There's a lot of debate nowadays over which way the coming election is going to turn, Republicans are trying to talk themselves into taking back the House and/or Senate by counting on Americans' foul mood over the disastrous economy. They're counting on the long-term unemployed to turn against Democrats and vote against their own best interests, Well, I'm one of those unemployed, and while I've lost all faith in Congressional Democrats or the Obama administration to do the right thing, I believe it's virtual suicide to vote Republican.
I've stated many times that the difference between the parties is the Democrats are corrupt while the Republicans are pure evil, and I stand by that opinion. I had high hopes for Obama, but am now convinced he's merely another bought and paid for politician, in fact I no longer have any faith that a political solution is possible to get the country out of the mess it's in. We're still throwing money away in Iraq and Afghanistan and I don't accept for a nanosecond the excuses that we need to stay the course, otherwise there will be chaos if we demobilize our forces. Let's be real, we could stay in those countries for a century, and the results would still be the same once we pull out, but I believe staying is the true goal of the politicians. They are servants of the war profiteers and don't care about the welfare of Americans. You may accuse me of cynicism, but I believe that's the only explanation for what's happened since Obama's taken office.
Let me be clear that I believe there's a big difference between simple opinion and informed opinion. I'm a serious student of history and politics, and my past predictions about the direction in which the country's headed have been eerily accurate, so I think there's a basis to call my opinion informed. My analysis of the political situation is that the politicians don't work for the people, they are owned by the same banks who caused the economic collapse, by the energy companies and by war profiteers. Either that, or the only other possible explanation is that upon reaching Washington, elected officials are given a speech similar to the lecture by Ned Beatty to Peter Finch in the movie Network. They are enlightened as to the actual facts about who's in charge (mega-corporations) or there are implied threats to them and their families if they deviate from their master's wishes. One who is more cynical than myself would assert that those newly elected official need no lecture, when they reach the national level they are already owned by their corporate overlords. Which ever is the truth, it matters little to those of us who have been unemployed for nearly 2 years, either way, we are destitute and desperate. And the system is completely broken and politicians of neither party are making any moves to help the unemployed.
I spent nearly 25 years working as a professional graphic designer/illustrator and my work was well-respected, but since I relocated from Detroit in October 2008, I have been unable to even get one job interview lined up, though I've applied in person or online to approximately 500 graphics positions. I've picked up a little freelance work here and there, but the only full-time work I've found has been in minimum wage assembly work and as a dishwasher in a restaurant, and I was laid off from those jobs as well. I'm presently broke and would be living in my old beater of a car by now if it weren't for my daughter, who I'm living with now in California.
The wars continue, health care reform is a farce and the crooked bankers and Wall street investors are richer and more powerful than ever. People claim that Obama has done much for positive reform since becoming President, but I will never compromise on my desire to see Bush and Cheney tried as the war criminals they are. We should never forget being lied into wars that have killed hundreds of thousands of innocents and destroyed the economy. I may be naive, but I was raised to believe America was the greatest nation in history, and now we have taken over the USSR's mantle of the evil empire. Harsh, you say? In one decade we've gone from being respected to hated. No one is likely to pay for wiretapping or torture so I really don't know why we should command respect anymore.
Despite all my misgivings over recent history, I would never dream of voting for a Republican, but lately I have to wonder if it's worth the effort to vote at all. Certainly my view of the government is influenced by the fact that I desperately need to find work and now the conversation is all about controlling the deficit and the unemployed will just have to fend for themselves. I can tell you from personal experience, conversations with others and research that no one over fifty is getting interviews, much less jobs, I've had one interview in the last year for a food service job where I was told there were over 200 job applicants who were whittled down to 50 interviews. They told me not to get discouraged because I interviewed extremely well, but unfortunately, there wouldn't be any more openings for at least three months. It's hard not to get discouraged when you're broke today and told to wait three more months just for the slight chance of another interview.
To top it off, I contacted the state of Oregon to inquire about assistance to find employment and was told I needed to apply for unemployment from Michigan, my last place of employment, before Oregon could even consider giving me assistance. So I called them and gave them a detailed account (I quit my job to relocate just ahead of a layoff, but this was before the economic meltdown) and made it clear that I didn't qualify since I voluntarily quit my job. To my surprise, they approved my claim and began to send me unemployment checks. Five months later, I was accused of fraud and told I was responsible to reimburse the money to Michigan. I've spent the last ten months attempting to make them understand I have no money and can't find work, but they are insisting that I must pay back the benefits, which they approved. When I read about the people whose benefit checks have been cutoff, I sympathize with them, yet my position is even worse. Not only have my benefits been cut off, I'm expected to pay them back or face the consequences(?). What do they plan, to garnish my non-existent wages? I knew going in that I wasn't supposed to be eligible, but was told I had to go through the motions of applying and being denied in order to receive any assistance, and it was the state of Michigan's mistake, not mine, to approve the benefits I did receive.
The bottom line is, I don't want assistance, I WANT A JOB. But the government is obviously more concerned with making sure crooked bankers and stockbrokers continue to receive multimillion dollar bonuses. I worked and paid taxes for over thirty years,but my government shows no interest in my survival and now wants to persecute me for their mistake while giving tax money to millionaires. There's nothing for me to feel hopeful about and I feel cheated and betrayed by the government I supported with my taxes for my entire adult life. Now that I need help, I'm being squeezed for money I have no ability to come up with. This country has gone to the dregs of humanity.