The news this week seems determined to remind us that finding a new job totally blows. Thank you, Captain Obvious, a.k.a. news media types everywhere. I mean, we’d all
forgotten how much getting a job/having a job/not having a job sucked, so thank GOODNESS you decided to remind us.
Oh my goodness, there is so much suckage, where do we start?
How about right here, with a fun new concept called Unemployment Discrimination. That’s right, apparently a lot of employers have stopped even pretending they’ll consider someone who doesn’t already have a job. A recently released report by the National Employment Law Project (NELP — do they think these acronyms through? NELP? Really?) makes it clear that job ads are starting to pop up all over the place, from Careerbuilder to Craigslist, that specify that the unemployed need not apply.
Director of strategy and policy, Alan Charney, at USAction, a grassroots progressive coalition that has been put together to fight back, points out to Glassdoor.com, “Just as a company would not dare say ‘African Americans need not apply’ or ‘Jews need not apply,’ it is outrageous that any company in this day and age would explicitly ban unemployed workers from employment.”
Right on, dude. At least somebody’s looking out for those of us who are lacking in the jobs department. Sure, the “Jobs” issue has become one of those nebulous political hot potatoes that President Obama and the Republicans have started lobbying at each other as they warm up for the 2012 elections. But does that mean somebody in Washington wants to DO something about the problem? Of course not.
Have you met politics?
Politics is not here to help you. Politics is here to bore you, or possibly annoy you, if you have the strength left to care.
Obama seems like he’d like to help, but since that would involve winning an argument with the Tea Party, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be all that useful. Maybe that’s why he’s tossed that hot potato straight into Congress’ lap. In his Labor Day speech in Detroit, he promised he was going to “put America back to work”… while also passive aggressively pointing out the high probability that he’s gonna get smacked down by the Republicans in Congress. Again.
“I’m going to propose ways to put America back to work that both parties can agree to, because I still believe both parties can work together to solve our problems. Given the urgency of this moment, given the hardship that many people are facing, folks have got to get together. But we’re not going to wait for them.”
“We’re going to see if we’ve got some straight shooters in Congress. We’re going to see if congressional Republicans will put country before party.”
Well, at least he said he’s not going to wait for Congress to get their act together. And his track record on defying them is super great, so we should all breathe a sigh of relief. Right?
Lest you actually feel hopeful that the President will shame Congress into waving their magic wand and creating some actual jobs for folks… the news this week doesn’t want you to forget that having a job can be just as bad as not having a job. How is that possible? Well, sometimes, when you actually GET a job, your boss decides to show off his gun and accidentally shoots you.
A woman in Palm Beach, Florida, is recovering nicely after her boss inadvertently shot her while showing off his new gun. Apparently, this is what you get for being employed in Florida. Is it cocktail hour yet? I think, after reading the morning paper, I need a drink.
