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With millions poised to exhaust their unemployment benefits in the coming months, the future does look grim for many. A story out of Elkhart, IN puts a face on many of those who have been hit by the economic downturn:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32555445...khart_project/
Some of the faces include:
Karen Inbody has just about three weeks to figure out Plan B.
And even though she's applied for dozens of jobs, the former rental property manager has come up empty.
“I’d shovel horse poop,” she says wearily. “I haven’t even found one of those jobs available.”
Now, like many others whose unemployment benefits are running out, the Elkhart, Ind., native doesn’t know how she’s going to put food on her table and pay her mortgage.
or how about
Elkhart resident Tim White, who was laid off from a $10 per hour job at a laminates factory last year, saw his final unemployment check in mid-July.
Tim White's unemployment benefits expired in July. Even though he previously earned about $10 per hour at a laminates factory, he says he'd take anything now.
Now the 42-year-old father earns $25 a week mowing a friend’s lawn — enough to cover gas for his '97 Jeep Cherokee so he can drive around to look for jobs. He says he applies anywhere they are accepting applications – McDonald’s, Jiffy Lube, KFC, or Goodwill — to name just a few.
"I don't care if it's a minimum wage job,” he says. “It's better than nothing.”
For lodging, White and his wife, Prima, and their 13-year-old daughter, Kelly, have been getting by with the help of a relative who lets them live rent-free. The family also started receiving food stamps worth about $300 a month in August.
White’s wife is in poor health and takes medications for high blood pressure diabetes and other problems. He is tormented by the prospect she could have a medical emergency with no health insurance.
"Health care coverage we worry about every day," he said.
or better still
Vicki McGlinsey, who was laid off last year from a printing company that served the RV industry, says she was one of 10 people who made the final round of interviews for a security position offered at Wal-Mart in July. The manager who broke the news that she wouldn’t get the job told her they received more than 250 applications.
“I myself have put in about 100 applications and résumés since February … and have had three interview opportunities, including this one,” she says. “It boggles my mind when I hear people say we just need to try harder.”
So, what do we do with people who want to work, but can't find it? Who burn through personal savings after the benefits run out in an effort to stay in their homes and pay for health insurance? Who are tossed out onto the street to live out of a tent or a box?
Welcome to the New America. With unemployment expected to remain in the double digits for years to come, stories like these will become more common. So will the visceral anger against those who profited while driving the American economy over the edge and into the abyss. A good politician will do whatever they can to save their own skin even if they have to throw a few of the worst ones under the bus. Get ready. The show is about to start.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32555445...khart_project/
Some of the faces include:
Karen Inbody has just about three weeks to figure out Plan B.
And even though she's applied for dozens of jobs, the former rental property manager has come up empty.
“I’d shovel horse poop,” she says wearily. “I haven’t even found one of those jobs available.”
Now, like many others whose unemployment benefits are running out, the Elkhart, Ind., native doesn’t know how she’s going to put food on her table and pay her mortgage.
or how about
Elkhart resident Tim White, who was laid off from a $10 per hour job at a laminates factory last year, saw his final unemployment check in mid-July.
Tim White's unemployment benefits expired in July. Even though he previously earned about $10 per hour at a laminates factory, he says he'd take anything now.
Now the 42-year-old father earns $25 a week mowing a friend’s lawn — enough to cover gas for his '97 Jeep Cherokee so he can drive around to look for jobs. He says he applies anywhere they are accepting applications – McDonald’s, Jiffy Lube, KFC, or Goodwill — to name just a few.
"I don't care if it's a minimum wage job,” he says. “It's better than nothing.”
For lodging, White and his wife, Prima, and their 13-year-old daughter, Kelly, have been getting by with the help of a relative who lets them live rent-free. The family also started receiving food stamps worth about $300 a month in August.
White’s wife is in poor health and takes medications for high blood pressure diabetes and other problems. He is tormented by the prospect she could have a medical emergency with no health insurance.
"Health care coverage we worry about every day," he said.
or better still
Vicki McGlinsey, who was laid off last year from a printing company that served the RV industry, says she was one of 10 people who made the final round of interviews for a security position offered at Wal-Mart in July. The manager who broke the news that she wouldn’t get the job told her they received more than 250 applications.
“I myself have put in about 100 applications and résumés since February … and have had three interview opportunities, including this one,” she says. “It boggles my mind when I hear people say we just need to try harder.”
So, what do we do with people who want to work, but can't find it? Who burn through personal savings after the benefits run out in an effort to stay in their homes and pay for health insurance? Who are tossed out onto the street to live out of a tent or a box?
Welcome to the New America. With unemployment expected to remain in the double digits for years to come, stories like these will become more common. So will the visceral anger against those who profited while driving the American economy over the edge and into the abyss. A good politician will do whatever they can to save their own skin even if they have to throw a few of the worst ones under the bus. Get ready. The show is about to start.
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