Poor, poor, pitiful woman....

[SEC=UGA]

Hey, I have an idea you insipid little b!tch... All the time that you are spending compiling and sending these letters could be time spent working as a waitress, McDonalds cashier, Wal-Mart employee, etc... But nooooooo, "I'd rather stay on unemplyment, then have my unemployment run out, lose my home, have no money, mooch off of my firends and bitch about the govt not doing enough to help me (while living in one of the few states with an unemployment level below 8.5%) than do something so far beneath me like working in fast food, waiting tables, or working in retail... I have a college degree for the love of god!!!!"

 

 

Washington (CNN) -- As Sen. Bernard Sanders leads a charge to stall a tax cut compromise on Capitol Hill, back in Vermont, one woman is leading her own campaign for the long-term unemployed -- one letter at a time.

 

"Dear Bernie Sanders, I feel as if I'm living in a nightmare from which I will never awaken ... Why have we been forgotten, forsaken and left for dead?"

 

Another letter to Sanders, a Vermont independent, reads, "I'm about to lose my home... We need help right now."

 

Unemployed and homeless, Alexandra Jarrin is asking 99ers -- those who have also lost their job and exhausted 99 weeks of federal and state benefits -- to write to Sanders to tell him their stories.

 

"I will hand deliver the letters every day until this is over," Jarrin wrote in an e-mail to 99ers earlier this week. "WhetherI have one letter or thousands of letters, I will take them to the local office of Bernie Sanders and show him and his staff that we are standing up and asking him to speak up for all of us."

 

For Jarrin, the campaign is personal. She lost her job in 2008. She lost her unemployment benefits in March. And now she is homeless and sleeping on her friend's couch.

 

"We just need jobs," said Jarrin. "And we need help until we get jobs."

 

Jarrin says she's applied for 3,000 jobs. The former client relations director is one of 1.5 million Americans who are expected to max out on their unemployment benefits this year.

 

Sanders has vowed to delay passage of the proposed tax cut deal between the White House and Congressional Republicans. While the proposal would extend benefits for 13 months for those currently receiving unemployment insurance, it does nothing for those who have already run out of benefits.

 

As Jarrin prepared to deliver the letters to Sanders' office in rural Vermont Friday, the senator in Washington spoke for more than eight hours on the floor of the Senate to stall passage of the bill.

 

"This recession was caused by the greed and recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street," said Sanders. "How can I get by on one house? I need five houses, 10 houses. I need three jet planes to take me all over the world."

 

Meanwhile, Jarrin read portions of the letters to CNN, "I look around me and see how many have been affected by this. I see it in my own family. Sisters and brother have lost homes."

 

"When I asked for these letters, I said, tell me your story. Tell me your friend's story. Tell me your family's story."

 

Jarrin is running her operation from a friend's kitchen table, receiving hundreds of e-mails and printing the letters with ink that's been purchased with money from friends.

 

"I heard about what the president and the Republicans came up with, basically, and I was just disgusted," Jarrin tells CNN. "I will make sure that anybody who sends ther letter... gets printed out and gets to the office. The more stories we get, the bigger the impact."

 

Friday afternoon Jarrin delivered more than 200 letters to a staffer at Sanders' Brattleboro office.

 

At the same time she was delivering the letters, Sanders was six hours into his speech.

 

"The immediate cause of this crisis is... it just gets me sick thinking about it, and that is what the crooks on Wall Street have done to the American people," said Sanders.

 

Jarrin tells CNN the number of letters she has received continues to grow.

 

"I'm not going to stop as long as they come in," said Jarrin. "I'm going to print them out and take them up there."

[SEC=UGA]

Even better, let me update the Vermont unemployment level... As of October, 5.1%...

[redrumjuice]

If you don't want to work, we should pay your FOREVER to stay at home. It helps the economy the most as Pelosi says.

[detlef]

In all fairness, she might not be in a position to work some of the jobs you mention as options. And it does say she applied for 3000 jobs since she lost her job.

