Will they ever work again?

[marmar]

Long-term joblessness high in Georgia

By Dan Chapman
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


They get by with part-time jobs or loans from employed family members. They spend hours hunched over computers sending out resumes that go unanswered. They scurry along the networking treadmill, praying that a chance encounter will lead to a paycheck.

And, month after month, the long-term unemployed wonder if they’ll ever work again.

Jobless Americans who haven’t found work in at least 27 weeks, the federal tipping point for long-term unemployment, represent one of the more pernicious legacies of the Great Recession.

In Georgia, 51.3 percent of jobless have unsuccessfully sought work for at least six months. Only South Carolina (51.8 percent) and New Jersey (51.4 percent) post a higher percentage of long-term unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). And only New Jersey surpasses Georgia for the percentage of jobless unable to find work after a year’s search. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ajc.com/business/long-term-joblessness-high-909699.html

[ejpoeta]

1. they're just not trying hard enough. i mean, as little as 5 people applying for every job....

by the republicans magic theory they are just not trying hard enough. those lazy unemployed living off their unemployment checks... all they need is no money at all so that they can not have gas to get to job interviews or money for the bus or money to print resumes etc... see how that works. oh, and for those that need it...

:sarcasm:

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. Our dear leaders consider these folks expendable

There are some very pragmatic things they could do to help these folks but they refuse to even consider them.

They could make discrimination in employment based on employment status illegal - just like racial and gender discrimination (among others).

They could make abundant funding available for micro and small business start-ups so these folks could have some capital available to try to create their own income $$$.

They could enact tax penalties for outsourced and offshored labor.

They could make generous training and career counseling opportunities available to these folks.

[customerserviceguy]

6. While you're at it

Unless the job involves handling money, they should also make one's credit report off-limits for employers, too. It doesn't matter that a person filed a bankruptcy, and has a shitty credit score if they just want to work at a service job with no untraceable opportunity to steal from the boss.

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. You're right - credit scores

should not be used to qualify one for employment.

It discriminates against the unemployed and others who fall behind for various reasons.

It is also a practice that discriminates against those who do not use credit or have credit in their name.

[ThomCat]

7. You notice that they haven't even said anything unofficially

to try to discourage companies from discriminating against people who have been out of work long-term. They aren't about to even hint at outlawing discrimination. They represent the rich and powerful, not the poor and powerless.

Even when they claim to represent the poor and powerless it's only a well crafted image created by a PR team, and their representation only exists to the exact extent that it does not inconvenience or interfere with any of those rich people.

That's how we know who they really represent. They are willing to step on lots of poor people's toes and apologize for it, saying it was an unfortunate political necessity. They'll do that over and over and over again. But they're never willing to step on the toes of the rich and powerful in order to help the poor.

The claim to be the party of the poor is a sham.

That is why there are no jobs bills.

That is why the government's focus in both parties is on cutting costs (a republican philosophy during an economic downturn) when sound economic theory says we should be spending our way out of this economic disaster.

That is why nobody on wall street has been held accountable for the economic fraud, or for building, participating in, or failing to dismantle the system that thrived on fraud and allowed it to spread to epidemic levels.

That is why none of the companies that are "too big to fail" are considered in need of being broken apart because of being "too big."

That is why the regulations that were passed were watered down to such an extent that every expert says they could not have prevented the melt-down had they been in place. And they can not prevent another melt-down just like it from occurring in the future. In fact, we have 2 bubbles inflating right now, supposedly at the height of diligence and heightened attention to problems on wall street. That, all by itself, tells you that the reps aren't really watching, aren't really trying to regulate the wall street firms, and aren't working for us.

[Coyote_Bandit]

9. Personally I have no objection to

poor and powerless folks who choose to be apathetic and uninvolved in politics and public affairs. Their daily survival is a struggle. The politicians will deceive them and use them - and then betray their needs and interests. Sometimes I think apathy is a form of self-respect.

[ThomCat]

11. I agree.

It would be very nice if everyone had the time, energy and head-space to devote to politics and public affairs. But if your life is a real constant struggle, you might not be able to manage it. I'm not going to judge them either.

The ones I judge are the Politicians. They took oaths to represent everyone. They took oaths to uphold the constitution. They break those oaths. They violate trusts. They break promises to voters.

The reps need to be held responsible. It his their job to be accountable, and not just accountable to lobbyists for wealthy corporations, industry groups, and wealthy individuals. It is their job to be accountable to all of us!

[madrchsod]

3. depends on the age of those unemployed

anyone over 55 has basically no chance of ever finding a job that pays the same as their last one. of course i`m assuming that they will find a job.

[Terra Alta]

4. Shows that the Bush recession is still going on

for many people. It's going to take a long time for this country to recover, and some people might never recover. Of course, according to the Repukes, all these people are just lazy liberals who don't want to work and want to collect a check from the government every week. Which couldn't be further from the truth.

[sfwriter]

5. I'm writing freelance, taking odd jobs, applying for work...

...volunteering, and attending graduate school, a double load, at the age of 41.

I drove 26 hours for a three-day job plus expenses.

I've been unemployed a year and a half.

I was turned down for a minimum wage position where I was volunteering because I was, "more valuable as a volunteer." I quit and moved to another volunteer gig.

I've been turned down for minimum wage stocking, library, bookstore and data entry jobs. In my field, I quit counting around 230 resumes.

Lately, editors and various writing employees in advertising and such have started asking for FREE LABOR to get on the list for paying gigs. I've written copy and done restaurant reviews just to get on the list for crap-ass $75 and $50 assignments.

My wife's employer, a Reich wing pig, now requires EVERYONE to work a half day Saturday and stay until 6 p.m. on an 8 a.m. start time. She works 60 hours a week and freelances to boot.

We have two kids, 6 and 1.5, that we juggle around this nonsense.

I'm hoping I can get enough schooling to get a better job, but I'm not sure if I can educate faster than they are eroding everything.

[XemaSab]

10. I've been working part-time jobs for four years

I'm 34 and I wonder if I will ever work full-time again. :(

[GoCubsGo]

12. Me, too.

Well, temp jobs, anyway. Might as well be part-time, because they only last 5 months of the year. I'm 50. I am not at all hopeful of ever finding something permanent again. This after being in my original job for 20 years. I am so sick of applying for jobs, I can't stand it anymore.

[OwnedByFerrets]

13. And when the benefits run out, they are no longer on the rolls of

the unemployed. Isnt it wonderful how that works out. :puke:

[sfwriter]

14. Yup... I'm no longer unemployed...

It is magic!

[OwnedByFerrets]

15. Absolute Magic....just like gas and food dont count as inflationary items

[MedleyMisty]

16. Revolution is coming

We can all sit around and gape and be shocked, shocked I tell you, at the fact that our system is broken, and we can sit around waiting for it to fix itself because hey, those CEOs and politicians really are good people, aren't they?

What will happen then is either a slide into death and oblivion and totalitarian fascism that will last for decades at least, or violent unrest and riots.

Or we can get over our shock, throw away the smelling salts, get over the idea of some savior coming to save us, and organize a peaceful controlled revolution with civil disobedience.

The future is yours. Choose it.