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Dutch, wwjd, and lonely bird -- All good points for thought and discussion. Carlitos has pushed the Job Guarantee (the employer of last resort) and I can agree that will work for some people temporarily. And certainly many of the government and NGO programs that help the unemployed can lessen the economic hardships. We've discussed them all here before...job retraining, education, apprenticeships and such for work as well as unemployment, and health and welfare benefits.
What we haven't really discussed is the psychological impact that long term unemployment has on individuals. For example there is a strong correlation between PTSD and long term unemployment. Not only that, other studies have suggested that one's personality traits can also be altered by being unemployed a long time. Depression and suicide are common amongst the unemployed.
Our society has failed those who are long term unemployed, especially those who for whatever reasons cannot migrate from their home base. Or physically, mentally or economically are unable to take on a new job with differing skills. Many of them become prey for the unscrupulous politician or the religious recruiters. I don't think Donald Trump or for that matter Bernie Sanders were being honest by blaming China for their plight. Or trade deals in general. It just shifts the blame.
As one who has interviewed people for jobs I can empathize with those who have been unemployed for a long time. They don't interview very well....and getting rejected feeds into more feelings of despair.
I have mocked China in this website for building entire cities in areas where no people live. However, what the Chinese leaders realize is that their people need to be gainfully employed making things. They not only build entire cities but also send their workers to places in Africa to build infrastructure projects there as well. They are now the world leader in solar energy projects as well as other innovative projects like building islands in the South China Sea, designing and building fast trains, or just about anything.
We could do likewise by a major investment in infrastructure all over the country...roads, bridges, solar and wind energy and energy transmission, fast trains, and more. However, our inability to think beyond our capitalist and free market ways has handicapped our ability to think big on infrastructure, except for those projects initiated by private capital. Our worldviews have been corrupted...that government is the problem. I do not see how we can extricate ourselves from the metality that lowering taxes is the solution to all of our problems.
I believe that government is the employer of last resort, but in addition to Job Guarantees and other programs we need a massive countrywide rebuilding of our infrastructure financed by the taxpayer. It is the biggest remedy for the unemployed.
We don't need to build government financed weapons for export to 3rd world countries that cannot afford them.