A record number of Americans — 26 million to be precise — are now either unemployed or underemployed. That despite more than a trillion in debt racked-up to supposedly create jobs and stimulate the economy. In fact, since January 2009 alone we’ve seen $4 trillion added to the national debt. This is the end result:

Put together, almost 26 million Americans are either unemployed, marginally attached to the labor force, or involuntarily working part-time—a number experts say is unprecedented.

“The labor force is substantially underutilized relative to what we experienced in most of the post-World War II period,” says Patrick O’Keefe, director of economic research at accounting firm J.H. Cohn and former deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor.

Hey, I know. Let’s keep overburdening the private sector with never-ending regulations, taxes, and mandates. And then we can see how high that unemployed/underemployed number can go. 30 million or bust!

Or, we can free up the free market, cut taxes for businessmen and investors (and people in general), reduce the regulatory load, and spur the economy through proven, market-driven solutions. I know, crazy idea. But maybe we can give it a try.