Calling Them Out: Why BOTH parties have failed the unemployed

So I've been accused of placing blame for the failure of the unemployment extension solely on the Republican side of the aisle.   While the failure of HR 4213 IS their fault due to the filibuster, I do feel the need to set the record straight as I do hold democrats (and not just Ben Nelson of Nebraska) responsible for some of the mess. 

In fact, I've really only given praise here to ONE Senator - Sen Brown of Ohio who stood there trying to convince his fellow Senators that people are hurting in ways they can't understand.  (See yesterday's video roundup.) Although, I should be clear in that I have also been impressed by Sen. Stabenow of Michigan who's also as outraged about the failure of the unemployment extension.   But as a whole, I'm really not impressed with the democrats in the senate EITHER. 

Unemployment Insurance Myth vs. Reality

A lot of myths are out there about unemployment insurance and these have, sadly been spreading to me both my personal facebook page and twitter.   Out of sheer frustration, it's time to clear some of this stuff up.  

Myth: You actually don't pay into unemployment, your employer does 

Reality: In most states both you AND your employer pay for unemployment

If you live in New Jersey, like I do, and are lucky enough to have a job, check your paystub.  There's something taken out called SUI/SDI - these random letters mean State Unemployment Insurance and State Disability Insurance.  This is money that you pay into the unemployment (and disability) insurance while working so you can get paid if you're too ill to work or laid off.   Yes, companies DO pay a portion of unemployment but only for 26 weeks (which I believe is the case in EVERY state.).    For the record, I've paid into unemployment in two states since I was 16 years old.  I have never been on unemployment until the downturn.  

Why a Hobo is Better than a Republican Senator

We're now three days after the every single republican senator (and one really useless democrat) voted down an extension of unemployment benefits yet AGAIN.

I've talked here before about how many of these same senators are slandering the unemployed, calling us stray animals, entitled, spoiled and hobos.  I've mentioned before that while all these ridiculous accusations are untrue. For laughs tonight, I decided to look up hobos.  

I found on Uncle Wikipedia that hobos actually had a pretty strict ethical code.  In fact, most of the hobo ethical code is at odds with most of the GOBPs code so I figured I'd do a little comparison

You might be a member of Generation Unemployment...

So after starting this blog, people often wonder what I mean by Generation Unemployment.  I should state here that myself and this blog empathizes and supports ANYONE affected by The Great Recession of any age.  However, I can always speak better for myself and people like me.  I have no first hand knowledge of what it's like to raise kids in this situation and probably don't properly understand it.   Nor do I understand the frustration felt by the older workers who've watched decades of hard work disappear.

I'm not in that situation.  When the economy was booming in the 1990s I was in high school and college.  I was still in school when the tech bubble burst and 9/11 happened.   I didn't finish my undergrad degree until 2004.   Instead, I, (and others of my age group) didn't get the chance to even pay off our student loans before we lost our jobs.  Some of the younger members of this group didn't even get real jobs before the economy tanked as most members of the classes of 2009 and 2010 will state.

We are a generation that's seen more strife in our young years than many of the preceding ones.  We watched as many of our friends and acquaintances go off to war, even without a legalized draft.   We struggled our way through college taking on massive amounts of debt because we were told that's the only way to ensure a successful future.   We owe more on these loans than any group before us.   We were rewarded by all of this with a lack of jobs and a lack of sympathy as we are "young and educated" and thus shouldn't even BE unemployed.

But we are.

June 26: Video Roundup

Today's Video Roundup is dedicated to Senator Brown (D - Ohio), who while arguing to extend unemployment benefits read several letters from the unemployed in Ohio.   This isn't the first time Sen. Brown spoke out on this issue

The Call for a New WPA

Economists have long stated that it would take years to replace the number of jobs lost during the Great Recession and unemployment was expected to stay high for the next few years.  As companies continually decide they don't want to hire the unemployed and more people max out benefits (either because they're 99ers or because the Senate is clueless), the critics claim that providing extended benefits is not a long-term solution. 

Maybe, maybe not.  Obviously dumping 1.2 million plus Americans off unemployment in a job market where there's still no jobs will only make things worse than better.   

As I am endlessly reminded, I'm in the best position to be hired being young and educated.  However, not everyone is so "lucky".  What then, do you do with a large group of people who don't have a college degrees, don't have jobs and don't have hope? 

FDR knew what to do with them.  You put them to work.    In 1935, as part of the New Deal, the WPA or Works Progress Administration was created.   The goal there was to put people, who wanted to work, to work doing things that we as a society needed anyway.   WPA built roads, parks, helped out in inner cities, funded arts, it became one of the largest employers in the country and pulled the country out of the worst of the Great Depression. 

