MMMmmmm Rice & Beans, when done right is a great meal, and usually goes over ok here and there are always left overs (making good food stretch). Food is not what I am here to write about, but it is what brought me to this topic today. Kinda. It started from a post on Google+ from someone in my circles. Cara Schulz originally posted this, and a friend of mine re-shared it today which was the first time I read it. Cara touched on something that I have had thoughts on for several years now. The economy stinks, it really stinks right now. Being unemployed makes it just that much harder. People have told me to go apply anywhere and everywhere. Why? Here is an example: I applied at certain world wide known fast food chain that is the but of many menial job jokes. They never called me back even when advertising that they are hiring. I have been turned down from a major retail chain as a cashier because I am "over qualified." So I am too qualified to earn a paycheck?
Damn.. did it again, off on a tangent.
What I propose is something like as follows.
As conditions for qualifying to run for any elected office of governor or higher, they should have to do this for a year.
First, be stripped of their legal and/or business degrees (seems to me that most have one of these), move into a rental house or apartment, have little to no money in a bank account (by little, I mean under $100), no credit cards, no wait, yes, give them 2, both maxed out. A cell phone bill a month or 2 past due, 1 modest, high mileage car that does not fit the entire family. Now, they will start off with their utilities on, electric and internet. No land line phone, instead, Magic Jack (because there are some local gov't agencies that can NOT call to these numbers). They will need to get oil, for their heat AND hot water, propane/gas for their cooking stove. I will be nice and let them be on well water, and have a septic system, so there is no water bill or sewer bill.
Their challenge, make it 365 days after this start with out going homeless or losing a MAJOR utility. Also they are starting off unemployed.
Here is what they will find. Being broke sucks. EVERYTHING costs. want to go to a job interview? find money for gas to get there. Need a copy of your resume to give? Well guess what, your printer is broken, now you need to go to the library to print it, .10/page. Stamps cost to send back an application. Your assistance that you thought you could get to help get you by until there is employment? Sorry, the assistance is broke too, there is none.
Once they get a job, (if they get one) it might be 40 miles away and because they have no real experience in anything that is hiring, they have a $14/hr job, but hey, its employment right? Its great, they think they have won until they realize that what they take home is much less than that and all benefits/assistance is based on GROSS wages, not NET, but they now make TOO MUCH to get most assistance that is still out there. Dont forget the kids, which means that they will BOTH have to work, and opposite shifts, because day care is too expensive and they need to schedule it so that they can still do it with only the one vehicle. Until it breaks. There is no public transportation, because where they live is too far outside of a metropolitan area that uses it. Remember the job that was 40 miles away?
How many presidents, have lived like this as an adult? How many congressmen, senators, state reps or governors have lived a life living on rice & beans because they have $20 left to feed a family of 6 for a week?
Having them read about it does nothing, they will not see the reality of it. Joe the Plumber means nothing to them except publicity, because they have not lived like Joe the Plumber.
Just think what would change and how fast it would change if everyone from state rep up to the president had to do this?
They talk about creating jobs, but for who? Where? What kind of jobs? Employment is only one piece of the puzzle, what needs to be fixed is everything else too. No one sees this unless they see it from the inside. Chances are, if you have enough income to run for one of these offices, this life is alien to you.
We need to turn this around, have them see it for what it really is for any real change to happen.
"They should be forced to feed their family on $20 bucks and ask a stranger how to cook some freaking beans..."
Maybe it would not take all of them, maybe just a few of the RIGHT ones. Maybe. Just maybe.
Now to go have a bowl of home made fried rice, I need to find some way to use it all.
you sound educated, maybe just NO common sense. Stop pretending what you think you are, and don't purchase a house you both can't afford! Its not "there" fault just the fault of your own.
ReplyDeleteFirst, thank you for hiding behind "Anonymous." Second, I *AM* educated, and know the uses of there, their and they're, so I have no idea as to why you need to put it in quotes. Third, I have not bought a house, I am renting a house that I could afford. I rented it while I was employed, not planning on being unemployed. I am not blaming anyone, I am just saying that there are problems in the entire system, starting with those people who are the elected officials that we the people have elected to office. Too often, it comes to a choice of lesser of two evils. These are the people who have no idea what it is like to live on the opposite end of the income spectrum from where they are now. I am not even talking strictly about being unemployed, just low income or under employed. There are more of us than there are of them, it's not us vs. them, but they need to walk a mile in our shoes to really understand the true scope of the economic situation in this country right now.
ReplyDeleteFourth, I question your education, due the lack of punctuation and poor grammar (not diction) in your reply. The improper use of "there" is a diction error. While the broader scope of the error is grammar, the specific error is diction (word usage), but that is not the point of this is it.
Now if you really would like to civially discuss this topic (of the blog post) then please, show yourself. I would love to have someone to discuss with.