 

And when I say, "not in a position", I mean, she may not be qualified. One of the biggest misconceptions about these sorts of jobs is that any idiot can do them and that is simply not the case. I am in a position to hire many of the positions you refer to and I'm hesitant to hire someone who last worked as a waiter 15 years ago or something like that. I don't care how many degrees you have or how proficient you are with powerpoint, I need waiters and have no shortage of applicants who have relevant and recent experience. And trust me, it breaks my heart, because I know some of these people first tried to get a gig doing what they've been doing and are only coming to me because there was nothing there. But, again, I can only hire so many and I'm going to hire those who make the most sense for me. So, in other words, she'd actually have a much better chance of getting a gig that's "not beneath her" than she would be getting one with me doing one of the menial jobs you refer to.

 

As for retail, same thing goes. Have you ever been shopping and get stuck with the 50 year old cashier? It can be a freaking train wreck. There's some 20 something just blazing through their transactions and this poor lady keeps needing the manager to come over to void things out. Who knows? Maybe she's good at something else, but ringing people up is not it. So, there's another crappy job that she simply might not be suited for. And one where employers are not faced with a shortage of qualified applicants to pass her over in favor of. So, it's not even a matter of telling her to sack up and figure out how to use the register, but more with employers knowing that they've got better options.

 

So, while I'm not implying that benefits should last forever, I do think you're going a bit far with your vitriol in this circumstance. At very least, you're making assumptions that may not be accurate.

[driveby]

In all fairness, she might not be in a position to work some of the jobs you mention as options. And it does say she applied for 3000 jobs since she lost her job.

 

And when I say, "not in a position", I mean, she may not be qualified. One of the biggest misconceptions about these sorts of jobs is that any idiot can do them and that is simply not the case. I am in a position to hire many of the positions you refer to and I'm hesitant to hire someone who last worked as a waiter 15 years ago or something like that. I don't care how many degrees you have or how proficient you are with powerpoint, I need waiters and have no shortage of applicants who have relevant and recent experience. And trust me, it breaks my heart, because I know some of these people first tried to get a gig doing what they've been doing and are only coming to me because there was nothing there. But, again, I can only hire so many and I'm going to hire those who make the most sense for me. So, in other words, she'd actually have a much better chance of getting a gig that's "not beneath her" than she would be getting one with me doing one of the menial jobs you refer to.

 

As for retail, same thing goes. Have you ever been shopping and get stuck with the 50 year old cashier? It can be a freaking train wreck. There's some 20 something just blazing through their transactions and this poor lady keeps needing the manager to come over to void things out. Who knows? Maybe she's good at something else, but ringing people up is not it. So, there's another crappy job that she simply might not be suited for. And one where employers are not faced with a shortage of qualified applicants to pass her over in favor of. So, it's not even a matter of telling her to sack up and figure out how to use the register, but more with employers knowing that they've got better options.

 

So, while I'm not implying that benefits should last forever, I do think you're going a bit far with your vitriol in this circumstance. At very least, you're making assumptions that may not be accurate.

This made me think of the Undercover Boss series. I'm amazed how these seemingly intelligent people are so udderly helpless when it comes to doing even the simplest menial job.

 

I guess they think it makes them look "human" when in reality it just makes them look pathetic.

[wiegie]

This made me think of the Undercover Boss series. I'm amazed how these seemingly intelligent people are so udderly helpless when it comes to doing even the simplest menial job.

 

I guess they think it makes them look "human" when in reality it just makes them look pathetic.

Are you talking about the menial job of spelling words correctly?

 

 

 

 

[matt770]

This made me think of the Undercover Boss series. I'm amazed how these seemingly intelligent people are so udderly helpless when it comes to doing even the simplest menial job.

 

I guess they think it makes them look "human" when in reality it just makes them look pathetic.

 

You are going to look like a fool on your first day on the job, no matter what it is. There are tricks of the trade and a groove you get into once you've been at it for a while. That applies to everything from flipping burgers to accounting. The difference is that the learning curve for a menial job is much shorter for most competent people to become really proficient. You're still talking 1-2 weeks minimum before you're performing at a really high level.

[driveby]

You are going to look like a fool on your first day on the job, no matter what it is. There are tricks of the trade and a groove you get into once you've been at it for a while. That applies to everything from flipping burgers to accounting. The difference is that the learning curve for a menial job is much shorter for most competent people to become really proficient. You're still talking 1-2 weeks minimum before you're performing at a really high level.