One of the criticisms of the federal stimulus were that it wasn't big enough.  While it provided funds for some necessary repairs, it wasn't on the level needed to create large amounts of jobs.   In my own neck of the woods signs remind me that several highways in New Jersey have been repaved with the help of stimulus funds, but that seems to be all that's done and probably all that can be with the limit of the stimulus. 

My question is this, how many jobs has this actually created? I'm sure it's created some, but everyone can see that the stimulus alone didn't do much to reduce unemployment, just kept it from going as high as it could've.  

We need a second stimulus.  A larger one that includes the much needed unemployment extensions the Republican Senators object to.   

More than that though, we need a new WPA.  Jobs with the new WPA will have one important criteria that the private sector doesn't. 

The new WPA will give preference in hiring to those who have been unemployed more than six months.  Possibly even include some sort of incentive for hiring those who've exhausted ALL benefits.  

There are a million things a new WPA can do.  Our public transportation systems are third world in comparison to Europe or Japan.  We have lots of poor kids in the inner city who could use tutoring or daycare.   Supporting the arts is never a bad idea nor is providing retraining for education.  Even more important here, is that the WPA can have an arm that's dedicated in providing help to people who want to start small businesses.  

We currently have millions of workers in this country with almost every skill and level of education that you can imagine.  These people are itching to work, itching to be useful again and feel proud of themselves.  FDR understood this, why don't our current politicians? 

If we absolutely must fund this now, then simple - we cut down our aid to foreign nations.  Why is our own government providing unlimited aid to rebuild Pakistan, Haiti, Afghanastan, etc but can't spend a dime to rebuild our own?   If we want to help other countries, let's expand the Peace Corps as that does far more to help other countries (and our nation's own image) than our military industrial complex ever has.   

As Thursday's events have shown, many of our current Senators would be against this.  I have a simple solution to that problem, we lay them off.  The vast majority are already millionaires, it's not like they need the money. 

I'm one of the "lucky" ones

I got this response from someone via twitter earlier today and I've been thinking about it non-stop

"if you are unemployed, imagine how many ppl have fewer skills/skillsets than you. I wish there was a way to get the word out to ppl"

And really, for being unemployed I am what can be considered one of the best positions.  I'm young, but old enough to have some experience (unlike the more recent grads).  I have a BS in biology and philosophy and am working on an MBA.  For what I used to do (a job that has mostly been outsourced), I have an impressive resume.

I've been unemployed now for 11 months.

Today, we're all 99ers

If you're one of the million plus Americans who just lost your unemployment benefits due to the epic fail that happened in Congress on Thursday, it might be little consolation to know that you're not alone.   There's a group of the unemployed who probably know exactly how you feel.  

Playing Politics With People's Lives

As we sit here, over 24 hours after the filibuster of HR 4213, some of the senators that voted against the bill are speaking out. The NY Times reports that Olympia Snowe (R- Maine) who voted against the bill now states that she isn't against an unemployment extension

Well, Senator Snowe, if you aren't against an unemployment extension why are you asking the DEMOCRATS to introduce a bill? Why haven't YOU drafted one and submitted it? Why didn't you (in conjunction with the forty OTHER Senators who voted against it) draft an ALTERNATE bill with either just the unemployment extension or any combo of the benefits that were in the original bill? And by original bill, I mean the non-weakened version you asked for but STILL wouldn't accept?

Sen. Snowe seems to be happy playing Monday morning quarterback while trying to convince her (legitimately) angry constituents that she does care about them. Actions speak louder than words, Madam Senator, and your actions have showed that your only concern is your own political future.

I am calling YOU out, Senator Snowe. I am calling out every Senator that voted against HR 4213 who has not offered an alternative bill or funding source to help the MILLIONS of unemployed Americans across the country. I am calling out every senator and politician who is worrying more about keeping their own job than whether any of the actual public can get one.

If you want to help the unemployed, Senator Snowe, draft a bill and gather up your buddies in the senate and SIT THERE UNTIL IT IS SIGNED. Don't go on vacation, don't go anywhere until you PASS an unemployment extension.

Until then, your words are simply that. Words.

June 25: Video Roundup

While I mentioned before that the mainstream media isn't doing a lot of coverage on the unemployment extension failing, there are some standouts that are (and have been) clearly expressing the general outrage of how an unemployment extension can be turned down for lack of funding when funding tax cuts wasn't subject to the same standards. I proudly present Ed Schultz of The Ed Show

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Why The Unemployment Extension Affects Everyone

After HR 4213 was abandoned yesterday, 1.2 million Americans lost unemployment benefits. Millions more will lose benefits over the next few months. For those who hate the unemployed, or think that unemployment is a joke or scam or whatever, they might actually be glad at this news. After all, why should "their" tax dollars go to support people "sitting home doing nothing"?

