Want a job? Vote Democratic!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve now been out of work since January of 2009, almost 2 years. I’ve looked for work within my field since then as well, with no luck, but I’m not giving up, at least until the mid-term elections in November that is. Why is that, you ask? Because, quite frankly, if the Republicans gain control of either the House or the Senate, we can all kiss the possibility of getting a job which pays what we’re worth goodbye.
They're not standing in line to vote.
Remember back in July, when the Republicans refused to extend benefits for the unemployed? Do you see how the Republicans are not allowing anything to pass that will help the economy? Do you know why they are doing that? It’s because they are pissed that Obama got elected, and they want to make sure he doesn’t get re-elected two years from now. If they control either the House OR the Senate, as a result of the mid-term elections, you can bet your ass they’re going to turn up the heat even more.
What does this have to do with us? Well, if you’re unemployed, the first thing that will happen is that extended unemployment benefits will expire, and we will be forced to go out and take any job. And why is that a bad thing? Because we will be exacerbating the already poor economy by encouraging employers to pay all of their employees less. They are going to be inundated with over-qualified and desperate job seekers, and that means maybe you’ll get hired, but it will be at the expense of one of their other employees. Look, it’s already happening. Remember that spike in new unemployment claims we saw reported in August? You can thank the Republicans for that, when they cut off benefits, forcing millions to go out begging for work and taking jobs for short money. Yup, a lot of them got hired, but they simply displaced other employees who were then fired, and subsequently filed for unemployment benefits. So let’s see; one guy gets a job making half of what he’s used to, and another guy (or two) gets fired, and starts collecting unemployment benefits. The alternative would be to keep paying the first guy not to get a job, and the second guy keeps his job. Eventually, slowly, the job market improves because it won’t be flooded with over-qualified talent, and the first guy will get the job he deserves.
A lot of Republicans, as well as a-holes like Glenn Beck, have said publicly that the unemployed are lazy, spoiled, and get this, un-American. Do they think comments like that are helpful? Do they think that encourages employers to hire someone who is unemployed? Also, consider this: most of those same politicians, along with Glenn Beck and Limbaugh, are worth millions of dollars*. They couldn’t care less about people who are unemployed, or helping the economy. They like this economy! This economy is making them richer! Furthermore, despite these sorry economic conditions, corporate profits are up. How is that possible? It’s because labor costs are down!
So the point is this: Get out and vote this November! And vote Democratic! This country can’t afford to have a bunch of game-playing Republicans getting into office for the sole purpose of making the rich richer, and the poor poorer, and the middle class obsolete. Get out and vote, and tell all of your friends to do the same. If you do nothing, you’re absolutely screwing yourself out of any possibility of getting a good job. And that, my friend, would be un-American.
*: John Boehner’s net worth was between $2,154,029 and $7,911,000 in 2007, according to Boehner’s mandated financial disclosure statements. Mitch McConnell is worth more than 7 million. Glenn Beck made 32 million in 2009. Rush Limbaugh makes more than 35 million a year, and has a net worth of roughly 350 million.
