Making Unemployment Pay

Part of Obama's jobs program we having been breathlessly anticipating while the President golfed his way through his in your face "working vacation" may include some "shared sacrifice" work sharing scheme. In a New York Times editorial liberal economist Dean Baker opines if people worked shorter hours and took longer vacations we would all be in hog heaven and many layoffs could be prevented. To supplement workers' lost income from working less the rules on unemployment insurance would be modified so a worker could work part time and collect reduced unemployment benefits. The editorial notes this type program was very successful in Germany but as late as last year Obama was praising Spain's wildly successful "green energy initiative" and today Spain is on the verge of default. White House spin doctors will be challenged to come up with catchy moniker for this dead horse. May we suggest; " making unemployment pay" or " spreading the jobs around".