"It was a strategy to grow the economy for the purpose of growing jobs, not to grow jobs for the purpose of growing the economy. Washington did not follow the New Deal strategy to hire 300,000 people to build bridges (although we did hire 300,000 people to count Americans). Nor did we follow Germany’s strategy to pay companies to reduce hours rather than fire workers. The United States got what it wanted. We have growth. What we don’t have is the foundation of healthy employment."

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/01/where-are-the-jobs-6-theories-for-the-employment-crisis/69787/