What if you could sue the government for a job?

The idea might just be the most important part of a job guarantee. Here's why.

Uncle Sam peeks out from courthouse columns
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock/Lord Baileys, TonyBaggett)

What if you could sue the federal government for a job?

Sounds radical, right? Well, the idea that Americans should have a right to a job — the same way they have a right to vote — goes back at least 75 years. And now that 2020 presidential hopefuls like Sen. Corey Booker (D-N.J.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are talking about a federal job guarantee, the idea is creeping back into the national consciousness.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.