I'm not so sure about that.

 

Many of the tasks these CEO's had to perform weren't that hard and they just totally sucked at it. I suppose it makes better TV then if they had nailed everything.

[Chief Dick]

Are you talking about the menial job of spelling words correctly?

 

 

 

 

 

Why do you feel the need to moooove in and criticize?

[redrumjuice]

And when I say, "not in a position", I mean, she may not be qualified. One of the biggest misconceptions about these sorts of jobs is that any idiot can do them and that is simply not the case. I am in a position to hire many of the positions you refer to and I'm hesitant to hire someone who last worked as a waiter 15 years ago or something like that.

 

Blah blah blah - You make toast.

 

Seriously, don't act like it's some special skill set. IT'S FREAKING TOAST.

[matt770]

I suppose it makes better TV then if they had nailed everything.

 

Now here's something a lot of CEO's are good at.

[detlef]

You are going to look like a fool on your first day on the job, no matter what it is. There are tricks of the trade and a groove you get into once you've been at it for a while. That applies to everything from flipping burgers to accounting. The difference is that the learning curve for a menial job is much shorter for most competent people to become really proficient. You're still talking 1-2 weeks minimum before you're performing at a really high level.

Again, I think you guys are way underselling how difficult some of these jobs are. Taking waiting tables. That is not only exhausting work but really not at all easy and hard enough that some people will never get good at it even if they try. And I'm just talking about keeping all the orders together and managing your tables. When you bring into the equation that you have to be able to take crap from people and not tell them to screw themselves, there's another "skill" that some people either have or they don't.

 

And, again, even if you have the aptitude, doesn't mean you're going to get the gig. I've got people walking in with resumes all the time. I've got someone just out of college who can't break into their preferred career but spent the last four years working dining room jobs while in school. Then I've got someone who's been in corporate for the last 10 years and hasn't worked in a restaurant for 10 years or more. There's a good chance they have no idea how to use the point of sale systems at very least and are going to be rusty in general. Who am I going to hire? Assuming they're both hot, of course.

 

"Flipping burgers" as well. Now, maybe not a places that completely mechanize the processes, but certainly at any busy place where you are actually making things from scratch and having to juggle orders.

 

I can't tell you how many people I've worked with over the years who ditched their office career to chase their dream of opening up their own restaurant because they loved to cook. So they take some classes and work on a line somewhere to get the hang of it. Only, they're twice the age of everyone else and getting circles run around them all day and night. Then it sinks in and they realize that they made a huge, huge mistake and that maybe accounting is not so bad after all. Because cooking is one thing, working on a line is another entirely. Not saying you need to be a genius or anything. Just that it's something that some people can handle and others can't.

[SEC=UGA]

Again, I think you guys are way underselling how difficult some of these jobs are. Taking waiting tables. That is not only exhausting work but really not at all easy and hard enough that some people will never get good at it even if they try. And I'm just talking about keeping all the orders together and managing your tables. When you bring into the equation that you have to be able to take crap from people and not tell them to screw themselves, there's another "skill" that some people either have or they don't.

 

And, again, even if you have the aptitude, doesn't mean you're going to get the gig. I've got people walking in with resumes all the time. I've got someone just out of college who can't break into their preferred career but spent the last four years working dining room jobs while in school. Then I've got someone who's been in corporate for the last 10 years and hasn't worked in a restaurant for 10 years or more. There's a good chance they have no idea how to use the point of sale systems at very least and are going to be rusty in general. Who am I going to hire? Assuming they're both hot, of course.

 

"Flipping burgers" as well. Now, maybe not a places that completely mechanize the processes, but certainly at any busy place where you are actually making things from scratch and having to juggle orders.

 

I can't tell you how many people I've worked with over the years who ditched their office career to chase their dream of opening up their own restaurant because they loved to cook. So they take some classes and work on a line somewhere to get the hang of it. Only, they're twice the age of everyone else and getting circles run around them all day and night. Then it sinks in and they realize that they made a huge, huge mistake and that maybe accounting is not so bad after all. Because cooking is one thing, working on a line is another entirely. Not saying you need to be a genius or anything. Just that it's something that some people can handle and others can't.

