Michael R. Strain, Columnist

Private Sector, Not Government, Is Key to Job Creation

Bernie Sanders is all wrong, but federal policies can encourage work.

May 1, 2018 at 12:00 PM UTC

Michael R. Strain is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is director of economic policy studies and Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the author of “The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It).”

No bad jobs.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America

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Senator Bernie Sanders wants the federal government to provide a $15-per-hour job to every American who wants one. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker — both likely 2020 Democratic presidential aspirants — have expressed support for the idea as well.

It’s hard to overstate the silliness of this proposal, as many pointed out last week.