The Job Guarantee or Employer of Last Resort (JG or ELR) program is a better solution. 1) Immediately moves the economy to full employment. All but eliminates social ills associated with unemployment. 2) Puts a floor on labor standards. That is in order to hire somebody out of labor pool, private business has to offer a better package. Health insurance should be automatic. (My Gosh prisoners get free health care!) 3) Counter-cyclical/Auto-Stabilizer/Buffer stock effect on macro economy. As economy improves people leave the JG program. As economy weakens, people shift into JG. 4) JG labor force can be put to work at local government levels to boost services. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_guarantee