If you think funerals are depressing then you haven’t been to an unemployment office at 8am. As I approached the office this morning, about 40 people stood in line before the place was even open. At least at a wake you get in line to pass the dead and try to remember what a great life the person had. In line for unemployment you more or less wish you were dead and didn’t have to sit in line with the other sad sacks.
It is beyond depressing to sit in a chair for 2 hours and wait to tell someone you lost your job. Wait to tell them you have a bachelor’s degree, computer skills, communication skills and writing skills that for most of your life you have honed to prevent this day from happening. It is awful.
What makes it more awful is people like John McCain and Bush and the rest of the GOP voted against extending or increasing benefits for people. As if these poor people, literally and categorically poor, people are bilking the system for millions and billions. It is unreal to me the lengths that our politicians will go to keep the poor down and destitute. God forbid they get too good a deal right? We wouldn’t want a person netting $30k gross a year to get over on Uncle Sam and gasp….take another $400 for free would we.
It’s unreal the class warfare that is going on in this country. Bernie Madoff, took $50,000,000,000.00 from his customers and he gets house arrest in his ridiculously big and expensive Manhattan condo. A guy walks into a bank robs it for a $1000 and he can get 20 years in prison within weeks of being caught.
The system is horrible and you have to wonder at what point are people going to revolt? When are people going to march, organize and start chaos that changes the system? How long do people have to have their noses rubbed in dog shit before they slap away the arm that is holding them down and fight? How long will people allow themselves to be raped by a system set up to reward the rich and fuck the poor.
We live in a disgustingly biased society and I pray that my Spanish teacher at Sallies, Father Fredinand was right when he said, “This country will revolt in 75 years” I hope you are right Father, because I can’t take much more of this….