Jeb Bush wants us to work more for the collective good. Who's the socialist now? | Dean Baker

Americans already work more than our European counterparts, but the former governor wants to enact policies to force people to work even more hours

Related: Jeb Bush says Americans 'need to work longer hours' to earn more

Former governor Jeb Bush's announcement this week that he thinks people should work more hours puts him in direct opposition to the two leading contenders on the Democratic side - both of whom are pushing proposals that will allow people to work less. This could mean that 2016 will be an election in which work hours play a central role.
Bush's comment came during a speech in which he listed the things that Americans need to do to reach his target of 4.0% annual GDP growth "as far as the eye can see": increase labor force participation, work longer hours, and increase productivity. (It was not the first time that Bush said that he thought people should work more - he previously argued for raising the normal retirement age for Social Security.)

Related: Fact-checking Jeb Bush: If Americans work more hours, economy will grow