Employment is good for the economy because of its potential to reduce poverty
Hull 9 [Katy, Staff writer for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2009,
www.oecd.org/dataoecd/27/7/43280288.pdf
Whether they are subsistence farmers, salaried workers, or self-employed entrepreneurs, poor people derive most of their income from work. This basic fact means that the level of employment, the quality of jobs, and the access which the poor have to decent earnings opportunities will be crucial determinants of poverty reduction. The intuition that jobs matter for development has not been lost on the governments of low income countries and the vast majority of national development strategies look to employment generation as a major channel for poverty reduction.
I/L – Employment Key
Unemployment means that no one spends – this kills growth
Faux 10
(Jeff – Founder Economic Policy Institute; 7/7/10; http://www.epi.org/analysis_and_opinion/entry/myths_about_the_federal_budget_deficit/) BHB
The assumptions upon which the administration bases it ten year budget projections show the unemployment rate remaining over 9 percent next year. By 2014 it's still at 6 percent, leaving some 3 million more people out of work than before the current crisis began. In 2020, assuming ten years of steady economic growth without another recession, the unemployment rate is still expected to be higher than it was in 2007. Every administration wants to show an upbeat future, so if anything these numbers are optimistic. (Goldman-Sachs and other private forecasters say the jobless rate will actually rise in 2011.) Moreover, these figures appear inconsistent. For example, they assume that recovery will be driven by consumer spending. But in an era of prolonged unemployment and depressed wages, consumers can only spend significantly more by going further into debt. Yet, at the same time, the CBO/OMB models tell us that interest rates will rise, which, as economist Jamie Galbraith has noted, will generate explosive deficits in the future.
Employment is key to generating spending this is the key internal link to the economy
Money Morning 10
(Investment Magazine; 7/4; http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article20836.html)
Don Miller writes: Unemployment figures released Friday confirmed that the U.S. economy is still recovering, but they also showed it will take years to replace the 8 million jobs lost during the Great Recession. And until meaningful hiring takes place, consumers are unlikely to loosen their purse strings, the key to putting the economy back on track to full recovery.
Unemployment stops all recovery
AP 8/1
(Associated Press; 8/1/10; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38512512/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/)
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says he thinks the economy is having a modest recovery, but right now there's a "pause" in that recovery, so it feels like a "quasi-recession." Greenspan says long-term unemployment is pulling the economy apart even though large banks are doing much better and large companies are in excellent shape. Greenspan predicts that unemployment will remain where it is, hovering around 9.5 percent, for the rest of the year.
Jobs are key to the economy
Castelllani 9 (“Recommendations for the next stimulus; A focus on the American worker”, John J. Castellani, The Washington Times, February 2, 2009) TKK
We are facing one of the most difficult periods in the history of the United States' economy. With approximately 2.6 million jobs lost in the last year - nearly 2 million in just the past four months - many American workers began 2009 with greater financial woes than they've ever had. The close of 2008 saw a record number of emergency economic recovery proposals and rescue plans for our financial institutions, the automotive industry and insurance companies. This crucial support was key to preventing even larger economic declines. As we enter 2009, it's time for a renewed focus on American workers, the backbone of the U.S. economy. We need decisive, bipartisan action to return our economy to a path for growth, full employment and an enhanced standard of living for all Americans.
We need to act immediately, but we must also act prudently. New legislation must focus on job creation and investments that will transform our nation's ability to compete in the international economy. We must ensure emergency action includes provisions that address several critical areas.
**Link Defense**
Neg Defense – AT 2009 Council on Foreign Relations Study
The ’09 CFR study is flawed – amnesty would be costly.
McNeil 9 (Jena, homeland security policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, July 13 2009, http://blog.heritage.org/?p=10537) TJN
On July 8, 2009, the Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy, chaired by Jeb Bush and Mack McLarty, released a report which attempts to give a solution to America’s immigration problem. The report starts off well, emphasizing that immigration has been positive for America and citing the need for more legal immigration avenues and a market based temporary worker program. But then it dovetails, recommending legalization of those illegal immigrants living in the United States. Legalization is a fancy term for an amnesty. We gave amnesty in 1986—and it did nothing to solve the problem. More and more folks saw an incentive to come here illegally, and they did, in droves. The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. was around 11 million in 2008. While the economy has certainly decreased the numbers here illegally, the fact is that millions remain, and the numbers will increase when the economic gets better (even the CFR report confirms this is true). For its part, the report addresses 1986 head-on. It claims that 2009 would be different. That this isn’t 1986, because we have more stuff at the border designed to keep people out. But the problem is, border security isn’t enough to stop illegal immigration. In fact, many of the illegal immigrants in the U.S. are overstays—those who came to the U.S. on a legal visa and just stay here permanently. Having Border Patrol agents on the Southwest border won’t do anything to stop those folks. And the worst decision would be to dampen legal immigration in an effort to stop illegal. So what should America do? It’s obviously not something we should ignore—Heritage and the report both agree on that. But the comprehensive approach advocated by the report just always winds up meaning an amnesty. A better approach would be to secure the border, enforce the law here in the United States to ensure that people return home, open up legal avenues of immigration, and provide a market-based temporary worker program. Proponents of amnesty always try to paint immigration as a choice between a costly amnesty and the forced deportation of each and every illegal immigrant in the U.S. This approach is deeply flawed. The better solution is to rely on law enforcement and market forces to stop undocumented labor while supporting legitimate opportunities for immigrants to come here. This report is not the first to tout legalization, and it probably won’t be the last. And while its ‘bi-partisan’ nature is certainly attractive, it doesn’t make legalization anymore than a costly amnesty.
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