No, I’m NOT “FUNemployed!”

Hell, I’d LOVE a free cup of coffee and a doughnut!

Some fucknut politician with more mouth than brains went on record recently saying that people who are unemployed actually like it. Yeah – they like not having a job, what with being able to sit on their asses and collect those big unemployment bucks!

I’ve had some other not-so-bright people ask, “How are you enjoying your funemployment?”

Ron White says, “You can’t fix stupid”, and he’s right. I cannot speak for all unemployed people, just the ones I know. We’re not having fun. We don’t like being without jobs. It’s not only about the paycheck, either, although that is the biggest part of it. There’s surely nothing fun about having to face the prospect of losing your house, especially when you know that you probably won’t be able to afford an apartment, either, and couldn’t anyway because you won’t pass the credit check because your credit is in the shitter.

There’s nothing fun about having to take a huge chunk of your retirement money and spend it on the day-to-day bills we all have to pay, like groceries, heat, electric, $4 a gallon gasoline, and then wonder what the hell you’re going to do when it gets to be retirement time. Oh, wait! You’re not going to be able to retire!

One thing that politicos and other dumbasses fail to appreciate is that there is a lot more to having a job than just bringing home the bacon. It’s having a reason to get up in the morning, having a place to go and something to do. It’s the camaraderie and friendship of your fellow employees. It’s being able to feel that you accomplish something and the satisfaction of doing your job well. It’s knowing that you have some kind of worth. I don’t know which is worse: the feeling of despair or the feeling of worthlessness. I think they go hand in hand.

Let me backtrack a moment. I’ve been without a job since November of 2008. No, that’s not a typo. If you do the math, I have been without steady income for two and a half years. No paycheck. No health insurance coverage that someone else underwrites. I’ve been able to pick up freelance work here and there, but maybe a total of 30 or so days. Got a gig with the Census for 6 months, which was nice, but again – no bennies. No 40-hours-a-week and, after the Census was done, no job.

Have I been looking for work? You betcha. Here’s a list of the places to which I have applied or, rather, the ones I made notes that I applied to. It is, by no means, a comprehensive list:

North South Productions-Home Depot-Homeserve-unnamed TV production company-track180.com-Leopard Films-Broadcasting Digital Media-A&E Networks-an unnamed market research firm-Affinion Group-Daymon Worldwide-Roger Wilco Productions-Hamilton Sundstrand-Grey Healthcare Group-Starbucks-Stop & Shop-Purdue Pharma-Transdigital Media-“NY-based TV/Film production company”-Borders-Mediastorm-“Video Security position”-anonymous NYC post house-ESPN-ABC News-Hertz-Walt Disney Company-Adecco-A&E Networks again-Ascent Media-unknown media relations company-Meredith Corp.-NBC Universal-Banfield-Charter Hospitals-Penny Press-Boardroom Inc.-NY1 News-WFSB-MTV-Discovery-Scripps Networks-“Major Network”-TryItOnEverything.com-Cablevision-Mountain Lake PBS-Greenfield Consulting Group-American Cruise Lines-Time Warner Cable-Rockstar Games-Petco-Home Depot again- UPS (twice)-Wheelhouse  Pictures-WTIC/WTXX-Dick Robinson Media-Smashpoint Creativeworks-Max Films-another anonymous post house-Stratford Animal Control-Essex Television Group-World Wrestling Entertainment-Triple Threat-Televerse (twice)-Alliance-Bret Stern Productions-CT Film Center-CT School of Broadcasting-State of CT Judicial Branch-OR Live-GE New York-Hearst Newspapers-Soho Editors-National Media COnnection-Blue Chip Films-City of Bridgeport-Wholesome Wave-Fox Networks

Clearly, it’s not as if I’m not trying. Neither is my husband, who has joined me in the ranks. We’re looking. We’re applying and, most of the time, fruitless waiting for a response.

We’ve gone from making about $130,000 between the two of us to around $34,000. My salary alone went from $37+ an hour at my 16-year job to $5.97 an hour from unemployment.

Our health insurance alone is almost $800 a month, and each month I have to evaluate whether we can afford to keep it. If we lose it, our medical problems are going to become your medical problems, because we won’t be able to pay the bills if one (or both) of us gets sick.

And it’s not just me. The US unemployment rate right now is 8.7%, which means about 13.7 million people are out of work. THIRTEEN MILLION! Almost SIX million have been out of work for 27 or more weeks. And another 9 million are trying to get by on part-time work.

And how are we all doing? We having fun yet? Let’s hear from some other “funemployed” folks, whose thoughts were collected during an online survey:

(from Texas) “We lost more than 50% of our income and had to put our home up for sale. The only reason we didn’t lose medical coverage was because I carried it for us through my job. We would never have been able to afford COBRA.”

(from California) “We filed chapter 13 bankruptcy last year when he was still unemployed.  We’re repaying our debts.  Emotionally;  it’s hard on our marriage.”

(from New York) “It is hard having no income at all, and it has put a MASSIVE stress on my marriage. I no longer feel like an equal to my hubby who is the sole bread-winner.”

(from an unnamed location): “I have no health insurance because we spend every available dollar  for my husband’s medical/meds which are not generic and none available. His health care last year was in excess of 6 thou and then his insurance on top of that . . . there is nothing left for my care.”

(from Wisconsin): “May need to ultimately consider bankruptcy.  Once unemployment is gone we will lose the house.  Emotionally it is creating a huge burden on our marriage…not sure if it will survive. “

(from Illinois): “The worst part for us (is) fear of the future, not knowing if you’ll be able to survive and literally thinking one day how to fit all of our belongings into a car to live, where to shower, and how to cook. “

(from Connecticut): “I only make $137/week in UI benefits, which barely pays the few bills I have.  Emotionally–I barely sleep, and get palpitations every time I think about it.  I try to keep a positive outlook, but it’s hard when you sit at home all day and night, not able to go out, not even to the grocery store sometimes.”

(from Wisconsin): “The worst thing? Not having money to pay the bills…not having extra money for recreation.  There are no vacations, no movies, no dinners out, very little in new clothing, no new things for the house.  We exist and that is about it.”

 (from New York): “The WORST PART of being without a job? Feeling worthless.”

Does it sound like any of these people are having fun? Now, take those voices of worthlessness and hopelessness and multiply them by 1,522,222 and you’ll have the 13.7 million people who are out of work, out of luck and out of hope right now.

And on that note, I will present to you a photo parade of the “happily unemployed”. Enjoy. Let me know if you think anyone looks like it’s party time.

And someone be sure to let me know when the fun part starts, okay? I’d hate to miss it.

 

 

If you’re interested, the CT Post featured me in a story on unemployment last year. You can read it here: Making Ends Meet With No End in Sight.

Please – always feel free to comment on my blog. Your thoughts are always welcome!