The other user blamed it on conservative ideology and this is true to an extent. Conservative ideology is like that and does put a heavy emphasis on rugged individual but that ideology exists for a reason. It had to develop out of some need in order to fulfill that need. The truth is full employment is bad for capitalism. It gives workers too much bargaining power. Without the unemployed how will you break strikes? Where will you get your fascist jackboots? How will you prevent workers from leveraging their power for better wages and better conditions?

The fuck you got mine attidude of conservatism developed out of the need to rationalize depriving millions of people and then justify it to those same people. To create a situation where they blamed themselves for their destitution. Or, if you are really smart, you get them to blame immigrants and minorities, or women. Instead of you, the capitalist, who is actually responsible.

It’s particularly convenient because the capitalist isn’t the one paying for it either. You are. Working peoples taxes are used to pay for the survival of people capitalists refuse to employ. As always, they reap the profits while we shoulder the burdens.

Jobs programs in the imperial core are usually created during a recession to manage the damage and then abandoned whenever is most convenient. If not abandoned then purposefully made inept.