Finally, a jobs program from a Republican. I thought I’d never see one, but out of the blue Sen. McCain today offered to sponsor full employment for anybody who will work in Arizona. And hold on to your hat, but he’s offering good wages too.
Some older Democrats, born in the teens and twenties of the last century, who remember the godsend that Roosevelt’s jobs programs were, have waited their whole lives wondering whether a Republican would ever deign to follow suit. They’ll be gobsmacked by this AP report from an AFL-CIO meeting that McCain addressed today.
Full employment? Impossible? Evidently not. Anybody who wishes to have a job, will get a job, says McCain. But wait, there’s more. He promises $50 dollars per hour. And it’s good, clean work…picking lettuce. I can’t tell you how excited I am by this sudden turnaround by the Senator.
I encountered him nearly thirteen years ago, and from that experience I wrote him off as a lying, manipulative scum. As a phony, a chameleon, a creep. As a louse, really. But mine was a snap judgment, without the perspective that time brings. Now I’ve seen another side of him, and must revise my hasty assessment. Full employment, for all Americans. It touches something deep down inside me.
Here is what the Senator said to the assembled laborers:
But he took more questions, including a pointed one on his immigration plan.
McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona.
Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain’s job offer.
“I’ll take it!” one man shouted.
McCain insisted none of them would do such menial labor for a complete season. “You can’t do it, my friends.”
Some in the crowd said they didn’t appreciate McCain questioning their work ethic.
Well, I believe that Americans can do it and will do it. For $50 per hour, I trust that poor and unemployed Americans will gladly flock to Arizona to pick lettuce.
In fact, I’m so sure that I’ll ask you to join me in trumpeting this offer all around the nation. The liberal media, who just always manage to ignore the good work that Republicans do, probably will try to ignore or downplay this job program. I think we need to step in and help the good Senator out. Let’s give him a well deserved shout all across these internets.
Let’s put poor Americans in touch with the Senator, so that his program has a realistic chance of getting off the ground. Let’s flood his office with calls offering to help place the unemployed in his program. Heck, maybe I’ll take up that offer myself. I want to talk to one of his staffers as soon as possible on Wednesday morning to find out the details.
Join me. Please help make this a success. You may phone the Senator at: (202) 224-2235. His office fax number is: (202) 228-2862. Why not use them both, in case one of your messages falls through the cracks.
He also has this handy email form at his website, to make the job application process easier no doubt. Consider sending prospective employees to that as well.
Oddly, I couldn’t find any press releases at his website about his comments or about the jobs program. So it remains very unclear to me whether the salaries are coming out the Senator’s pockets, or whether it will be a federal program. Either way, I’m sure the Senator will sincerely welcome your participation in the program.
