It's not about the 'Jobs', stupid!

[Vox Moi]

4. You are right, MadHound. I was unclear about that

I did not mean that those metrics indicated prosperity for the people, but rather they are indications that we have the wealth needed to care for one another. It is a question of distribution, which is vastly unequal.
I do think that jobs are important but if being an employee (especially an employee in the USA) is the only metric for determining individual worth, it is the corporation that is left to make the determination as to who gets what.
Increasing the quality of jobs is a big part of the solution. In Germany, for example, workers are protected by law and there is no such thing as 'employee-at-will'. It isn't the number of jobs, it is the quality. It might even be possible one day for a worker to support a family.
When I hear an unqualified call for 'Jobs' offered up as a solution, I see an appeal to the status quo, where citizens with rights become employees at the whim of a new class of uber-citizen: the corporation.
Your point about making a positive contribution is well taken. Most people are like that: they look beyond themselves and want to provide for family and neighbors. The corporate citizen is loyal only to profit.
Obama (we, the people) saved GM but that is not a direct measure of benefit to the people (it is a positive indication but no more than that). In return for saving GM and the banks, we deserve something more than a chance to fill out an application, take a drug test, and hope that they don't cut wages and benefits.