The Jobless And Form 1040

From all reports in the mainstream media again this week, it appears that Washington's priorities are once again something that needs immediate attention and review.

Instead of televising Obama's speech at the UN General Assembly once again heralding the U.S.'s unconditional support for Israel during the debate over Palestine's bid for statehood, with the new jobless and foreclosure figures in perhaps domestic concerns might take a front seat, rather than back seat, to Israel and its national security concerns which have been ongoing, after all, since World War II...

I mean, as one who was alive during the '67 war over borders and boundaries, Israel has been in the news consistently ever since...as has the Middle East and our continued involvement there...

Also, all those debates and televised campaign stops could be delayed until oh, say, at least six months before the next election, rather than a year and a half....

It occurred to me as one who has been fundamentally affected by what is wrong in Washington once again this past week, that what may be needed is an emergency pow wow of the powers that be that addresses some needed changes to Form 1040 before next April 15th in light of the ever increasing jobless and homeless Americans.

Many of those affected who no longer have jobs or homes are now living with relatives, if they have family so far that have not been impacted to such an extent.

Many of those living with extended family are now dependent on them for a roof over their heads, or food on their plate (since, of course, even food stamps are not available to people unless it is based on "household" incomes, with even the minimal Social Security payments outside the maximums in income or assets which qualify many for the program.

I have had to take residence with my elderly parents during some months since leaving my home state of Arizona five years ago, when this economic tsunami/foreclosure mess started after having owned my own home for over twenty five years.

Or, rather, it actually owned me in the end.

Both have heart disease, one in advanced stages, are in their 80's and live on their minimal social security payments, and a small pension received for forty years of work in the non-profit sector primarily. Both are on special diets due to their heart disease, but they have had added expense feeding me also as another mouth to feed, although do attempt to do some of the things both of them are unable to do at their age, and with their health issues.

I am over the age of 25, needless to say, as are many young adults also in this situation due to the dearth of jobs in their fields (although some of those degrees given today are quite unbelieveable).

Perhaps what is needed is another dependency exemption without age limits?

Forget the sums that would be provided to help under unemployment.

I was informed this week that my former employer in the State of Colorado and is licensed to do business there, whom I had worked for four months before being unilaterally "laid off" for all intents and purposes, had advised unemployment that I had, instead, "resigned." After almost eight weeks of receiving absolutely nothing while this was "pending investigation." I'm wondering if those jobless figures based on the Unemployment Claims filing have any truth to them at all, if this is what is occurring to many who have filed for their "temporary assistance."

As one who formerly worked in employment and labor law, this was no "resignation" under any true definition of the word, but an "enforced separation."

This was an employer that has been in the local newspapers in the community in which I formerly was residing for failing to pay its employees consisently week after week, and who also was giving employees unpaid time off when their call volume was down.

There were only five individuals left in my training class of 80 when they finally got to me, of course, after I questioned laying off 350 people after hiring 600 only three months prior.

I guess it was that question that sealed my eventual fate. And I suppose an employer who is having trouble meeting its payroll, is going to use every excuse imaginable in order to skirt around having to shell out for that even lesser unemployment amount...and this was a center that had a contract for a major national cell phone carrier, at that.

Try telling your landlord that you can't make the rent payment, because your employer was having several slow days that week.

I mean, if those in Washington are actually working at this point, rather than two-thirds of them attending fund raising events, and making campaign speeches, or are hard at work rewriting that tax code so that at least the instruction manual for completing a 1040 doesn't weigh more than a pound or two, rather than the ten to fifteen it does now, maybe this little problem has already been taken into account in some of those backroom meetings - what to do about those now jobless dependents?

I hope I hear something on CNN or Fox about it soon...because my elderly parents could certainly use a tax break so that at least they don't have to pay more taxes on that Social Security they had been receiving...

Which also looks as if it too is going to be reduced, for again "budgetary reasons."

While the war, of course, continues...and the insourcing and outsourcing for the "global good."

Banks Issue Flurry Of Default Notices to Homeowners in August

It was reported in the mainstream media that the banks have begun issuing a flurry of default notices to homeowners in August.

