. Canada runs non-profit nursing homes and medical facilities that provide jobs for workers.

It solves both problems: It gives work and training to healthy citizens while providing assisted living facilities for the sick and elderly.

Seems obvious, except that there's no way to make capitalistic profits from it.

[demtenjeep]

40. universal Basic Income my become a necessity before long

People in their 40-60's are being replaced by automation and have no skills for new available jobs but can not retire yet because of repuke legislation

[Hortensis]

46. Hillary almost ran on it for 2016, so it's coming fast

when Democrats are in power. Our nation is enormously wealthy thanks to the productivity levels of the very modern technology that's eliminating many millions of jobs.

All Hillary's promises were backed by workable plans, and for this one they felt they couldn't make the numbers work right then, i.e., lots of competing needs. She was, like her fellow Dem Booker, going to start with the jobs and education/training side of raising and guaranteeing incomes instead.

And we will.

[GulfCoast66]

43. No matter who proposes it, it is a bad idea.

All the post relating it to Depression era programs miss the fact that unemployment then was over 25%. Today it is less than 5%. What about this program would get the small percentage of Americans not working to actually sign up?

And talk about a loser at the polls!

What we need is to insure that Americans are paid a livable wage for the work they are doing today! That along with affordable health care and housing and we do not need an entire new program.

Corporate America is giving less and less of their revenue to their workers. This is what has to change. And when it changes for big companies small ones will have to follow.

[northremembers]

44. I understand what Cory is trying to do.

While generally the nation is doing okay employment-wise, some neighborhoods always struggle. Tax incentives and enterprise zones don't bring big production jobs in to disadvantaged neighborhoods. It needs to be part of a larger plan, like the CCC was. We need production jobs to energize certain neighborhoods and we can use those jobs to build more sustainable energy usage, higher density housing, build better transportation systems, etc.

I do agree with you that what most voters are looking for is an affordable cost of living and this policy doesn't fix that. A catchy campaign slogan and a few quick fix policies isn't going to be enough. What's missing is an overall vision for America. Nancy? Chuck? What's the plan?

[Hortensis]

47. Democrats WILL insure a livable wage. We need the power,

not the intent. That's in our party platform and our 2016 presidential candidate, and others running for congress and at state level, had detailed plans. It'll happen.

But a lot more is needed. Many good new jobs are going unfilled because people aren't trained for them.

Our local state college charges a bit over $1000 for a single 3-credit quarter class. That's dreadful to the point of evil in an era when computers can teach most of what the standard classroom provides, far, far better on average because the computer can be a personal committed tutor, and infinitely more cheaply.

A couple who're finally coming to realize there will be no new job to replace the one that's disappeared are typically already in the hole as they struggle to keep the rent paid, utilities on and feed their children. They can't do it. And tragically high numbers of young people are leaving school to find the world doesn't need them. They're sharing low-end rentals, living on whatever they can scrounge up delivering pizzas and other crap part-time jobs like that.

We are a fabulously wealthy nation full of new problems that is in need of new, forward-thinking solutions. They're very doable, and we are on the edge of unprecedented national prosperity, as those insisting it can't be know very well. Our presidency just begs for an innovative policy wonk who's studied for years how to turn old problems into catalysts for new widespread prosperity.

Hillary loves that stuff. I think I've talked myself into hoping somehow she'll run again. Whoever we do choose, we need just that kind of president in 2020. Pick up where we dropped the ball.