Let's put America back to work.

• Author: Kaus, Mickey

Let's Put America Back to Work. Rebuilding liberalism may involve not dreaming up gimmicky "new ideas" so mcuh as rediscovering solid old ideas that have been foolishly discarded. Senator Simon's book throughtfully champions the most important of these old-new ideas, the idea of guaranteeing every citizen a job through a WPA-style public works program: "[W]e have a choice of paying people for doing nothing [through welfare and unemployment compensation] or paying people for doing something." The argument is so simple one wonders why Simon is the only big-time politician in a long while to have hit on it.

Simon's guaranteed jobs wouldpay the minimum wage, or 10 percent over welfare benefits, whichever is higher, for 32 hours of work a week (leaving a day to look for private sector work). Medical and Social Security coverage would be part of the deal. Work projects would be selected by local business-government-labor councils; when a project was finished, workers would move on to the next one. This is designed to avoid the experience of the mid-seventies CETA program, when workers were often assigned to existing bureaucracies where they either displaced regular employees or simply padded the workforce, making no apparent difference in public service.

Simon has clearly thought aboutthe complexities attending his simple idea. He would, for example, allow 18- to 25-year-olds to claim the jobs only if they'd graduated from high school. Dropouts would have to get their equivaleency diploma first. Simon is also laudably blunt about the need to "fire those who don't show up, or do not work when they do show up." That, he says, "may not be uncommon."

A few nits. First, Simon presentshis plan as an alternative to welfare, but he fudges on the crucial, difficult question of wehter to require single mothers (the vast majority of adults on welfare) to take his gu aranteed jobs. Simon leaves that "up to the states," although he notes that "eventually most states will probably require that all but mothers with children under two or three must sign up."

In fact, the conventional wisdomis moving rapidly beyond this position. Mario Cuomo may be the tribune of old-style liberalism, but his welfare task force recently recommended that mothers be allowed no more than three years' cash "transitional" assistance even if they have another baby. During those three years, they would be required to work or train half-time. After the three years, they'd have to take a...