Spent the afternoon talking about my job search with some people from the Jobs and Family Services. There's a few directions I need to get going. Also clearer on some future decisions. And I have ideas on how to rewrite the resume (for the fourth time). Just way too many things to discuss about that. So here's some other links.
But first, since I'm flipping channels, Hannity just had a guest who blamed Obama for the collapse of business in the private jet market. See, he (Obama) vilified CEOs flying around in their private jets (I seem to remember it being the Congress and the American People who did that, but whatever a persecution complex needs it'll manufacture), so those CEOs just won't buy them anymore. Yeah, that's why. Nothing to do with a collapse of the economy and private jets being a luxury item or the rise of plane-share programs. Nah, those wouldn't have anything to do with it. Well, Hannity is in the Reagan Library and this idiot of a business man got plenty of support of the crowd for his statements. It's the echo chamber in person. WIlliam Buckley is rolling in his fresh grave.
The Somali Pirate Business Model. Of somewhat an interest, reiterates things I already knew, but maybe interesting to some others. Piracy is business. Notice the reference to "investors."
One writer's story of breaking up with a publisher. And I can't say this is the first time I've heard similar stories. Take this as another push of the idea to remember writing is a business. We can sometimes get all caught up in the personalities, but when it comes down to the wire, it's a business relationship. I know in my own life that's a hard lesson to learn. But having just been laid off a third time in my professional career, I think that it's finally sinking in. (also grokked from Jay Lake).
Two Gallup polls that talk about being underemployed (a situation I'm staring in the face as we type). First up, the underemployed report worse health than the employed. Of course the survey doesn't go into causal questions (ie. are you underemployed because of the pain, or have the pain because you're underemployed?). Well, yes, I could have told them that. And, frankly, it's both. Then there's the emotional costs of unemployment. Go figure, people who want to work full time are experiencing emotion issues (stress, anger, sadness, worry) when they're not able to be fully employed. While they get to have more time with their family, really, I don't think that balances out the stresses. One major stress for me, even though they don't go into it in the surveys, health insurance. We're approaching two months being unemployed and without health insurance. I'm approaching a tipping point that I may not be able to get coverage because of pre-existing conditions (except for the "high risk" pool in the short run, then hopefully to regular insurance in 2014). You may see a connection in this poll on majority of poor, young, uninsured back HCR.
4 comments:
Many underemployed jobs don't have health insurance. So we have people who ARE working and not being deadbeats, and are punished for it. Must be the Republican ideal.
Dr. Phil
Maybe Obama should concentrate on jobs instead of health care.
Anonymous Cassie
Dr. Phil, yes, unfortunately I believe it is. Soon we'll have factory towns and stores. Which will be good, because no place else will accept script.
Cassie, since in this country the majority of people who have health insurance get it through their job, HCR was about jobs. While not designed specifically as a jobs creation bill, I can tell you the consensus between three counselors at JFS, the two leaders of the Job seekers group I went to and the placement specialist they had as a speaker (not to mention about four or five casual conversations with people in offices), the ice for new jobs broke about two weeks ago. The emails from the job seekers group these past two days have a number of "Success" stories.
So even while not all the provisions are enacted yet, I believe the HCR bill helped break the logjam. And with the various pundits are saying (the ones who are screaming about how the sky is falling) when they do future studies with the new HCR bill in place, I believe it's a long term jobs bill.
Again, the HCR bill isn't perfect (I'm still pissed about pre-existing conditions not removed until 2014 for adults), and just like Social Security and Medicare I expect to see adjustments made to the bill (there's even talk of bringing back the public option), the security, the relief, and the control of the health care insurance companies will allow productivity to rise faster, and improve the confidence that employers have to increase their payrolls.
I know this is a concept that has gotten lost recently, but employees become happier and very productive when they don't have worry about what happens if they get sick (or their kids get sick).
Forgot to mention, you may have missed in all the hoopla that the "massive" jobs bill already passed (in early March, which adds the tax benefits to anybody who will hire me at this point, as of Thursday I will have been unemployed 60 days). I don't blame you for missing it, as much of the space on the news got consumed in the rhetoric surrounding HCR. And now that HCR is passed, we can focus that political energy on to other projects.
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