Explosive Job Growth

— By Jonathan Stein

No Comments | Post Comment

“By cutting taxes on income, we helped create jobs,” George W. Bush boasted in January. But the numbers tell another story. Over the past five years, the private sector has gained 2.8 million new jobs, created entirely by government spending, largely on defense. (Meanwhile, the economy lost about a million nongovernment jobs.) So don’t thank tax cuts, thank the military-industrial complex.

  • Private-sector jobs created by defense spending, 2001-2006: 1.5 million (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

    • Advertisement

    Advertisement

  • Private-sector jobs created by other government spending, 2001-2006: 1.3 million (Department of Defense)

  • Private-sector jobs lost, 2001-2006: 1 million (Economic Policy Institute)

    • Get Mother Jones by Email - Free. Like what you're reading? Get the best of MoJo three times a week.

    Comments

    Post new comment

    Alternately, you may login to or register an account
    • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
    • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <ul> <ol> <li> <blockquote>
    • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

    More information about formatting options

    MoJo Comments: Send Us Your Feedback

    We changed our spam software to better filter comments. Should you encounter any issues, please let us know.

    Photo Essays

    "2nd Tour, Hope I Don't Die"
    The chaos and humanity of war.

    End of the Line
    What becomes of Janesville, Wisconsin, now that GM's left town?

    Guantánamo Bay Still Life
    The other side of Gitmo.

    They Come but Once a Year
    American Holidays

    See All