[warning: extremely long post that includes a brief family history.]
>I just don't understand the prejudice that exist for people who are
currently unemployed, often because the company they worked for went down to
no fault of their own.
This prejudice certainly exists, though it has nothing to do with politics.
It's a simple assumption that anyone who is employed will make about anyone
who isn't: they must have done something wrong to be without work. Whether
that is true or not, in the US there are still plenty of opportunities, and
unemployment does not have to be a permanent state.
I've been in that unfortunate position of not being able to get work, and
rather than keep banging my head against a wall trying to get a position
that I felt I was qualified for, I took jobs like delivering pizza and
painting houses; basically anything I could to keep busy and be able to pay
the rent, until a better opportunity came along. (And this was with a
J.D.!) Even so, a better opportunity meant moving to California and taking
a job that paid $400 a week (before taxes); but later, another, better
opportunity presented itself, and so on. I'm now preparing to start a job
as a Commercial Advisor at one of the largest companies in the world. It's
a pretty sweet gig, and I'm very excited about it.
There's work to be had out there, but it's just not work that the majority
of the population wants to do. The irony is, immigrants (Asian, Latin
American, and otherwise) are willing to do that work, and they are
prospering for it (I know a number of Middle Eastern and Indian families who
started with nothing and are now very wealthy through hard work,
perseverance, and saving).
My father and grandfather started a painting business in the Austin, TX
metro area in the late 70's/early 80's that paid the bills but was very hard
work. My grandfather was offered a "can't miss" proposition (restaurant
ownership) and convinced my dad to abandon the painting business and go in
with him. Their 16 year old "grunt" worker took over where my dad and
grandfather left off, and he now owns a multimillion dollar painting
business in the Austin area. Unfortunately for my grandfather, he thought
that painting as a profession was "beneath" him.
My father, on the other hand, was willing to work hard and do whatever it
took to support his family. After the restaurant failed, my parents moved
us all to Houston to work as a manager at another restaurant (which went
under as well, during the Houston Oil Crisis of the mid-80's). When my dad
finally landed another job it was as a data entry clerk at Exxon. Rather
than moan about having to take a crap job, he treated it as if it were the
most important thing that he had ever done in his life. And he didn't
stop there. In addition to working overtime, he went back to night school
to finish his degree; and guess what? Opportunities presented themselves.
Now, he's an equity partner at a very successful Customs Brokerage firm, and
he and my mother are doing quite well.
If Americans were more like the Puritans, they would probably be a lot more
successful on the whole. But as it stands, too many of us feel entitled to
our share of the pie, but none of us want to do what it takes to get there.
Because let's face it, working hard and saving is just not sexy or fun. It
is, however, effective.
I do feel for those who are unable to get work and support themselves
because of health or other circumstances outside of their control; the US
government has failed that segment of the population.
As for the remainder of our population, I applaud anyone who is willing to
work hard at an unglamourous job; there is dignity in that kind of attitude,
and it is rewarded in the long run.
[As an aside, the biggest advantage I was given, and I think anyone can be
given, was a stable home life growing up, with parents who loved and cared
for me, who taught me solid core values through word and deed, and who
pushed me to be my best. Nathan said something about Spanish families
banding together to get through tough times; a skill that more American
families would do well to learn from. The best times in my life when I was
growing up were when my family was at its poorest.]
--
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