 

Point taken, to an extent... So, there is no other job outside of "Client Relations Manager" that this lady can perform (Secretary, Administrative Assistant, Janitor, etc...) VT has an unemployment rate of 5.1%, which is incredibly low and at one time was considered a level of "Full Employment" (the 5.1% is actually lower/higher, depending on how you look at it, than what "full employment" was once considered) and this lady can't land a job?!?! But, she has filled out 3,000 resumes... Maybe she has other issues and you're correct that she can't get a job in the service sector. But, c'mon, she has been unemployed for OVER 99 weeks in a state that has GREAT employment statistics and is waging her own private war. Now, say she lived in AZ, NV, FL, GA where unemployment is 9%+, okay, maybe it actually is the economy. However, me thinks that she is a little, sniveling, narcissistic, liberal, twat that is trying to grind an axe where none needs to be ground. It's all about her, she can't find a job, she didn't do anything wrong, she is great at what she does and others just fail to see it. None of this is her fault, she would be gainfully employed if it weren't for the horrible economy and the ridiculously high unemployment level of... 5.1% in VT... She needs to quit taking letters to her senators office and learn how to write a freaking resume and present herself well in a freaking interview.

[matt770]

Again, I think you guys are way underselling how difficult some of these jobs are. Taking waiting tables. That is not only exhausting work but really not at all easy and hard enough that some people will never get good at it even if they try. And I'm just talking about keeping all the orders together and managing your tables. When you bring into the equation that you have to be able to take crap from people and not tell them to screw themselves, there's another "skill" that some people either have or they don't.

 

And, again, even if you have the aptitude, doesn't mean you're going to get the gig. I've got people walking in with resumes all the time. I've got someone just out of college who can't break into their preferred career but spent the last four years working dining room jobs while in school. Then I've got someone who's been in corporate for the last 10 years and hasn't worked in a restaurant for 10 years or more. There's a good chance they have no idea how to use the point of sale systems at very least and are going to be rusty in general. Who am I going to hire? Assuming they're both hot, of course.

 

"Flipping burgers" as well. Now, maybe not a places that completely mechanize the processes, but certainly at any busy place where you are actually making things from scratch and having to juggle orders.

 

I can't tell you how many people I've worked with over the years who ditched their office career to chase their dream of opening up their own restaurant because they loved to cook. So they take some classes and work on a line somewhere to get the hang of it. Only, they're twice the age of everyone else and getting circles run around them all day and night. Then it sinks in and they realize that they made a huge, huge mistake and that maybe accounting is not so bad after all. Because cooking is one thing, working on a line is another entirely. Not saying you need to be a genius or anything. Just that it's something that some people can handle and others can't.

 

In high school I worked several jobs in retail and was accustomed to the lulls in activity and 15 minute breaks. Then I got a job as a busboy at a Mexican place on the recommendation of a friend at school. I loved the food, and I got to come in early and order whatever I wanted and shoot the sh*t with the bartenders and get unlimited Cokes before my shift. The waitresses were hot as hell too, but in their 20s and didn't really give me much attention. The place was next to a movie theater and would fill up instantly after a movie let out. On weekends, the place was jam packed and I'd be on my feet all night long. Taking breaks really wasn't feasible. I absolutely hated it, lasted about 2 weeks. What really pissed me off was that the busboys were supposed to get a percentage of the waitstaff's tips, but they totally ripped us off. This place was in an affluent area and a lot of yuppies would come in and drink margaritas for hours, running up massive bills. At the end of the night, each server would count out the tips for the 2 or 3 busboys...1, 2, 3, here you go, 4 dollars, nice job tonight. It was an insult.

[Azazello1313]

well, if she devoted half as much time and energy toward being productive as she apparently spends lobbying and rentseeking on the taxpayer dime, I sorta suspect she might be better off.

[The Mucca]

Well by now, she should be qualified to be a mail lady.

