The Insidiousness of the "Job Creator" Meme

Something that has gained a lot of traction over on the Right is the idea that the Rich are the ones who create jobs. Apparently just as a byproduct of being rich, jobs are thrown off by them like some kind of magical aura. And this is why, we are told, the Rich cannot be asked to pay any more in taxes: because then they might get mad and take their ball and go home and deprive us of the jobs that spring up miraculously from their blessed footprints.

This is a truly stupid idea. Jobs don't instantly spring up out of wealth, jobs are created whenever there is a demand for some good or service that is not yet being met. Demand creates jobs -- talking about any other factor is just fussing about details.

But there is something else at work here, something more subtle and insidious: the idea that hiring someone is a gift, like alms. If you look for it, you see this idea popping up everywhere.