Should the government guarantee everyone a job?
Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley last week introduced a proposal to establish a federal job guarantee, a national program that would provide work for every American who wants it.
Under the proposal, the federal government would fund employment opportunities for everyone who could not find work within the private sector. The jobs would be created in “socially necessary and useful” fields including education, health care, emergency preparedness, infrastructure and environmental projects.
The concept of a federal job guarantee has a long history in Democratic politics. Franklin Roosevelt, whose New Deal programs...