In this column Thomas Sowell once again takes aim at part of the modern liberal thoughtworld — the idea of “menial” or “dead-end” jobs.
How often have we heard interventionist politicians try to round up votes by saying things like, “The economy is so bad that the only jobs being created are dead-end ones?” From that, we’re evidently supposed to believe that if that politician only were in office, somehow the “dead-end” jobs would miraculously become high-wage employment with oodles of benefits. Sowell observes that those “dead-end” jobs need to be done and should not be denigrated.
I’ll add a point. We often hear the liberals in the education establishment say that the key to escaping from low-wage employment is more education. If everyone had a college degree, though, the “dead-end” jobs would neither disappear nor would compensation for them rise.
