A Few Thoughts On Unemployment Benefits

Common nonsense says Obama is about to get the okay to extend unemployment benefits to, what, 99 weeks. Personally, this is a source of extreme irritation to MJ Hawkeye. Hey gang, I didn't grow up in a household made of candy canes and frosting. My dad was a railroad worker and ma a nurse. There were many times in the olden days, the 50's and 60's, when the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen went out on strike and Pops was out of work. I'm certain he could have cared less since old dad sort of liked staying home and playing cards at the Twelve Bells tavern. Later on, in my teen years, he had to take odd jobs, house painting was one of them. I'll give my parents credit for one thing. We never took public assistance. PA was a badge of dishonor in those days. I know the part about not taking public assistance. It had the same impact on me and there have been times in my 64 years I qualified.

I was a high school teacher and coach beginning in 1968, got married in 1969 and by 1972 we had two babies with a third to come along in '76. A random thought crossed my mind just yesterday. My take home pay as a teacher/coach in '70 was $404.12 per month. That's twenty bucks a day. Amazing, isn't it. Anyway, over the course of the next eighteen years in education I had the responsibility of trying to make ends meet. There was one period when I lost a job due to cut backs. Know what I did? I sat on my ass, complained to whoever would listen at the county court house and complained to my congressman that I should receive thousands of dollars in benefits! I lie. I didn't do any of that crappola and neither would the hard working conservatives of this country today. I went out and found a job, or two jobs or whatever it took to keep food on the table.

Get this: In 1977, while living in Davenport, Iowa I took a teaching job thirty miles southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That's a four hour drive from our home. I'd get up at 3am, drive to the Badger State, do my thing then go home on Friday afternoon. Why'd I do this? Easy answer. It was a job and my wife and kids needed me to do so. I'm not special and non-Democrats would do the same. The democrat party has set up their constituents for failure and made them feel not only happy about it but has forced them to expect perpetual government gifts and favors. Disgusting!

This brings us to the crux of the unemployment benefits problem of today. There are jobs out there; plenty of them. Do you think the jobs might be demeaning to the unemployed. Is it possible some of these folks might have to work two shifts at $10 bucks and hour? It's possible. No, it's most likely. I have sympathy for those who are out of work. I don't have sympathy for those who do nothing about it but complain and expect a handout because they can breathe. Last week I posted a chart showing how those making under $14.5 thousand a year were better off than those making $60 grand per because of government giveaways. Check it out.