So much for the pleas by the President to arrange to work out refinances or better lending terms with the literally thousands of homeowners still who are facing foreclosure, especially in the Southwest, West and Florida, after the latest Washington manipulated boom and bust cycle in which many homeowners were forced into refinances under those "teaser" loans, or even British banking rate terms such as the LIBOR London interest rates.

I guess the time for understanding, or even compassion or integrity has passed.

Gee, I wonder if this has anything to do with Obama's proposal to turn bankers into landlords, and let them "lease out" those properties they are ready to foreclose on to the homeowner who has been scammed out of his property by this boom and bust wave, and the increasing costs of ownership which have also rise far above the cost of living, including in those states with all those property taxes.I wonder just why those banks would be now moving more quickly to initiate those foreclosure actions - to threaten those homeowners into those "lease" agreements, whatever THEIR terms might be?

This should really stimulate the home buying market for those few still in the market to buy into these "New Age progressive" loans and loan terms...

No New Jobs In August: How Many Were Lost?

As a baby boomer who has been seeking employment for the better part of six months currently, after working several months for a call center for a major cell phone carrier and then being subsequently "laid off" from there, I found the current jobs report again missed the mark on just what is occurring in the job market as a whole.

I have worked most of my adolescent and adult life in various industries and professions.

My first jobs were "starter" positions.

The first while in high school after my father's 1970's layoff was working for a major hamburger chain based out of Texas running their sales figures daily and crunching numbers.

The second after graduation was working for a "Million Dollar Roundtable" whole life insurance agent whose clientele consisted of many professional basketball players and consisted of doing all his clerical work, running his car to the car wash and picking up his laundry when needed, and combing the obituaries in order to obtain information on the recently deceased's widows in order to then cold call to sell them on whole life policies for my employer.

It lasted about six months until I could not stomach the invasion of their privacy and grief to continue making those calls.

I then worked for a bank again crunching numbers, and then for a major credit card company typing letters eight hours a day to cardholders, and eventually working for one of the Directors of their Western Regional Operating Center.

A company whose credit cards were and are a status symbol of sorts for the wealthier Americans.

Consequently, I have no problem even with my illustrious resume of positions I have held since that time (a corporate paralegal, and after a divorce a travel consultant) with doing what is now considered "menial work."

In fact, I recently worked for one of those dreaded "call centers" for a time, making not a whole lot of money in order to simply pay for my weekly rental room, and gas.

I've submitted at this point dozens and dozens of applications (an hour each to complete), and signed up at one of the local employment agencies in the area.

I've gone on interviews for movie theatre positions for minimum wage, and a government contractor and another call center for "technical" support where I was made to complete a IQ test for a position that simply required me to contact subcontractor technical support representatives to repair computers for governmental agencies and others from a list of "approved" vendors.

What the IQ test had to do with that one, I guess I'll never know since I must not have passed since that position was filled with another that suited the position a little better, or whose IQ test I assume was higher than mine.

I've even meet with the small business counselors in the area for an idea I have had for many years due to the declining health and hospitalizations of both of my elderly parents, but alas, was informed there simply is no money for new start ups in this piss poor economy.

The job situation has not improved except for the tech industries, and medical support positions I was also informed.

Or computer programmers (although I did have and maintained my own website based small retail business for over three years), but am not an "expert" in computer troubleshooting or programming.

I did get a solicitation recently from AARP to sign up for their resume classes through an online tutor at no cost, whose offices were in Washington.

Since tax credits are being given to employers who focus their efforts on hiring the returning military, Latinos, and those under 40, I just wonder why AARP is not fighting for the boomers and the discriminatory practices against generational Americans, or the under 65 or 70 crowd, which are being facilitated by Washington's apparent existing "jobs" agenda, rather than sending solicitation letters.

I hope during the summer break, those in Washington spent some of that time visiting the local job center offices.

To enlighten them as to just why those August job figures were so dismal.

And why the American economy IS NOT rebounding with this progressive depression.