Walking into the Unemployment Insurance Agency office today, my heart and stomach sank. The smell of discontent, anger, confusion and hopelessness invaded my senses as I look around the room at my fellow victims of democracy. I looked at the number I had drawn, 361 as they called then next in line, 247. I took my seat.
I am in the process of applying for food assistance, and in order to do so I must provide proof that I have been released from the unemployment system. I find many flaws in this procedure. First of all, after contacting the Department of Human Services, I was informed that according to their records, I still had 18 weeks remaining of my unemployment benefit. With false hopes, I march into the office to be told that it was as I had feared, and that I had, in fact been released from the system.Why are these government agencies not speaking with one another? This comes after the massive confusion resulting from vague news reports and letters from UIA telling me that I had received 20 weeks of benefits, and in the same envelope a letter saying, well, no, not really.
Let me address this first issue, communication. As a country, when we are providing benefits for those in need, how are we expecting those in the programs to fully understand the process, when those in charge do not? I hold a total of 4 degrees, one of them being an MBA. If I can not understand how the rulings apply to me, how could I expect the average family to understand? How can you send two letters with conflicting information in the same envelope, and think that the message is clear and well received? The phone service for unemployment has been all but disconnected at this point due to the mass of incoming calls from the confusion. Now when calling, if you are lucky, you get a recording that hangs up on you. If you are not, it simply tells you your call can not be completed. Just to check, I asked the caseworker if UIA was hiring. I can answer phones...
Now, for a moment of clarification. For those of you convinced of the truth that unemployment encourages one to become complacent and turn down employment that is undesirable, let me catch you up on a few things. I have been unemployed for 6 months, and send roughly 20 resumes a day to any job I feel I am able to perform, whether I want it or not. In 6 months, I have received exactly 2 responses to my resume, and those were people I tracked down personally, rather than waiting for them to call. One did not have the funding to hire me after a 3 month interview process and the other has requested that I move my family to a location that is over an hour drive from my son's school, and that would result in my finace' losing his job. Every other email response I have solicited has given me the same response-you are over qualified for the position. This isn't a matter of being unwilling to take lower employment, this is a matter of being unemployable beyond a certain level. Employers don't want an MBA working in a gas station because they know that the second something better comes along, they will have to replace me. It makes good sense on their part, because it is true, but it significantly reduces one's ability to gain employment in tough economic times.
So I sit and wait to find out if the state deems me qualified enough to feed. Which raises the next important point-the money.
Republicans want to pay for this bill. Alright, let's pay for it. But wait...where was your resolve for funding of the banking incentive bill? Where was the resolve for funding in Military operations? Where was your resolve for funding disaster relief to other nations? Well, I suppose the American people are not quite as important. But let's crunch a few numbers here shall we? How much are we going to save? With all of the people recently dropped from the rolls, what is going to happen to the crime rate? What will the taxpayers hand out in fees to house people in jail that have been driven to desperate measures? What are we going to pay through the Department of Human Services to feed, house, heat and provide water for them? What are we going to pay in the reduction of funding in a consumer driven system that is lacking consumers? I would be willing to bet the cost is far greater than the cost of UIA.
And through all of this we celebrated our fourth of July holiday, which symbolizes our freedom from tyranny, as we watch our senate refuse to help us to leave for a week, so that they may celebrate their own good fortune. The good fortune that is paid for, not only by the wages I have earned since I was 13 years old, but also from the taxes taken out of my unemployment benefit. The best health care money can buy, a guaranteed income for the rest of their lives, and really no attendance policy that I can see. It's a great job. And while I am searching every news station and every web site I can think of for some hope that president Obama will call congress back from their break, or that there has been some development that will show me that my family will not starve as I continue to look for work, I am comforted to know that at least I have live coverage of the Lindsay Lohan trial on CNN, and that our tax dollars will be spent to house that crazy lump of mess for the next 90 days. America...Fuck ya!
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