Exhibit A. An idea that could've worked, but....

Paul Krugman: Jobs Not Created

I got an idea--instead of passing tax breaks helping the rich get richer, let's instead make an offer to those who hire people. If you increase your payrolls, we'll give you a break on payroll taxes. The CBO analysis just showed that it has the most bang for the buck of any similar proposal, and it's not even close.

But why wasn't this tried? BECAUSE OBAMA HAS NO FUCKING BALLS, THAT'S WHY.