Discouraged Or Irresponsible?

Here is a case of statistics "lying". An ominous statistic released today by the U.S. Labor Department says "Discouraged Workers" hit a record 1.2 million. Discouraged workers are those the labor Department defines as people who want a job but aren't counted in the labor force because they've stopped looking for work. The last l part of the definition is what distorts unemployment statistics today.

Though unemployment stands at about 9 and 1/2 %, many of those have no intention of taking another job, due to the U.S. government's absurd program of paying anyone out of work with 99 consecutive weeks of unemployment checks. 99 weeks! That's more than 8 years in which a person can collect unemployment payments, free medical care and other entitlement goodies. Therein is the rub as to what a "discouraged worker" is. Though many are discouraged, those with house payments and other obligations, the group of more irresponsible unemployed are often not discouraged but rather enabled workers.

The government enables them with freebies that discourages them from having any motivation to look for another job. If, suppose a worker making $15.00 an hour loses his or her job, it is not uncommon to hear that unemployed say , "I can find a job at $12 or $13 an hour, but why should I work for less when the government pays me enough not to work at all. And politicians keep pandering and adding on benefits to the unemployed in return for their votes, a tacit kind of extortion that working people pay for with higher taxes. I think some of those discouraged workers are really closer to being called irresponsible ones.

It was not so long ago that unemployment checks were limited to a mere 12 weeks per year......no more, and an amazingly high number of the unemployed got off before the 12 week period ended. but in those days, the government was not seen as mommy and daddy. People had far more self respect and self reliance was a value to be respected. They tried hard to support themselves rather than living off the taxpaying segment of the country. Today, for many it is easier and more profitable to sit home and collect from the myriad of entitlements.


Reduce the unemployment period back to 12 weeks and watch how many "discouraged workers" find encouragement to work jobs they consider beneath them. Take away the food stamps, ADC payments, subsidized housing, free heating/cooling bill programs, free school lunches and breakfasts for kids under then Nutrition Assistance Program, free health insurance through the Medicaid program, TANF ( Temporary Assistance For Needy Families), TAP (Trade Adjustment Programs) for those who lost a job because of overseas competition, and on and on. There are endless numbers of freebies today that did not exist in days when an unemployed worker accepted a lower paying job and received help from family and community organizations.

Gee...with the government making it so attractive to not work anymore, I almost feel depressed about having to pay for my own retirement. I wonder if I can declare myself unemployed too????