I heard a statistic on the news the other night that says 20% of all Americans are under-employed and underpaid. That figure is astronomical, but I have a feeling it’s even higher that what the media is reporting.
Remember, this 20% figure does not include the people who no longer collect UI benefits, or the people on welfare, or the homeless. We have a huge problem here in the U.S. and it’s not going to get better for many years.
Last night I heard on the news that Congress still needs to approve billions of dollars to extend unemployment benefits to the end of the year for people facing the end of their unemployment claims otherwise, unemployment benefits may end in one month!
This should be frightening to everyone including people who are working!
My heart skipped a beat when I heard all this. What must it be like to lose a job, and then be faced with losing your unemployment benefits? The bank still wants the mortgage money for the house, and even if the landlord is nice, he needs the money owed him too. The utility companies want money to pay for the electric you use, and that car isn’t free to drive either. Where do you go when you have nothing?
At the end of the rope do you just get into the car and drive? To where and to what?
It got me to thinking about what I would do if faced with the same situation that millions of Americans are facing?
Would I drive until I ran out of gas money? Would I get a gun and start robbing banks in hopes of getting a stay in prison? Would I go on welfare and move into government housing? Or would I get a cardboard sign saying I’d work for beer money?
It’s real easy to look the other way and say thank god it’s not happening to me, but it could very well be happening to you.
How do you keep your job in this economy when businesses are closing everyday? Simple, be smarter than everyone else and that includes adapting to a new workforce out there. I think you’ll see soon that employers will be sub-contracting now for specific skills, and no longer keeping full staffs. You’ll be contracted for a specific time to complete a specific skill.
What does that mean for me and you? Have something to offer that is unique and different from the rest and be willing to do more for less.
I know what’s it’s like to be down and out. I know what’s it’s like to collect aluminum cans for money to feed the dog. I know what’s it’s like to wear clothes that I was ashamed to be seen in. I know what it’s like to cut my own hair because I had no money for a haircut and I know what it’s like to be hungry.
I am truly thankful for everything I have now, but I also know that it can all be gone in a flash. What would I do if it was all gone tomorrow? I don’t know.
All these questions and thoughts bring about other issues like how much exactly has the crime rate gone up? Is the media reporting accurate crime statistics? How many Americans are selling drugs to make ends meet? Who’s collecting welfare benefits from two states at the same time? And who’s dying in the cold winter weather because they have no money for heat?
Yes, around the world people are hungry and suffering through one disaster after another, but my brothers and sisters, right here in our Arizona, many are hurting too.
I’m asking you to give a little more to your local food bank, homeless shelter and church. See your reflection in the face of that person with nothing, and know that even just a little bit can go a long way.
Have a comment or gripe? Leave your comments!
