submitted by Rick Osmon
from the Indiana Economic Digest
July 26, 2012
Opinion: Michael Hicks
Michael Hicks is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and an associate professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University. His column appears in Indiana newspapers.
I am always saddened and more than a bit disappointed when I hear politicians promise job creation. In the first place, we are Americans and shouldn’t be looking to the likes of President Obama or Governor Daniels for a paycheck. We elected them for weightier matters. Moreover, governments don’t create jobs, businesses do. Job creation dynamics are hard to explain and often as not seem to confuse more people than almost any economic issue. Here’s why it is so hard to talk about.
We Americans rightfully believe that we are a nation of innovators. From the shop floor of a tool and die operation, to a glass high rise in Silicon Valley, to a steamy warehouse or retail website we are a nation that revels in new ideas and new ways of doing things. . . . Read Complete Report