[detlef]

Point taken, to an extent... So, there is no other job outside of "Client Relations Manager" that this lady can perform (Secretary, Administrative Assistant, Janitor, etc...) VT has an unemployment rate of 5.1%, which is incredibly low and at one time was considered a level of "Full Employment" (the 5.1% is actually lower/higher, depending on how you look at it, than what "full employment" was once considered) and this lady can't land a job?!?! But, she has filled out 3,000 resumes... Maybe she has other issues and you're correct that she can't get a job in the service sector. But, c'mon, she has been unemployed for OVER 99 weeks in a state that has GREAT employment statistics and is waging her own private war. Now, say she lived in AZ, NV, FL, GA where unemployment is 9%+, okay, maybe it actually is the economy. However, me thinks that she is a little, sniveling, narcissistic, liberal, twat that is trying to grind an axe where none needs to be ground. It's all about her, she can't find a job, she didn't do anything wrong, she is great at what she does and others just fail to see it. None of this is her fault, she would be gainfully employed if it weren't for the horrible economy and the ridiculously high unemployment level of... 5.1% in VT... She needs to quit taking letters to her senators office and learn how to write a freaking resume and present herself well in a freaking interview.

Again, I'm not trying to get her off the hook entirely and certainly agree that she needs to start thinking outside the box and not in the way she is.

 

However, assuming she sent out 3000 resumes, I'm guessing she applied for a ton of things besides "Client Relations Manager". That said, I'm more inclined to call BS on the fact that she sent out 3000 resumes. That's 30 a week for over two years. My wife was unemployed for quite some time and was hitting it pretty hard, but 30 a week, every week, for two years? That's a lot of resumes, especially if you're not an idiot and actually tailor each one to the specific job you're looking for. That's one that goes over well with me.

 

"Here's my resume. As you can see it mostly references my copywriting experience but I'd be happy to supply you with a list of restaurants I've worked at as well."

 

"You mean, as opposed to a bunch of jobs that have nothing to do with what we do here? That would be great."

 

I guess my main point is that, it's not like sliding down the labor scale is a sure way to get a gig. Because there are people down there looking for work just like you are. And, again, these people actually do these jobs normally. Take your janitor suggestion. That's certainly not a job that any of us couldn't learn to be good at. But if you're a "client relations manager" and the other guy up for the job has been mopping floors and cleaning toilets for the past 3 years, who's getting the gig? There's a reason why people don't get gigs their overqualified for. Not the least of which is that whomever is hiring for that janitor spot knows damned well that you are not going to stop looking for another gig once they bring you on. So, you're gone the second something decent comes up. Why not take a guy who's come to grips with the fact that he cleans toilets?

[Savage Beatings]

[Judge Smails] Well, the world needs ditch diggers too! [/Judge Smails]

[Trojanmojo]

well, if she devoted half as much time and energy toward being productive as she apparently spends lobbying and rentseeking on the taxpayer dime, I sorta suspect she might be better off.

 

If she has submitted 3,000 resumes, then I think she has spent at least half as much time and energy.

[westvirginia]

Det's right on one score, waiting tables is someplace you can make money but you HAVE to be good at it. I was a weekender at Bob Evans (about 20 hours total/week) while in college on Fri night, Sat & Sun mornings. I never made less than $200/weekend and it was usually closer to $300, and this was when you could get a meal there for $6 with a drink.

 

However, I have NO sympathy for this woman who is (as has been said) waging her private little war to keep living off the dole.

[Dr. Sacrebleu]

Hey, I have an idea you insipid little b!tch... All the time that you are spending compiling and sending these letters could be time spent working as a waitress, McDonalds cashier, Wal-Mart employee, etc... But nooooooo, "I'd rather stay on unemplyment, then have my unemployment run out, lose my home, have no money, mooch off of my firends and bitch about the govt not doing enough to help me (while living in one of the few states with an unemployment level below 8.5%) than do something so far beneath me like working in fast food, waiting tables, or working in retail... I have a college degree for the love of god!!!!"

 

This woman doesn't exactly seem like the best candidate for what I am about to say, but I have seen here in France how three of my friends who had good midlevel jobs were able to live off of there unemployment for two years (which is the amount you are eligible here) and used those funds for

Guy A opened a bar that is doing great business has I am guessing 5 full time employees, and a bunch of temps.

