GET A JOB

Even though this op-ed piece is from the New York Times, I’m not slamming the Times over it. Well, not the Times exclusively, it’s only mirroring the views held by great numbers of the unwashed out there.

The Times is moaning about people who are unemployed, have been unemployed for a long time and their oft-extended benefits are running out. The Times, of course, wants the Feds to pony up another $1 billion a month to extend benefits to these “exhaustees”, while at the same time getting in a tax cut dig:

“A year ago, the aid was extended an extra year by Republican leaders. But now, the G.O.P.'s election-year talk is of a recovery rooted in the tax cuts weighted for affluent America. Tending to the exhaustees clearly mars that message.”

I’ve written before about the unemployed receiving benefits for a year and a half SO FAR, so I won’t bring it up again, even though the Times so cavalierly throws it out like we who are paying for the benefits won’t be just a little perturbed.

Anyway, what I want to know is what are these unemployed doing about getting another job? Yeah, that’s cold and uncaring, but c’mon, hello people, let’s get mildly creative here. If your paper mill has shut down in Berlin, NH and doesn’t look like it’s going to open again, have you ever considered MOVING AWAY FROM THE CLOSED MILL AND LOOKING FOR ANOTHER JOB?!?! Why do you hang outside the closed gates waiting for the doors to magically open again?

Look, what makes this country great is the ability of it’s people to make something of themselves, not the ability of it’s people to sit idle for two years, collecting other people’s hard earned money – that’s Belgium. So how about making some sacrifices? Twelve years ago all I wanted was to live in Southern Vermont, close to my family and have a good job.

No dice.

So, off to North Carolina, made something of myself and moved back closer to home. But, because Vermont STILL wasn’t going to work, (get it? "work"? ha-ha-ha) I moved to New Hampshire. Closer to my family, but not exactly what I wanted. Made some short term large sacrifices and some long term small sacrifices to be my own man.