But what’s worse is the growing evidence that our governing elite just doesn’t care — that a once-unthinkable level of economic distress is in the process of becoming the new normal.
And I worry that those in power, rather than taking responsibility for job creation, will soon declare that high unemployment is “structural,” a permanent part of the economic landscape — and that by condemning large numbers of Americans to long-term joblessness, they’ll turn that excuse into dismal reality. [...]
First, we see Congress sitting on its hands, with Republicans and conservative Democrats refusing to spend anything to create jobs, and unwilling even to mitigate the suffering of the jobless.
Fact: one way or another, whether the Democrats control Congress or whether it's the Republicans, the deficit will grow in the near term. Do we grow the deficit with stimulus that creates jobs and grows the economy? Or do we grow the deficit with $678 billion in tax cuts to the top two percent that does next-to-NOTHING to create jobs or stimulate the economy?