AAARRRGH.

This may be a bit rambling:

So today's issue of the Star Tribune had an article about just how hopeless things are if you've been out of work for over 6 months. It's saying that people out 6 months are having an increasingly difficult time finding jobs. 49% of the out of work have been so for over 6 months. That's a pretty scary stat. It also deflates my own already low hopes that things will change.

I was hopeless reading it and then that quickly turned to anger when I was reading the comments. So many of the comments were:

 a) blaming Obama/liberals --because the economy was doing SOOO freaking awesome in 2007, right? Wait, isn't that when it crashed? Wasn't it Bush's initiatives for increasing home ownership by taking advantage of people and lax oversight that got us into this mess? ...but yes, by all means pass the blame.

b) blaming the unemployed.

Now this one really ticks me off. Comments of this variety took the road of saying, "well if the person was any good at their old job, was truly driven, was worth anything at all, they'd have a job. They must have been a weak link to be let go and no one should take them." or my personal favorite "the unemployed are being lazy and too picky. There's plenty of jobs out there, but they're not willing to lower themselves to doing them."

Yes, everyone knows someone who is perfectly content letting the government supplement their life. Everyone knows someone who is making the best of a sour situation and putting on a happy face saying "oh it gives me time to figure out what I truly want",  but for every one of those, there's countless others who just want a job that will allow them to pay their bills. To not have to say to themselves, " pay this bill or eat?" I, too, was one of those who was trying to make the best of it. Saying that very thing to myself. Check my archives, I'm pretty sure I have a post or two about it. But I can tell you that those feelings wore off after 6 months, 80+ applications.  5 years ago, people who were out of work this long could seriously be asked, "what's wrong with you?" and they probably didn't mind being off in the first place.

Now, this continual stigmatizing of the out of work as lazy, unworthy employees just keeps us out even longer. I came to the sad realization a few months ago that my skills are getting out of date and with each passing month, each job I apply to and NEVER hear from the chances of going back to a job in that skill set decline more and more. Add that to the slim chances I have of getting a job in another field because of competition with so many other people who actually have the qualifications and I question how to even stand out.

My other favorite comment had to do with "just start your own business, control your destiny". And how, prey tell does one do that if they have no money. Making less than $1200/month doesn't exactly scream to banks, "give me $ to start up". Making that little doesn't exactly allow one to have any money of their own.

I could probably ramble on for quite a bit longer about the comments on this article because I'm that fired up.

or wait, maybe I'm just one of those useless, lazy, whiny unemployed  sitting around feeling sorry for myself. *rolls eyes*