Unemployment is not a great thing to write about, but I urge you to read this column as it is written with a personal twist.
According to records, there are about 14.5 million unemployed and about five people going after every job that is open. These are people who are “on the books” and registered with their state employment office.
Many of the unemployed have fallen off the radar and no longer “count” in the government’s records.
A recent story from Reuters has some interesting facts about unemployment in the United States – especially unemployment and veterans which sits at 15.2% (for those who are counted).
While I am not a veteran of the recent Iraq or Afghanistan wars as the Reuters story concentrates on, I am a veteran having served almost 12 years and having an honorable discharge. I took severance pay in the early 90s (plus I received the GI Bill) and attended college and graduated. The military still sends me a little check each year as part of my severance package.
I am also in the ranks of the unemployed, so I have a front row seat on this issue.
Reuters reports:
“More than 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans were unemployed in January, far higher than the national jobless rate and the highest since the government began collecting data on veterans in 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday.”
Unemployment rate among veterans is the highest in five years – that is something not many people talk about.
The government doesn’t don’t have information about me; I am one of the unemployed people who aren’t “on the books” so to say. I did not apply. My situation is a little different. I can be somewhat choosey, so I am looking for that position/cause/person to work for that get the juices flowing.
For many veterans, including me, a paycheck from our employer gets our undying allegiance. We always show up, and long hours don’t bother us. We are very seldom late for work or sick and we adhere to your chain of command. Your mission is our mission and it is of the utmost importance to us. We are the ultimate team members and many of us become top performers and the go-to person.
Some readers are probably asking why I did not apply for unemployment benefits. The main reason is that I did want some state employee at the Department of Labor threatening me each week if I did not apply for a job just to fill their block. Instead I cashed in some investments and we watch our pennies hoping and praying for better days.
As a veteran who has years of Federal service and a spotless record, it should be rather easy to find another one of those so-called “cushy” Federal jobs – one like where I used to work 60-70 hours per week. Sadly, many Federal agencies don’t like veterans and find “legal” ways around hiring those of us who have veteran’s preference.
There are millions of folks like me who have fallen off the face of the earth – lost contact with our network of friends and colleagues – the phone doesn’t ring and e-mails are few and far between – but at least we’ve found out who our real friends are…
We do have to live with feelings of being jobless and worthless. Some of us are depressed. We stay out of the public so we don’t have to come to face to face with anyone and answer questions like “What are you doing these days?”
Although my current job title is chief cook, dish and clothes washer, chauffer, etc., I still have found the time to write. It’s a way to stay involved – kind of a release. I have a couple of books that are almost done and ready to publish, so my time has not been wasted, but I really feel for the veterans who don’t have it as well as I do. I have a great wife who has a good job and gives me unwavering support, and I also have support from just a few friends who stuck around even when I wasn’t that “important” to them anymore.
A big plus is that my house is pretty much spotless…and I talk to God more these days.
But there are millions of people out there (some are veterans) who are worrying about the next meal – making sure their children don’t go without – worrying about the next house payment – and worrying about having a vehicle that will run to get them to the next interview, not to mention worrying about having nice clothes and a new haircut that will help them to be a desirable candidate for the job that will bring them back into the “real” world and acceptance.
Veterans deserve our support and admiration – especially those who are unemployed and homeless.
But take it from this veteran; the government has failed us and society is not that far behind.
The Western Word 
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Our government has failed all Americans. The fact that they have failed our veterans just makes it all the more appalling, especially since many of them are the same people who asked you to put your lives on the line in pursuit of their political agendas in the first place.
I’m not a vet myself, and my husband was rejected due to hemophilia – but I am a 99er. I’ve worked most of my adult life (with a few minor exceptions such as childbirth and nursing my late husband through cancer), and never once collected unemployment before the current recession took my job. My husband devoted 45 years of his life to hard work, making his way from delivering newspapers and caddying at the local golf course as a teenager to managing a bank branch – all without a college degree. When the bank he worked for was bought out, he took training in IT and went to work on a help desk, then installing software for another bank (involving constant travel among all states east of the Mississippi) – missing countless hours with his family.
It was only after his wife died and his own health problems began that he had to face no longer being able to work. Now he is on SSD, and it’s a good thing, as he was just diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer.
I’m 49 now, with a host of health problems of my own, but I’m still trying to find a job, even though that has been complicated by the fact that I’ll be needed here at home to care for him when the chemo starts. My benefits ran out in December and we are already sinking fast. Currently we’re 2 months behind on the car payment (bought at a far more optimistic time when neither of us ever thought I’d be out of work for 2+ years with no options in sight). If the car goes, not only do I lose the ability to get to interviews, but I won’t even be able to get my husband to his medical appointments, or do the food shopping, etc.
This is not what the founders of this country envisioned for our future. All those running around in colonial clothing professing that they want to “return” to the original intent of the founders haven’t got a clue. The founders wanted a country where everyone had an equal chance to prosper. But what we have is a country where a handful of people at the top do all the prospering, at the expense of the rest of the 300 million Americans who are struggling every day just to survive.
Maureen: Thanks for your comments and my prayers go out to you and your family during these tough times. -Jack
I wish the best in your job search. Montana has a far more robust job market, and many employers are having difficulty finding workers with your style of work ethic. Frankly, I’m not a fan of quotas and preferences, though. I believe the best person should get the job, and you sound that you meet that crierion well.
Actually, it seems to me that many politicians are spending a LOT of time talking about jobs, jobs, jobs — of course, whether they are doing anything tangible about it is another matter — but they are paying plenty of lip service to the issue.
I agree that they are “talking” about it, but in my view with the rate sitting at 9% and veterans at 15% a little action would be helpful, too.
Jack, I am truly puzzled over this. When you say “the government has failed us” what do you mean? You’re not implying that it has failed you because “it” didn’t give you a government job, are you?
Dear Puzzled David: Q: “You’re not implying that it has failed you because “it” didn’t give you a government job, are you?” A: Nope. Q: “When you say “the government has failed us” what do you mean?” A: You don’t hear too much from our government about the high unemployment rate in among veterans or in society as a whole or anyone doing anything meaningful about the problem.
I do stand by the statement I wrote about some Government agencies looking for ways to get around hiring veterans (although the Feds give preferences to veterans) and also the issue with homeless veterans is not handled that well by the government or society.