A firm grasp of the obvious is clearly not a prerequisite for obtaining employment with MSNBC as a host or commentator. In fact, it seems that the possession of a certain creative ignorance – not generally found among individuals with shreds of common sense – is highly praised at the left wing “news” network. MSNBC talking head, Touré Neblett, claimed via twitter that job creation is an ineffective way of fighting poverty.
Via Touré’s twitter account (hat tip to Twitchy.com):
Aside from the grotesque void of factual accuracy in Touré’s comments, the unmitigated lunacy of his assertion illustrates the degree to which our culture has become intellectually bankrupt. Common sense would generally dictate that such an assertion be greeted with a palm to the face, a rolling of the eyes, or an incredulous chuckle, and nothing more. But, for sake of practice, let’s tackle the nonsensical claim anyway:
To begin with, the comments tweeted by Touré are, not surprisingly, based on his class-warrior perspective of capitalism, and not fact. According to a 2013 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 4.2 percent of full time workers classify as being impoverished. Of part time workers, only 14.4 percent are federally defined as the working poor. With 95.8 percent of full time workers above the federal poverty line, it would be difficult to see full time work as anything other than an opportunity to avoid the bread lines.
Oh… And thanks to Obamacare, more workers are now seeing their hours cut to part-time status, which means a larger number of Americans are likely to find themselves below the poverty line. In the left’s altruistic effort to help the impoverished, they have actually expanded poverty. Maybe they just wanted help more people?
Once upon a time, according to not only common sense but actual economists, it was simply taken as fact that earning money tends to make one less poor. In fact, this basic principle of earning money, is what the vast majority of tax-paying Americans spend a large portion of their day doing in an effort to avoid the crippling effects of poverty.
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Of course working two part time jobs (thanks again Obamacare) might not be enough to lift a working family from poverty. But embarking on a career, utilizing a job for supplemental income (click here to to learn the often overlooked difference between a job and career), and generally working toward higher paying employment has proven itself as a sure fire way to – well, make more money. And given that poverty is defined as having less money, it would seem that earning more money (by obtaining gainful employment) would be fairly effective.
Aside from the obvious correlation between work and socioeconomic mobility, job creation also tends to have a wealth-creating effect on a macro scale. Contrary to the assertion made by the intellectually deficient MSNBC host, job creation even helps the unemployed. As jobs are created, the tax base broadens and wealth compounds. As wealth, jobs, and tax receipts increase, revenues to the federal treasury (which are overwhelmingly allocated toward entitlement programs) increase as well. Commerce also increases, leading to higher corporate profits, more job creation, and (as a consequence) increased charitable contributions. So help a poor person: Earn more money.
It should also be pointed out that the working poor in America, with or without the benevolent (if misdirected) help of federal benefits, tend to be far better off than the poor in other corners of the world. Heck, a “working poor” person in America would be considered a man of wealth and culture in Mogadishu. The increased standard of living in the United States is brought to you by your local workforce. Workers are the ones who pay taxes, consume goods, accumulate wealth, donate to charitable causes, and ultimately employ other workers.
While no-one will ever get rich flipping burgers at McDonalds, the climb from poverty becomes a whole lot more probable for a worker with drive and opportunity to engage in earning money. Touré, however, seems to believe that employment (the process of exchanging labor and skills for market based monetary compensation) is “ineffective” at combating poverty… Because, ya know, no-one gets wealthy by earning money.
I wonder if anyone has asked Touré how he combats falling into poverty in his own life. After all, he seems to be employed. (Although… I’m still not quite sure how, or why…)
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