Charles Lane at the Washington Post has a good opinion piece this morning suggesting that instead of thinking up great new ways to “create” jobs, the President might try another strategy…stop doing things that destroy jobs. He suggests three things:
1) End price supports for sugar. Lane states that in 2006, the Commerce Department estimated that the U.S. sugar subsidy program cost three confectionery manufacturing jobs for each job it saved in sugar growing and harvesting.
2) Repeal Davis-Bacon. If you’re unfamiliar with this piece of legislation, The Heritage Foundation has a good primer on it, here. Lane explains that repealing Davis-Bacon would enhance the employment impact of Obama’s proposed infrastructure spending and would free up half a billion dollars over five years.
3) Reduce minimum wage. Lane reminds readers that in 2007, Congress enacted a minimum wage increase which by some measurements cost 300,000 jobs.