What's mind blowing about it? It's a millennia old trick: create unnecessary government bureaucracy that soaks up a lot of unemployed people and pays them a low

What's mind blowing about it? It's a millennia old trick: create unnecessary government bureaucracy that soaks up a lot of unemployed people and pays them a low but comfortable wage. The ancient Chinese dynasties were well known for this, and in modern terms, the Arab oil-states are the most prolific, to the point where civil service wages are raised in times of instability in an attempt to appease people. I guess that this redistribution technique is not traditionally marketed as "jobs programs" because they produce nothing, but the purpose is served.