BushCo. Jobs Program

Today's Wall Street Journal reveals, for the first time, how the Bush administration plans to create more jobs in a second term. It seems that BushCo. plans to scrap old-fashioned jobs creation programs in manufacturing and the service sector. In fact, their job program is tightly integrated with their environmental programs.

Follow along with me to see what I mean. Here's how Bush plays it in his stump speeches:

On the campaign trail, Mr. Bush tends to play up the state jobs data when they are favorable. In Florida on Aug. 10, for example, he said that because of his tax cuts, "Florida has added nearly 300,000 jobs since the end of 2001."

But last Monday, in Michigan, which has lost 142,000 jobs since the end of 2001 (108,000 before Friday's data were available) and whose 6.8% unemployment rate is well above the national average, Mr. Bush only cited nationwide job data and acknowledged, "I fully understand we face challenges in some of our manufacturing communities. In some parts of Michigan, the recovery has lagged."

Pretty standard campaign fare, no doubt. But when economic analysts look at the numbers a somewhat different perspective emerges, and you can begin to see why Bush doesn't want to regulate greenhouse gas emitting industries too heavily:

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com, a West Chester, Pa., firm specializing in state and local economic analysis, said Florida's job market likely will continue to do well while Ohio's and Michigan's will remain weak between now and Election Day. Florida, he said, is about to receive a $20 billion influx of insurance money and state and federal disaster aid as a result of Hurricane Charley. Meanwhile, "Ohio and Michigan are very dependent on the domestic auto industry, which is struggling to hold onto sales and jobs."

See? All we need to add more jobs and boost the economy are a few more hurricanes. And what better way to stir up a little bad weather than to add lots of heat energy into the atmosphere? Add a little more carbon monoxide, a little more low-level ozone, pump up the particulate count. You can already imagine the glee in the White House if the National Weather Service had to extend the hurricane season by a month or two.

But we really shouldn't be too surprised at this; Republicans have been thriving on bad news and disaster for a long time.

Four more years? Hell no!