Which would be all well and good if we didn't live in a society.

There's one major issue that people seem to forget. In a society, many things are actually connected. Do you know how if you dump chemicals down your storm sewer they'll actually end up in the ocean and cause all kinds of OTHER problems? That's kind of how things work in a society. One act, particularly a big one, can have huge impacts on other things that are not readily apparent.

The first and easiest effect would be foreclosure rates. If an extension is not passed, by late summer we should see foreclosure rates skyrocket. Obviously, people with no income can't pay their mortgages and let's face it unemployment isn't enough to pay a mortgage anyway (particularly if you have a family to support.), so expect a lot of these people to fall into foreclosure quicker than usual.

If you were paying attention earlier in the recession, you'd also realize that skyrocketing foreclosure rates affect two big things. The first is property values - if you live on a block where half the homes are in foreclosure and going for rock bottom rates chances are your house is now worth less than you owe on it. (Especially if you purchased it in the last ten years). The other consequence is that a spike in foreclosures leads to layoffs in any field that has to directly do with mortgages. Yes, folks, welcome back to the mortgage crisis.

Of course, the layoffs aren't going be contained to mortgage related fields as we all know by now. With people having less money to spend, the layoffs are going to spread like herpes at a sex party. So if you DID find a job, you now get to worry about losing it. Possibly again, if you were employed earlier in the recession.

Yup, as you figured it out this will pretty much negate whatever recovery has happened and could actually plunge us into an even deeper recession or depression.

It gets worse. Along with the financial impact of this, the social one is going to be huge. Starting this month and going forward, a large segment of the population is going to start becoming very very desperate. Desperate people and no money or employment inevitably leads to crime. Gee, isn't it great the republicans want to make sure you have full access to guns? Additionally, expect to see the suicide/homicide rates spike again as people become more desperate.

So it's in EVERYONE'S best interest to have unemployment extension immediately and just as importantly JOB CREATION.

Taking it to the Streets

If you follow me on twitter, I've tweeted several times in the last day that the unemployed need to take the battle to the streets after Congress filibustered the bill that would provide an unemployment extension and 1.2 million Americans lost benefits.

Let me take a second to explain what I mean by "take it to the streets", the logic behind this and why this is necessary now, more than ever.

First off, by take it to the streets, I mean public demonstrations, protests, marches, etc. I am stating any LEGAL means of protest that is protected by the right of peaceful assembly.

Now that that's clear, here's WHY we need to do it and do it soon. If you watch the MSM (main stream media for those unfamiliar with the abbreviation), there's very little talk about how what happened in Congress yesterday is affecting the unemployed. Sure, the AP has finally picked up the story but with the BP disaster and the change of command in Afghanstan, the fact that so many people are now facing financial ruin has fallen off the radar. We need to KEEP this there.

If you watch the "Right" or the GOBP as I think they are most aptly named, they go out of their way to make sure they don't anger the tea-baggers. The tea-baggers are complete nuts and I think most of the general populace realizes this, but everyone knows about them. Why? Because they're organized. Because they're out there. Because they gather and are making people pay attention to them.

My fellow unemployed, I know we as a group are much saner, articulate and organized than a group of right wing nutjobs. I also know that for many of us, the idea of organizing has been the last thing in our minds as we job search endlessly and figure out how to make ends meet. For the 99ers (those unemployed 99+ weeks), I'm sure it's even worse and many don't have the money for really anything. I get this.

But our methods to date have not been yielding results as yesterday's Senate results show. Folks, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We need to change tactics, we need to make people pay attention.

And we need to do it NOW, before not only we, the unemployed, but society as whole goes off the cliff. (Keep reading, that'll come in another post, promise.)

The Senate will be leaving soon for the July 4th holiday. The unemployed don't get a holiday - particularly those who now have no money coming in.

I propose this. July 4th weekend should be a time for public demonstration by the unemployed. I'm not sure what form this should take - although I would think financially a series of nationwide demonstrations at the same time would be the most feasible for many people. If anyone has a better idea or a way to organize this, I (and I'm sure my fellow unemployed) are all ears.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease and if we protest publicly loud enough, there's no way the media and resultantly our own government can ignore us.

So Congress and Obama - you're on notice. Work in our interests. Offer emergency unemployment compensation and work to CREATE jobs. If you continue to fail to do so, we're taking it to the streets.

