Your New Job

I go from watching a movie to news on the economy. Things are looking brighter, the pundits are sure to repeat over and over. People we should have no confidence in are saying we should have confidence in the economy. Anyone actually dealing and living in the actual world knows things are somewhat different and no amount of cash for clunkers will change that.

Jobs that pay a livable wage are about as rare as an honest politician. Jobs that pay minimum wage see competition between teenagers (who can be easily molded) and fathers with a family to feed. More and more people are on the streets with their handmade signs begging for your hard earned dollars.

Confidence is sorely lacking.

Ideally, I'd support myself with my writing (working on it). It's harder, but I believe that working for yourself is the only kind of work you can really have pride in. I believe that if you don't produce, you're a consumer. My job is not something that is tied strictly to me. Someone can replace me instantly. My writing, however, can only be done by me, and this is the job I want to do. Too many people have no discernible skills. They can't flip burgers because they can't show up on time. They can't work security because of that felony. They can't be around disabled adults because they lack patience. There's never been jobs for them simply because they can't handle them. It's different now, though.

Now there are hardly any jobs for anyone. Yes, I see Kohl's is hiring locally. Those jobs will be filled quickly. There just aren't enough for the people who want them, which means that wages will eventually drop, benefits will go away, and people will be working at jobs they are thoroughly overqualified for. eBay only goes so far, so Burger King here they come.

Confidence is not the problem. Greed is. Greed has always been a huge problem, but you can pinpoint our current economic disaster to unleashed greed. Yes, that is simplistic, but break it down and that is what it comes down to. Greed. Unbridled. Ugly. Greed.

Greed is not, for lack of a better word, good. It is a monster that ends up engulfing everything and shitting out destruction. We are seeing it now. We saw it before. We will see it again because greed is our nature. We lack the common sense to have it any other way.

The pundits can keep saying it's changing. It will one day change. But we won't remember what got us there in the first place, and it will happen all over again.

Let's hear it for greed! Remember that while you are on the phone trying to get through to unemployment what got you here in the first place. And remember what you have done to contribute to it.