Frightening Times

Well, the unemployment extension passed, but only for those below 93 and 99 weeks. In New York the limit is 93 weeks. So, while over a thousand more people lost their jobs this week in our area another few thousand no longer have unemployment insurance or jobs. That includes this household. We now find ourselves trying to live on $250 a week in my Worker's Comp. Obviously we wont be staying in our apartment much longer. Wonder how long evictions take.

We allowed ourselves yesterday to feel sorry for ourselves. Today we start thinking about options. Monday we go to Social Services. Fritz was to start school in January at Bryant and Stratton. He may get 599 help from the state to pay for the education and books, but that doesn't keep a roof over the heads. He even applied for a job as dishwasher and was turned down. Apparently he needs to know the 5-step system or whatever they call it. He explained he does know how to use the system because he has done it. Still no job.

With so many out of work employers can pick and choose. If you are someone with a degree or experience in a special field you wont get hired for a menial job. Why hire someone who will leave if they do get a job in their field? Hire some kid straight out of high school who will stay with them for years because this kid has no training in anything else. Answers Fritz has gotten to his resume and interviews is "you are over qualified and a flight risk". Flight risk meaning he will leave when a job in his field comes along. Response I got in my interviews was "you were among our top choices but we hired someone who worked here before". I have a friend who just lost his job in the mid-west. He may be coming back here because his old company back here may be willing to hire him back. Of course they will. It only makes sense. They wont have to train him. He will probably have to accept an offer of lower pay in the process though.

So where do people over 50 and 60 go to find jobs? To young to collect their retirements. To old to be considered. Those between 60 and 67 are to young to collect their Social Security without taking a huge loss in doing so. I found one site for "older" people to apply for jobs, but the jobs are only 20 hours a week. It is easy for people to say "well it is better than nothing". Problem is, when you are barely making it on unemployment and you take a job for half what you were getting it is no longer an issue of "better than nothing". Still can't pay the rent and utilities, car payments, car insurance, fire insurance as required by the landlord and of course the one necessary evil-food. When we were down to one income at one other point we were turned down for food stamps. Have to have a house full of kids to get them.

Ok-I have said my piece for today. Now to go take a shower and move on to the next step in figuring things out. The sun is shining today and it isn't snowing yet. This is a good thing! Have a good day everyone and don't forget to hug the ones you love.