June 24: Video Roundup

So a feature I'll try to do here everyday is a roundup of videos and links that keep you all updated in what's going on and what the MSM is saying about unemployment and the economy. Did I miss something? Send it my way.

The Unemployed are the New Immigrants

There's been growing public scrutiny of the unemployed in the past few months. This actually started in Congress back in March when Jim Bunning, famously yelled "tough $***" when he tried to block unemployment benefits extension. This has been sweeping through Congress for months now, with Orrin Hatch stating that people on unemployment should have mandatory drug tests and various other (republican) senators referring to the unemployed as hobos, lazy, entitled, etc.

I guess it's no surprise then that this attitude has spread to the business world with companies deciding they don't want to hire the unemployed.

The rising accusations state the unemployed only have themselves to blame, regardless that we're in the worst economy since the great depression and job growth can't keep up with the number of job seekers. Somehow though, this is the fault of the unemployed if you listen to the pundits.

I'm sure part of this spreading attitude is due to greed by those who are actually really profiting from the recession. However, it would probably go no further than a few joke politicians (Sarah Palin for example) that most people don't take seriously. For this to penetrate deep into society enough that companies are actually including this in job postings speaks to something much deeper. No Unemployed Need Apply makes me think of another (also illegal) method of job posting back from the 1800s and early 1900s when cities posted "No Irish Need Apply" signs in major cities to discourage the new immigrants from applying.

Back then it was thought that the Irish immigrants were thought somehow to be inferior to the current citizens. They were thought lazy or drunk. They were a minority group that was easy to relegate to a lesser class of citizens. Many ethnic minorities faced these same problems over the years that passed followed by gays, and other minority groups.

As the years went by, and various laws were passed making it illegal to discriminate against these groups. You can not post an ad for employment in this country stating "No Blacks Need Apply" or "No gays need apply" and if you were stupid enough to do so, not only would you face massive public outrage but lawsuits as well.

Technically, "no unemployed need apply" isn't technically illegal. Highly unethical, yes. Legally though, it's a very gray area.

But why these attacks on the unemployed?

Well, for starters, we're easy targets. Without jobs, we don't have powerful lobbies and attorneys. Hell, most unemployed are so stressed that they don't have time to notice the attacks so they're simply not paying attention. After all, would you be worried about what some senator or job ad said if you were living out of your car?

However, further than that. This recession has lasted a really long time. Economic recessions typically last a year at most, we're three years in and this recession is still going strong. Now, it could be argued that this downturn is in fact, a depression, and no one will admit it to avoid panicking the public. Which is possible. Even a few generations removed from the Great Depression of the 30s, most people are still frightened by the thought of that happening.

And that's what this all boils down to. Fear.

Fear that with continued outsourcing that even the employed might have to rely on unemployment or lose their homes. Fear that the prosperity this country has known in decades past may never return. Fear that what have happened to others in this recession might happen to them. Everyone's afraid and they go about comforting themselves by convincing themselves that it can't happen to them, that the unemployed are somehow different than they are. Bob and Jane next door did something to cause this and you're not so you have nothing to worry about.

I could go on a philosophical rant here and state about how this is just another manifestation of Hegel's theory of the other but I want to keep this clear without going into advanced philosophy so I'll try to boil this down to the simple parts. People are desperate to separate themselves from the recession and those being affected by it and are taking some really disgusting means in some cases to do so.

Welcome to 2010, no matter your qualifications and education, the republican senators hate you because you're unemployed.

Not another unemployment blog

Since the Great Recession started in Dec 2007, there's been multiple blogs created about being unemployed, job searching, being pink slipped, etc. Many of these were started by people who are more skilled writers and possibly more articulate than I.

I've been unemployed since July 2009 and I've never had the urge to start blogging about it. In fact, until pretty recently I was certain this was a temporary situation. If you read the statistics, workers who are younger with college degrees had the best chance of returning to work quickly. When this mess started, I was 29, had a BS and was working on an MBA. I was certain I'd never reach the rank of "long-term unemployed"

I was wrong.

Yesterday, unemployment benefits were cut off for 1.2 million Americans, by fall I will be one of them unless I somehow get a job or an extension is passed. I'm blessed with a lot of great friends who remind me that I'm not alone (meaning that many of them are ALSO unemployed). Which makes me think that maybe someone needs to hear our stories.

I'm part of what I now consider to be an invisible group. Racked with student loan debt but not enough experience to qualify for the few remaining jobs. We're a generation of the unemployed and the future for us looks dimmer every day. Particularly if nothing's done to reinvigorate the economy and create jobs in this country.

So, pull up a seat, sit down and settle in.