Disposable People: The Unemployed Need Not Apply

[paft.livejournal.com]

From Clickorlando.com 6/1/10:
Job hunters are facing a new hurdle: businesses asking recruitment companies to keep unemployed people out of their job pools.

Video here.

Yes, you read that right. Some businesses are now placing job ads that exclude all those icky unemployed people. A trend I first mentioned back in July of last year is continuing and, according to this story, growing.

So, many of the unemployed face, not only the cutting off of their unemployment benefits, not only potential employers holding bad credit ratings, (often a byproduct of not having a job) against them, they now are increasingly being barred by potential employers from applying for job openings -- because they are unemployed.

Apparently in today’s society, more and more, once you’re out, you’re out.

Think of the weapon this hands employers. The saying, so beloved of free market types, “If you don’t like the job, quit and find another one,” is becoming not just a platitude, but a mocking sneer. Quitting is no longer an option, being fired, or laid off, no longer a relatively minor blip in someone’s working life.

If this trend continues, unemployment itself could become a catastrophe that knocks someone permanently out of full time work.

Comments

[mdinkins.livejournal.com]

"You don't have to literally starve to death to become seriously ill, or even die, from malnutrition."
In fact you can become seriously ill and die even if you are extremely wealthy (and with stress, long hours behind a desk getting little or no exercise, etc there are plenty of bad problems with the working rich as well). Of course, people survived by living off the land for thousands of years, multivitamins are cheap, etc... there really is little excuse for being hungry or malnutrition in the US (excluding those with severe handicaps of course).

"Or do you LIKE the idea of the American poor living as the Mexican poor do?"
Living like the poor Mexicans who come here? YES. I'm stereotyping hideously here, but the 'illegal' alien workers I've seen are hard working, independent, taking responsibility for their own lives, and trying to get ahead. They may not have the easiest life, but the US poor could learn a lot from them. I don't see why I should value the US poor lives over the Mexican immigrant worker (and plenty of reasons to value the mexicans' lives higher). AND the US poor would have it easier because 1) they are legally here and 2) they don't have to send money back to Mexico.

Also, I don't "LIKE" poverty anywhere - I want everyone to get ahead, but I'm definitely in the teach a man to fish camp, and I'm sick and tired of the enablers out there giving people fish. AND I put my money where my mouth is (I've given over 10% of my annual salary already this year AND over 150 hours this year so far to charity) so don't even think about lecturing me about not caring.

[paft.livejournal.com]

PFT: You don't have to literally starve to death to become seriously ill, or even die, from malnutrition.
MD: In fact you can become seriously ill and die even if you are extremely wealthy

The likelihood of that happening, however, is significantly reduced if you are extremely wealthy.

What's your point? That the very existence of health problems outside of malnutrition means we shouldn't worry about the poor suffering from malnutrition?

For the third time:do you have even a clue of what malnutrition does to people, especially children? Surely, since you have bragged about putting in all those hours in charity work, you have some idea of the dangers connected to childhood malnutrition?

md: there really is little excuse for being hungry or malnutrition in the US (excluding those with severe handicaps of course).

Why is there "little excuse?" Are you aware that there are working families who are forced to rely on foodbanks at the end of the month? Are you aware that those foodbanks are often swamped?

PFT: Or do you LIKE the idea of the American poor living as the Mexican poor do?"
MD: Living like the poor Mexicans who come here? YES. I'm stereotyping hideously here,

Yes, you are "stereotyping hideously," and showing that you have little clear idea of how many immigrants in this country live.

MD: I don't see why I should value the US poor lives over the Mexican immigrant worker (and plenty of reasons to value the mexicans' lives higher). AND the US poor would have it easier because 1) they are legally here and 2) they don't have to send money back to Mexico.

So you think we should do away with all child labor, worker safety, and employment disability laws?

md: Also, I don't "LIKE" poverty anywhere - I want everyone to get ahead, but I'm definitely in the teach a man to fish camp, and I'm sick and tired of the enablers out there giving people fish. AND I put my money where my mouth is (I've given over 10% of my annual salary already this year AND over 150 hours this year so far to charity) so don't even think about lecturing me about not caring.

You express uncaring beliefs here and yes, I'll "dare" to challenge you on them. What are you going to do about it?

[mdinkins.livejournal.com]

" you have even a clue of what malnutrition does to people, especially children? Surely, since you have bragged about putting in all those hours in charity work, you have some idea of the dangers connected to childhood malnutrition?"

As I said elsewhere, yes, I know how horrible malnutrition is... but since you are so concerned about it, why don't you share the statistics for the US? (and throw out the nonsense where many include obesity as a form of malnutrition)

"Why is there "little excuse?""
1) I showed that food is readily available (in fact obesity is a real problem with the poor)
2) as I said multivitamins are extremely cheap (so long as you go with generics - what does a months supply cost you at walmart? $10?)

"Are you aware that there are working families who are forced to rely on foodbanks at the end of the month?"

Forced? Except in the extreme cases, there is always another option.

"Yes, you are "stereotyping hideously," "
They choose to live here because it's easier for them to make a living here AND they tend to succeed. It may be a stereotype, but on average, it's true.

"So you think we should do away with all child labor,"
Way to jump to a completely different subject, but since you asked...

yes. I HATE child labor laws (the reason I worked illegally for nonsense wages - I could only get a job with someone willing to hire me illegally so I couldn't find better employment). 12 year olds use to be officers in the British navy - many cultures treated 13 year olds as adults... getting a job and learning some responsibility would be a good thing.

" worker safety,"
meh - I don't think worker safety laws really have much positive impact, but I don't think they have much negative either so... frankly I don't care about them. Leave them in place - I (like most people I know) will ignore them when they get in the way and work as safely as I can otherwise.


" and employment disability laws?""
This is completely irrelevant since I already (many times) excluded those with severe handicaps. I wonder about your motivation for changing the subject...
yep... those should be done away with. I forget his name but there is a guy that writes computer books - he has a total of 2 fingers and 2 thumbs (and other handicaps as well). His comment on it was something to the effect of "if these laws had existed when I was young I would never have overcome my adversity. I know myself, I'm lazy and would have taken the easy way".
I think these do far more harm than good.
AND the ADA has nasty side effects... and now everyone is disabled (it's ridiculously easy to get an official disability)... AND it's nonsense to boot. How many of the compliant places out there would accommodate people in an iron lung (and there are people who have them) - they can't fit in elevators, etc. How about them? How much money do we spend to make everything accessible to them? Truth is, hardships are hard and destroying other people's lives won't make it any better.

"You express uncaring beliefs here"
as do you... you care more about feeling good by giving people fish and preventing them from learning to fish. You are the type that African farmers complain about - who send in food supplies and undercut their prices and forcing them out of business and adding them to the roles of people unable to support themselves. You seem to engage in first stage thinking and never look at the long term ramifications of your knee jerk reactions. How many years have we tried your ideas for helping the poor.... hasn't worked. I just shine a light and say your "caring beliefs" are harming - and we need to do some tough love. If you think that means I don't care so be it... I certainly think you care more about your feelings of superiority about how much you care than actually helping these people.

"I'll "dare" to challenge you on them. What are you going to do about it?"

point out how foolish you are being.