Here's how to create jobs

We're sick and tired of these Tea Party politicians who say the way to create jobs is to "liberate the free enterprise system from the shackles of government." That's code for "cutting taxes for our rich buddies the Benedict Arnold Koch brothers."

It's also whackadoodle economics.

Let's just see how well our favorite Tea Party governors have done with their state economies.

• In Wisconsin, Koch whore  Gov. Scott Walker promised to create 250,000 jobs. Since he's taken office, the unemployment rate in Wisconsin rose dramatically faster than the national average. 
•  In Ohio, Gov. John Kountry Klub Kasich's "jobs budget" led to rising unemployment since May.
• In Florida, Gov. Pink Slip Rick Scott is backing off his promise to create 700,000 jobs because he's unlikely to come anywhere near that goal. Florida's unemployment rate dropped by one-tenth of one percent since he was sworn in, though economists point out half of all new jobs suck and have nothing to do with his policies anyway. (Though the jobs lost through lay-offs and rejection of high-speed rail funds are his doing.)
• In New Jersey, Chris "David Koch's Kind of Guy" Christie has been governor for two years. You'll find the Garden State's economy in the toilet. Employment slid from June 2010 to June 2011, while 41 states saw growth.

Want to know how to create jobs? Teamster General President Jim Hoffa pointed out in the Detroit News that North Dakota (yup!) and Michigan are the No. 1 and No. 2 fastest growing states in the country. It wasn't because their free enterprise systems were unshackled. It's because the government invested wisely. In North Dakota, the state deposits its tax revenue in a state-owned bank that reinvests that money in North Dakota. In Michigan, federal government loans are bringing back manufacturing.

Writes Hoffa,

Michigan and North Dakota show that government can and should pick winners and losers.

They show that globalization isn't inevitable and that unions help create American jobs. And they demonstrate that economic growth doesn't rely on overcompensated executives at big, bailed-out Wall Street banks churning out complicated financial instruments.

Michigan especially shows how manufacturing is essential to our economic health. When the auto industry moved overseas, Michigan's economy collapsed. Now it's coming back, and so is Michigan's economy.

Read the whole thing here.