HOW TO CREATE JOBS

(Published in El Nuevo Herald, October 08, 2010)

We can and should encourage domestic job creation. A classic example is the postal service. Far from laying off staff or close offices, it should be exactly the opposite, that is, open more offices and hire staff twice. The Post Office will have big losses? True, but 300 000 employees will be recruited nationally instead of the 100 thousand who are fired up now. This kind of subsidy is more efficient than any action because they directly stimulate the demand for goods and services, encouraging savings, investment and the creation of new businesses. Really the postal service have losses, not only for online competition, but for having held 35.000 million dollars to cover health benefits of staff that will retire within 20 years. The congressional mandate that requires massive amounts withheld should be reviewed with the purpose of solving the crisis of the postal service.Another example? Legislate so that the domestic phone calls should be received within the United States. If the goods or services were purchased in the U.S., any problems with them should be resolved in the U.S. The requirement of the call centers in the U.S. would create thousands of jobs.How many times have we made a long line at a bank because there are only two cashiers? Should be legislated that any corporation that receives in a branch 10.000 people a day or more than $ 10 million in the same period, have adequate staff to serve the public. This also would create thousands of jobs.The main problem we have now is that rather than engaged in creating jobs, we are determined to reduce the circulation in the hands of the public. Proof of this is what many cities like Miami are doing: putting video cameras at traffic lights to punish offenders. The income they earn  in this area is inversely proportional to the benefit they receive. That is, while the city government is enriched by the fines, companies in those same cities are impoverished because that money was left to expend in their business. And if businesses fail, there is loss of income for the city and the state due to lack of licenses revenue.The measures taken (and not taken) so far only are leading us to catastrophe.


Benjamín F. DeYurre

Miami