Economic Stimulus and Math (Or How to Be Thrifty)

The current proposed economic stimulus plan being debated on Capitol Hill has a cost of $800 billion dollars, and the powers that be tell us it will create 4 million jobs.

$800,000,000,000 divided by 4,000,000 = $200,000. Each of those jobs will cost the American Taxpayer (and their children, and their children's children) $200,000.

There are currently ~11,600,000 people unemployed in the United States today.

$800,000,000,000 divided by 11,600,000 = ~$68,965.52.

So, here's the plan. We create the Re-Employment Agency. To qualify, you must be: unemployed, and work at least 25 hours per week. For an employer to qualify, they must agree to freeze their current employment numbers and salary for a year. In exchange, those employers will gain access to the pool of unemployed for free. The government will pay those employees $20 per hour, up to 40 hours per week.

If every single unemployed person took advantage of the program, the cost would be $41,600 per worker, for a total of about $482 billion dollars.

That would save the taxpayer over $300 billion dollars, give the private sector up to 464 million free man-hours per week, and it would reduce unemployment in the United States to zero.

Treat the employees at independent contractors, use 1099 forms to track hours, and let the employer eat the cost of worker's comp/etc.

Free labor + zero unemployment + saving money = win. Also, the $41,600 is a tad bit more than I'll make this year, as an attorney with 7 years of post-high school education.