This Canadian Angry at Unemployed Americans

Billions of dollars have been leached from the American taxpayer over a short two-year period, but earlier today, the bleeding may have come to end, at least on this front. No, I'm not talking about the General Motors IPO, which pays back a large portion of TARP, nor am I referring to some big banks which are now making profits. I'm talking about the millions of unemployed Americans who have continued to live off the backs of their fellow working man.

Earlier today, the House blocked a jobless benefits bill that would have seen Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits extend until the end of February. Instead, the House of Congress decided to put an end to fiscal recklessness, and said enough is enough. I was expecting an uproar from Americans, but I discovered the complete opposite.

As a Canadian living outside the border, I was shocked to see so much division and anger from Americans towards other Americans. Today, there is a very negative sentiment at those who are unemployed. It turns out that many, and I mean many, Americans are purposely unemployed because the UI benefits are more than many jobs are willing to pay. UI currently pays $300 a week for 99 weeks. That's almost $30,000 in just under two years. It might not be a lot to live off, but it's better than the alternative: working hard and getting the same amount of money.

Whatever happened to integrity and character? Hard work and ethics were once great characteristics in a human being, but I guess that's a fool's game now. The entire country is in debt and unemployment rates are sky high; fingers should be pointed at these lazy slobs for creating debt and not accepting jobs (to be clear, I'm referring to those who rejected job offers, not those who really are suffering). I've heard story after story of people writing about their friends who were offered two or three jobs, but declined because they wanted the easy way out.

I used to think that things were really that bad in the US, but it turns out that's not entirely true. Economic data shows nearly ten per cent unemployment and trillion-dollar deficits. Now I actually wonder what the figures would be if all these unemployed, at least the ones who are purposely unemployed, took a job.

But like all short-term, ill-conceived decisions, the consequences are often dire. UI benefits are coming to an end in December; millions of Americans will suddenly need to hit the job market and competition will be more fierce than ever. Call it poetic justice, or karma, or just the natural order, but we'll be seeing many Americans wishing they took that $100 a day job instead of having to fight for a $50 a day job.

I remember reading a story a few months back. A wife made his husband take on a job as a chicken delivery driver. The pay was much less than UI payments, but his wife, reluctant on taking money for free when he had a job offer, made him take the job. So for 9 months, he drove around his city delivering chicken. Then one day, things got better. He stumbled upon an opportunity that would never have existed if he did not take the chicken delivery job. I don't remember what it was, but it was along the lines of an IT job with the company or he met a customer who owned an IT company and needed a specialist. The man now makes significantly higher pay and has great benefits and job security.

It's a lesson that all Americans need to revisit. Opportunities only exist when your skills are being marketed through employment, education, or networking. By hiding your skills, you do yourself no favours.

The government took a big stance on fiscal responsibility today with a side effect of a lesson. The government will not take care of you forever. Good luck living on welfare and food stamps. If it makes you feel any better, you're still going to be living and eating better than half of the world's population.

Quotes from a MarketWatch forum attesting to the above

"I have a friend who turned down TWO jobs because he made more on unemployment. How many know someone like this?"

"Or everyone could finally grow up & learn how to take care of themselves, all by themselves. Like the other 90% of working people already do. "

"I've been trying to hire for months now. It's a high skilled, high paying job. Wish some of these people would've spent some time going back to school or acquiring some marketable skills in other ways."
"Re: I have the same problem. Going on 3 weeks. I think people are spending all their time whining on the net instead of training."

"There may be a role for government to play, albeit a limited one. There are other resources to tap - church, family, and other non-profits. I get tired of everyone looking first and last to government. The only money it has to give out either came from someone else so it is simply redistributing what it took, or it printed/borrowed it. This is the time for neighbors to be neighbors!"

"I believe that a honest man will do whatever he has to do legally to feed family. No matter if he has to work more than one job. I have family members that make $6 per day in the Philippines. Do the math, that is about $1200 a year. And while people are so quick to ignore this because I'm talking about the Philippines my family members have lived frugal lives in order to ensure their family is taken care of. None of the kids had Ipods or PSPs. They didn't have a TV. They ate rice and occassionally had a small amount of chicken on holidays."