Well, it’s official. I have joined the ranks of the long-term unemployed—meaning, laid off and out of work for at least six months. It’s a place I never thought I would be, but through no fault of my own, I find myself in it.
I’m an out-of-work journalist—a redundant phrase if there ever was one. I’ve been reporting, writing and editing for more than 25 years. That was, until my previous employer unceremoniously kicked me to the curb after more than 16 years with the company. Ouch!
For the past six months, I’ve been sending an average of two résumés each day. What do I have to show for it? Exactly two interviews. Just two. I didn’t get one of the jobs and I’m still waiting to hear on the other. Oh, and I had one telephone interview, but have yet to be called in for a formal interview.
Ever since I was in grade school, I knew I wanted to be a writer. It was what I did best (as opposed to math, science and of course, gym). It’s how I best express myself. Everyone needs a creative outlet, a way to express his or her inner self to the world. Some people draw or take pictures; others give great speeches or act, some sing or even cook up grand meals. I write. Besides, I simply like to write. Nothing makes me feel more contented than to sit down before a blank page and create something with words.
So these past months with no outlet for my writing skill have been torturous for me. And since blogging is the new journalism, I will write a blog.
But this blog is not intended to be just about me. Well, okay, it will be a lot about me, that’s what a personal blog is all about: the person writing it. Of course, we wouldn’t be pouring out our self-absorbed ramblings if somebody, anybody, out there would give us a REAL job.
Yet I’m well aware I am not the only person in this situation. I hope by writing about my feelings, frustrations and struggles, others will see that they are not alone. We can navigate this twisted road together.
So as we muddle through the minefield that is unemployment in the US in 2010, I’ll try to give advice, information and even find some humor in what is a very bleak and perplexing situation.
In fact, when I was first laid off in December 2009, I thought this blog would be about the lighter side of unemployment, with such topics as: Buy stretchy clothes because you will gain weight! Shop during the day with all the old people in the stores! Oh, I still may write about the absurd aspects of life on the dole. But not right now. I’m not in the mood.
You see, as the weeks turned into months, as the heaps of snow from January and February turned into the record-shattering heat wave of July, with nary a nibble from all the résumés I sent out, the situation became increasingly ominous.
And bleaker. I recently found out that my 26 weeks of initial unemployment checks have ended. Since I started my claim after Nov. 23, I am not eligible for extended benefits unless the Senate comes back from its July 4th vacation and passes legislation permitting extended benefits. Even then, as I was rather sneeringly told by a woman at the labor department from New York State, I may not be eligible for extended benefits because of when I initially filed. (Oh, to be a state worker with a strong union!)
So in other words, there are people out there who have and can collect for up 99 weeks, but I cannot simply because of when I was laid off! I don’t begrudge anyone his or her benefits, but that doesn’t seem fair.
My sister in Pennsylvania, who was laid off from her job with the phone company after more than 30 years in November, is in the same predicament. But since she lives in Pennsylvania, she is in line for extended benefits when the Senate passes the bill. I may not be so lucky.
The Senate bill may include people like me, but there is no guarantee. I was also told to continue to claim weekly benefits just in case the bill enables me and others like me to get another measly 20 weeks of unemployment benefits. I’ll do it, but it sounds like a futile endeavor.
What the senators who are blocking this bill don’t seem to understand is that an extra 20 weeks can mean the difference between survival or total financial ruin for more than a million U.S. citizens.
By not passing the extension bill, all the senators are doing is passing the buck—quite literally—to another social safety net. Without extended benefits, more food stamps will be issued, and more families will apply for emergency funds. More homes will go into foreclosure and who is going to buy those homes? People will be evicted from homes and apartments and where will they live?
Less goods and services will be bought, and for a country dependent on its service economy, that will be devastating.
This country once tried to live with a society with no social safety net. We ended up with bread lines and Hoovervilles. It was called the Great Depression.
Without an income, even one as paltry as unemployment payments, I’ll have to dip into my savings, which makes me laugh a bit. How many times do we read that Americans don’t save enough? That we don’t tuck enough funds away for our retirement? Well, this recession is going to wipe out the retirement savings of millions of Americans. Not only will we deplete our savings and retirement funds to buy food and pay our rent, without jobs, we cannot contribute to our 401K plans. At some point in the future, the country will have to foot the bill for this through higher social security taxes.
And I’m one of the lucky ones with some savings to draw upon during this fallow period. Many individuals and families don’t have any cushion.
And let’s not forget the strain this will put on our already shaky healthcare system. No job = no health insurance, and that means when people get sick they will either neglect to go to the doctor. Patients who delay treatment usually end up needing more intensive and expensive care.
Yes, there is COBRA (which I will write more about later). Even with a subsidy (and who can be sure Congress won’t cut that off), COBRA doesn’t come cheap. And for many families the price may still be too steep.
Even on COBRA, most insurers require copays. In many households, families may have to choose between paying a copay that could be as high as $50, or putting food on the table. A tough choice.
There have also been rumblings that the long-term unemployed simply don’t want to work and by cutting off their benefits they would be forced to take jobs. Or extended benefits creates a higher unemployment rate. Read the newspaper or listen to your evening news and you will hear stories of unemployed people being turned down for jobs at McDonalds or the local mall. Until the private sector starts hiring, there are no jobs to be had in any field. Hey, we all can’t be LeBron James.
Unemployment people get discouraged and even depressed, but like me, they don’t give up. We want to work.
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