Did We Drop the Ball on Unemployment?

Some 25 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed — that’s more than 16 percent of the work force — but jobs haven’t been nearly high enough on the national agenda.

When Americans are polled about the issue they care most about, the answer by a two-to-one margin is jobs. The Boston Globe found that during President Obama’s Twitter “town hall” last month, the issue that the public most wanted to ask about was, by far, jobs. Yet during the previous two weeks of White House news briefings, reporters were far more likely to ask about political warfare with Republicans.

Mr. Obama, with 25 million Americans hurting, will you fight — really fight! — to put jobs at the top of the national agenda?

TR11005 wrote:Only just dropping a ball on the unemployed? How about being buried in the Grand Canyon and then covered up by the Rocky Mountains!

You can't possibly say it loud enough that people need jobs, especially the exhaustees. No longer 99ers, but whatever they end up with.

Anytime the Republicans, Tea Party and rich talk about there so called right to have their taxes reduced to create jobs. Be in their face, talk loud and don't care if your rude any more. We have have had it. This is the final curtain for many of us. Obama should be screaming bloody murder, because that what is!

lendmeflight2 wrote:It's also very difficult for the unemployed to become politically organized because so few people know anything about politics or government anymore.

On the Original UFF, do any of you remember how many people would ask why Obama wouldn't just give more weeks and fix it? A lot of people thought that the president made laws like a king. I can tell you that a lot of people have been educated in the last two years.

The unemployed fight with each other two often to get anything done socially. Just from the people on this site I can tell that's true.

We need a civil rights type movement. The problem is that we need working people on our side. We don't have this and I think our nation is too selfish and too greedy to work together. This is why can't get any progress. The prevailing attitude is "I want health care but I don't care if you have it" or "I want my child to get an education but I don't care if your child does".

This has to change. Period.

Also people action takes time, how long did the civil rights movement take? 40 years?

Do we have that kind of time?

lendmeflight2 wrote:Americans are very selfish people. I think if it were left up to the people as a whole we wouldn't give anything to other countries. This selfishness comes about because other people convince us that somebody is getting something for nothing. Personally I feel like my 99 weeks of unemployment were earned. I am not on some kind of vacation, I have been almost totally miserable since I lost my job. Whether from sheer boredom or from worrying if my benefits will be extended "this time". Heaven forbid something goes wrong and I have to call the employment security office.

I have so much gray hair underneath that I cut it out in clumps with scissors. I didn't have that even a year ago, I know it came from stress. I prematurely aged due to this experience. I still don't have leads on work.


I can tell you that other countries are not like us. In Canada people generally seem to think that everyone deserves health care.

I know lot's of English people very closely. One of my English friends, who is very conservative, asked me "Why don't Americans want health care?".

I told him they do, they just don't want anyone else to have it.

Or at least not for less.

I think that most people have miserable lives and feel like they work their lives for nothing. When they hear of someone else getting help they assume they would be turned down, we saw that evidenced today, or that the person is just getting something for nothing.

lendmeflight2 wrote:
I think that most people have miserable lives and feel like they work their lives for nothing. When they hear of someone else getting help they assume they would be turned down, we saw that evidenced today, or that the person is just getting something for nothing.

mistermunster wrote:

lendmeflight2 wrote:
I think that most people have miserable lives and feel like they work their lives for nothing. When they hear of someone else getting help they assume they would be turned down, we saw that evidenced today, or that the person is just getting something for nothing.

I know I feel I worked the last 30 years FOR NOTHING. But the whole American COWBOY tripe that SOOOOO many suck up is part of the problem. So many buy into that myth it isn't funny. Work hard (No matter what) and YOU too will MAKE IT. Biggest LIE that this country has perpertrated, It ONLY works if the criminals at the TOP ...DO their part of holding up the system, THEY built. But naw, they NO LONGER need to HOLD up their part of the bargain. They found WAYS to CHEAT on the deal, thus the problems we NOW face.