Brie Gonda

Mrs. Fike
American Government
19 May 2014
Unemployment
In recent discussions of unemployment, a controversial issue has been whether
government involvement in the job industry hurts or helps the economy. On one hand, some
argue that government involvement is necessary to keep jobs in place. Many supporter of this
belief say that because of immigration, it is harder for Americans to find jobs and they are
becoming unemployed. From this perspective, it is the governments sole responsibility to create
sustainable jobs for the citizens of The United States of America. Unemployment is a real thing
and it affects more than just the economic state of a family. Surprisingly enough, while the rates
of unemployment go up, so do the rates of suicide. It seems that the two of them rise and lower
simultaneously. Supporters of the need for government job planting use these statistics as
leverage as to why it is the governments responsibility.
On the other hand, however, some argue that government intervention gives little help in
the face of unemployment in todays weak economy. In the words of two of this sides supporters,
Jeffrey Rosenweig and Dorsey D. Farr, governments role should be [kept at] a bare minimum.
According to this view, government has tried an innumerable amount of times to create jobs for
people and have failed continuously. On top of that, the jobs that the government is trying to
provide are not permanent jobs but rather temporary jobs.

In sum, then, the issue is whether or not government involvement is necessary and
helpful to citizens economic state. In my own opinion, I think that the government isnt helping
to create jobs very well. However, they are helping to make it easier for people to continue in the
jobs that they have started in. Union is a good example of how government involvement has
helped to create secure jobs for people. Being a part of a union protected job gives people a
chance to have their voice heard. If they feel like their job is being endangered for unfair reasons,
employees are able to talk to their union representative and keep their job regardless of what
management is saying. Although some might object that government involvement is necessary in
creating jobs, I believe that many times the jobs that are created are temporary and do not help in
the long run. I think that government can be helpful to keep pre-existing jobs but not to create
new, and long lasting jobs.