When it comes to creating jobs in these United States, there are no easy answers. We live in a Capitalist society, and as such, creating jobs really has nothing to do with anyone except those who own companies and just so happen to require a workforce. There will never be a government program that can create solid jobs for Americans, and any attempt to do so would be temporary. If we lived in North Korea, we could rely on the government to come up with momentary jobs for us that wouldn’t pay as well as an American would like, but because we don’t (and thank goodness we don’t) we have to think of other ways to do such a thing. The great thing about living in the present is that we’ve already faced problems like this in the past. When we look to history, we can learn from the mistakes of old instead of making the same mistakes.

In Western Civilization we can attribute our philosophy on most everything to the love our Forefathers had for the ancient Greeks and Romans. Hundreds of years down the road, the United States had a president that adhered to most of these values. This president was Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan understood that Capitalism wasn’t perfect but that it was much better than the alternative. Many might scoff at the sound of Reagan’s name, but no one with an educated opinion could say that his policies were ineffective. Ronald Reagan reduced individual income tax rates, expensed depreciable property, created certain incentives for smaller businesses, and created incentives for people to save their money.

Over the eight years Reagan was in office his policies lead to the creation of 20 million jobs, an inflation drop from 13.5% in 1980 to 4.1% in 1988, unemployment rates falling from 7.6% to 5.5%, the net worth of families earning between $20K and $50K annually grew by 27%, real gross national product rose by 26%, and the prime interest rate plummeted from 21.5% to only 10%. Say what you want about Ronald Reagan, but you can’t say that he didn’t know what he was doing. The thing about it is: his ideals were based on common sense. You shouldn’t have to go to school for years to know that the government can’t solve all your problems for you.

Much of what happens in our society is determined by the owners of huge corporations and conglomerates. Believe it or not, the government does not have more money than the private sector. Corporations will always have more cash to throw around than the government, and that’s because the United States and its citizens give corporations more money than they give the government in taxes. The government even contracts private companies to do things for them that they need done, whether it’s building planes or paving roads. Who would you rather build a bridge for you: government workers who get paid regardless and could care less when the job gets done or a company who wants to get the job done so that they can build a reputation and get future work from you and others? Everyone would rather hire a private company in a situation like this, and that’s the beauty of Capitalism. Ronald Reagan didn’t create jobs, he gave the right people incentives to do better business and lay off the average American.

You can’t just “create jobs in America” like creating an automotive-component in a factory in Detroit, but you can inspire companies across America to hire workers and inspire people to create companies by giving them the opportunity to do such a thing more easily than they could have without your help. For instance, if a company hasn’t hired very many workers in the last ten years because they simply can’t afford to even though they’d like to, lower the taxes they pay or arrange an incentive so that they can afford to hire workers. It should go without saying that if you want to get something done in a Capitalist country you’re going to have to give people a reason to do something for you. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is a fact, and it’s a fact because of how we are as human beings. As nice as any one might be, they’re not just going to do something for you out of the kindness of their hearts unless they’re invested in you, whether that’s a kind of emotional investment or a monetary one.

Think about your own life and the things you’ve done for other people. Has there ever been an instance where you said to yourself, “this guy really isn’t worth my time?” Of course there has been, and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. That’s just the way the world works today. Everyone is out to survive and do so excellently. Ronald Reagan understood that there was no such thing as “unicorns and fairies,” even though he was a man of God. Ronald Reagan knew that nothing in the United States was free, and that fact in itself was what made the country so great.

In America, we’re honest about how we feel and what we’re willing to do. No one bent over backwards for Reagan until he gave them a reason to do so. If your goal is to create jobs in America, it would be wise to follow Reagan’s example because it simply worked. His approach was rational and realistic, despite the public’s view of him as a religious zealot. He knew what few seem to want to admit today: humans are imperfect beings who will only act out of concern for themselves and their own survival when presented with the option. It might be an ugly truth, but most truths are and that’s why wisdom often presents itself with a kind of loathed reverence. The wisest people you’ll ever meet are full of disgust and hate, and that’s because they simply see the world for what it is and understand that there is nothing that will ever change it, no matter how many years go by.