Given that we’re still in the throes of the recession that won’t quite quit, “jobs” is now every politician’s mantra of choice. And well it should be.
But for most pols, weighing in on “jobs” — whether the context is “stimulus”-like public sector projects or the ripple effects of deregulation — is typically a rhetorical exercise. Applause lines only go so far for out-of-work breadwinners. Deferred gratification is a given — if not a seeming abstraction.
So, let’s hear it for Florida Rep. Janet Cruz for doing something other than taking a requisite pro-jobs stand. She and her staff
actually put on a job fair recently for her West Tampa district. It drew an estimated 1,700 job seekers to St. Lawrence Catholic Church’s Higgins Hall.
More importantly, it wasn’t some Potemkin Village PR facade. The Cruz staff made sure that only companies with real openings participated. Nearly 100 met that bottom-line criterion.
Moreover, there was more than Cruz-staff sweat equity at work. The job fare was paid for with leftover Cruz campaign funds.
Of course, most seekers didn’t leave with a job, but some did. Others left with solid leads. Others received tips on preparing a resume.
Nobody, arguably, left with a sense that nobody cared.
Well done, Rep. Cruz. This is what working for constituents is really about.