Tucson Opinion: I'm a Democrat and agree with Gov. Ducey on unemployment

As a sociopolitical commentator and a Democrat, I have disagreed with Gov. Doug Ducey on many occasions. I do, however, fully concur with his plan to get Arizonans off the unemployment rolls to fill the many available jobs begging for qualified workers.

On May 13 the governor announced “In Arizona we’re going the use the federal money to encourage people to work … instead of paying people not to work.”

Ducey points out that the $240-per-week maximum paid by the state plus the $300 federal payment comes to $13.50 an hour, compared with the state minimum wage of $12.15 an hour. This clearly deters many collecting benefits from looking for work, especially when the plethora of additional federal freebies are factored in.

On May 18 the U.S. Treasury announced that under the administration’s American Rescue Plan, beginning July 15 families containing 88% of our nation’s children will receive monthly payments of up to $300 for each child under age 6, and up to $250 for each child between ages 16 and 17. To illustrate, a family of 5 with two children under 6 and a 13-year-old could receive over $10,000 a year.

As a centrist Democrat I am disheartened by our current administration’s pattern of blanket giveaways, as opposed to judiciously allocating the funds to where they are most needed. Ironically the burden of paying for this largesse, funded by increasing our national debt, is passed on to our children and grandchildren.

I will elaborate on how our state’s current unemployment benefits policies are impacting our overall economy. The federal benefit of $300 per week on top of the maximum state benefit of $240 provides little incentive for many unemployed Arizonans to seek gainful employment.

Our hospitality industry, a core component of our economy, has been hit particularly hard by this predicament. Steve Chucri, president and CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association, states that some restaurants are paying dishwashers $25 an hour, while McDonald’s is paying $50 just to show up for an interview.

Under Ducey’s program, the state will eliminate the extra $300-per-week federal jobless benefit, while providing valuable perks for those seeking gainful employment. Returning workers will receive a one-time $2,000 bonus if they take a full-time job by Sept. 6. The state is also offering child care assistance for workers earning less than $25 an hour, and will cover a full semester of community college tuition for returning workers.

Arizona’s state and local government and business leaders should be focusing on restoring our state’s economy in a manner that provides meaningful and challenging opportunities for our workforce.

Blessed by clear skies and abundant sunshine throughout most of the year, we should aggressively pursue making Arizona the solar energy capital of our nation, if not the world.

Among other things, by committing to this course of action we would be sending an inspiration message to our youth that we profoundly care about their future — and preserving a vibrantly viable planet for future generations.

Despite the heated vitriol that has prevailed in our nation’s politics over the past several years, I maintain a strong faith in the innate goodness and altruistic ingenuity of the American people.

We would do well to recall the truly inspirational leadership demonstrated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in creatively putting our nation back to work through the New Deal, with its focus on public-works programs to give our people meaningful work while strengthening our nation’s underlying infrastructure.

And likewise, we need to be emboldened by the wisdom embodied in the cornerstone of JFK’s inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what can you do for your country!”