Reagan Budget, California Jobs

The article (Feb. 7), “Reagan Budget Would Cut Both Ways in California,” accurately portrays the negative impact of cutbacks in the non-defense sector of the budget, but it is somewhat misleading in its implication that an increase in defense outlays would help offset this with the creation of new jobs through the influx of $5 billion into California defense firms. An ad appearing in the same edition of The Times entitled, “432 Reasons Why the DDG 51 Destroyer Should Be Built in California,” furthers the idea that defense spending is good because it creates jobs.

While it is certainly true that jobs are created through defense spending, the same dollars spent directly in the civilian sector would in fact create even more jobs. Quoting from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1 billion spent in the military area creates 75,000 jobs. The same amount spent in the civilian sector creates 92,000 jobs in mass transit, 100,000 jobs in construction, 139,000 jobs in health care, and 187,000 jobs in education. A simple calculation shows that the $5 billion mentioned above could therefore create an 85,000 to 560,000 more jobs in California if spent in the civilian rather than the defense sector of the economy.

Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) is correct when he states, as was quoted in the article, that “ . . . (defense spending) is not a jobs program.” Rather than a solution, it is a major part of the problem.

GREGG VANE

Altadena