Guy B is the software developper for an online reservation site

Guy C is ready to launch his price comparison website. Could be hugh. Could flop.

Point is, they certainly would not be productive members of society, if they had spent two years scrubbing toilets, and flipping burgers. It was in their interest not to take those jobs, and it was in society's interest also.

Once again, while I agree that this woman sounds like a flake, and I do understand the distaste in the US for anyone's tax dollars going to support someone else's lifestyle. Here are three very good examples of how unemployment benefits can be really good for the economy.

 

The math is simple if someone who could make 200,000 dollars a year is making 18 000. It is in their best interest NOT to work for two years at tghe crappy job, but rather looking for the better job. It's in society's best interest as well.

I know that the retort is that you shouldn't have to pay for it, and that is definitely fair, but you kind of are already....

 

Of course the big problem is that for my three friends I mentioned, there are eight people in France gamiing the system....

[Azazello1313]

If she has submitted 3,000 resumes, then I think she has spent at least half as much time and energy.

 

meh, that number does not impress me, it is probably just to satisfy her unemployment officer. you ever put out an employment ad before? you always get a bunch of responses that are totally generic, do not reference your ad in any way, and reference totally unrelated "experience". makes you wonder if someone has written some sort of auto-response job application software that just spams any job opening.

 

I certainly don't get the sense this woman is standing outside an employer's office each day, saying "I will hand deliver this resume every day until you grant me an interview".

[Azazello1313]

This woman doesn't exactly seem like the best candidate for what I am about to say, but I have seen here in France how three of my friends who had good midlevel jobs were able to live off of there unemployment for two years (which is the amount you are eligible here) and used those funds for

Guy A opened a bar that is doing great business has I am guessing 5 full time employees, and a bunch of temps.

Guy B is the software developper for an online reservation site

Guy C is ready to launch his price comparison website. Could be hugh. Could flop.

Point is, they certainly would not be productive members of society, if they had spent two years scrubbing toilets, and flipping burgers. It was in their interest not to take those jobs, and it was in society's interest also.

Once again, while I agree that this woman sounds like a flake, and I do understand the distaste in the US for anyone's tax dollars going to support someone else's lifestyle. Here are three very good examples of how unemployment benefits can be really good for the economy.

 

so they sat on their ass on the public dole for the maximum time allowed, and then as soon as that spout ran dry they got productive. and you think this argues in favor of a generous public dole.

[Dr. Sacrebleu]

so they sat on their ass on the public dole for the maximum time allowed, and then as soon as that spout ran dry they got productive. and you think this argues in favor of a generous public dole.

 

While I will not pretend that there were not a few months where these guys were living pretty large, and not exactly putting their nose to the grindstone (i think their attitude was that as relatively high income earners they felt that their very high taxation rate over the last twenty years, putting more into the system than they were taking out 'entitled' them to a little R & R), at the end of the day they used those two years productively (none of them waited until funds ran out to actually get off ther rumps).

Like I said, I will not go to the mat for this system either, there are a lot of people who fit the bill you are describing in france, and I don't doubt that there are likeminded people in the US. And this system IS abused, but I do prefer that than the bloddy minded, knee jerk 'go flip burger' answer which is just not logical, realistic, or particularily empathetic.

I think there is some actual glee here are at the misery people who were living well fell into, and a sense of puritan retribution that I find a little unsettling.

 

At the end of the day I prefer a really substantial safety net (with the cost, the annoyance, and the abuse that goes with it) to the gauze like net that more and more peple are agreeing in the states should be the new norm. Where if some tragedy befalls you tough titties. You should have saved for a rainy day. Haha!

[wiegie]

I can't tell you how many people I've worked with over the years who ditched their office career to chase their dream of opening up their own restaurant because they loved to cook. So they take some classes and work on a line somewhere to get the hang of it. Only, they're twice the age of everyone else and getting circles run around them all day and night. Then it sinks in and they realize that they made a huge, huge mistake and that maybe accounting is not so bad after all. Because cooking is one thing, working on a line is another entirely. Not saying you need to be a genius or anything. Just that it's something that some people can handle and others can't.

Hey, Bier, you gonna take this?