Stopped Looking

Though the new news from the Dept of Labor that there’s 300K new jobs this
month, I remained skeptical when I hear about ‘actively seeking employment’
and the idea that some people just ‘give up looking’. A little digging:

  • To be classified as officially unemployed
  • No employment during the reference week
  • Available for work at that time
  • Made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period
    ending with the reference week

Which leaves out a ton of people (and I’m not saying this is a Bush
invention, by the way). Much much more at Dissent
Magazine.
Great discussion over at MeFi (including a link to an article
saying the
housing bubble is about to burst
– but I’ve been hearing that for years
now – I might have to read it a couple times).

Should everyone in this country aspire to have a job?

Is it possible to truly drop out of the labor pool? (assuming you’re not moving
to federal assistance, disability or retirement)

Should my tax dollars go to pay for ‘entitlements’ (one of the few words that
gives me a conservative-ish shiver) for those that are simply lazy sacks of
shit? I have a tough time empathizing with the plight of those that are simply
too picky or ‘above’ certain types of work – or too stubborn to move to where
there might be other jobs. I know, I know – Welfare Queen of the 1980s was a
Reagan construct (besides we know who the
real Welfare Queens are in this country
). The bleeding heart in me mourns
that these people don’t have options – or at least don’t see that they
have options. And reading Ishmael left me with a haunting since that
famines happen for a reason when a species lives beyond their means – and that
merits change in habits and behaviors.

The seagulls are back. I heard them for the first time this morning. Or I think
they’re seagulls… lakegulls?


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One response to “Stopped Looking”

  1. hw Avatar
    hw

    Read Nickle and Dimed – On Not getting by in America http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805063897/qid=1081002096/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-5753622-1555163

    That will put another twist in your opinion that these people aren’t trying. She ditches her middle class life, and tries to live on minimum wage. Finds it’s just about impossible to pull yourself out of the minimum wage trap into a better paying job.

    COMMENT:
    Oh yeah – Karen read that and said it was pretty good (even if at times the author is a little like a slummin’ yuppie). It’s been on my list forever!

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