ABC 33/40 News had a new narrative out yesterday:
Obviously, the point of that headline and the story beneath it is to convince you that you should feel sorry for all the people losing all or some of the expanded unemployment and other benefits the feds have been paying out for the last 18 months. I’m old enough to remember when unemployment benefits expired after 90 or 180 days, but now, thanks to the wretched excesses of the corrupt DC Swamp’s unending vote-buying efforts, they’ve almost come to be considered as a permanent welfare payment.
They aren’t, and they were never intended to be. Thus, even the expansive, multi-trillion dollar bills passed in the midst of the COVID pandemic had expiration dates, and we have reached one of them.
But, do the recipients who have been enjoying their expanded benefits really have “few options” as those benefits expire? Hey, here’s an idea: Maybe go get a damn job.
After all, there are 10 million of them open right now:
That’s right: 10 million job openings vs. 8.4 million on unemployment. See the imbalance in that equation? Obviously, the folks at ABC can’t.
Business owners everywhere are desperate to hire people to come back to work. You literally cannot walk into a single retail establishment in many cities that is currently fully staffed. Help Wanted signs are everywhere, and no one is answering them.
So, why does this imbalance persist? Obviously because the federal government has, through its expanded unemployment benefit payouts, made it extremely profitable for people not to work. In some states, families of 4 are able to bring in 6 figures by laying about at home and exploiting all the various government programs:
Here’s an excerpt from that story:
The latest jobs report for August was disappointing. Job growth fell by more than half and was one-third of expectations. This was partly because of COVID concerns.
But we still don’t have nearly enough adult Americans in the work force. Why? Government welfare policies are clearly keeping Americans — millions — from taking jobs.
Here is what we know: Across the country, there are between 5 million and 6 million unemployed Americans, but also an all-time record 10.1 million job openings. These are in construction, warehousing, retail, manufacturing, trucking, business services and so on. These aren’t “dead end” or even minimum-wage jobs in most cases. Open factory and truck driver jobs pay $50,000 to $100,000 a year with benefits.
But economist Casey Mulligan of the University of Chicago has found that when counting all government benefits, a family of four in high welfare-benefit states like New York and Connecticut and with two unemployed parents can receive up to $100,000 in cash, food stamps, etc.
Why work? In some cases, workers would see a cut in their income if they returned to their jobs.
[End]
So, the unemployed have “few options?” Really????
Spare me that absurdity. Get a damn job. That’s your option, and it’s the same option every other generation of Americans has had once their unemployment benefits have run out.
That is all.
The nation is like a pressure-cooker, with Conservatives boiling inside. If (when) it explodes, it's going to get ugly quick. It's probably going to get worse before it gets better, but it WILL get better. Keep the faith.
But Dave! You forgot to mention that if you live in San Franshitsco, you can shop for free anywhere in the city as long as the bill comes to less than $950.
What surprised me (and I may be speaking too soon) is that slojo's string pullers didn't have him extend the enhanced UI benefits. It would seem to be a no brainer. (See what I did there? :D )
I am currently working and may not be shortly due to a toxic work environment. I won't be getting unemployment. I am sure to find work quickly. Maybe not doing what I have been, but with two skill sets, some good personal and professional references, I am sure I'll be back in the saddle before too long.