Here is the number that matters: 15.3 million. That's how many folks remain unemployed.
Today's news on the unemployment rate seems bittersweet. About 290,000 jobs were added, but the unemployment rate rose to 9.9 percent. If you're among the longtime unemployed, this news can be seen as more bitter than sweet. Here's why.
Despite the substantial increase in new jobs, there are more people percentage-wise looking for work. Therefore, the competition for jobs is fiercer. Those job-seekers who are at a disadvantage for whatever reason aren't likely to find it any easier to obtain work. Many will settle for being underemployed, which doesn't really do a lot of good for them or the economy.
What the 290,000 number doesn't specify is what kind of jobs are being created. From my perspective, it appears many advertised job openings are for entry-level positions or in limited fields. Good news for those graduating from college or trade schools. Not so much for mid and senior-level professionals.
I take today's news with a grain of salt. The politicians and media commentators will spin it in various ways that suit them. But the current reality for 15.3 million Americans, plus the millions who are underemployed, remains essentially the same. We welcome each bit of good news, but we also know that employers are still getting hundreds of applications for every decent job opening.
There is no doubt that the bleeding is slowing down. That's the good news. But the economy is still not generating enough jobs to shorten the unemployment line. That is just a fact. With the stock market wobbling lately, the Gulf of Mexico spill expanding and other growing stresses on the economy, it's going to take more than one or two semi-positive job reports to restore real optimism. Those who have been out of work for a long time and have exhausted their resources simply don't have much time left to get back on their feet.
Now for something a little lighter. This first appeared as a Super Bowl commercial and is still being aired in May.
I enjoy this commercial. For a guy who usually mutes all television advertisements, that's saying a lot. It's witty and shows that the right music can significantly enhance the message. Like Nike commercials, this Kia advertisement doesn't really say much about the product. It's selling an idea, a concept, instead of the particulars about the merchandise. And I think it works. It's funny, even silly, but certainly not dumb like so many TV commercials.
By the way, the song is "How You Like Me Now" by a group called The Heavy.
I have filled out hundreds of job applications in the last 17 months. Some take an hour to complete, some take five minutes. Almost all of them ask for the following:
1. Gender 2. Race/ethnicity 3. Military experience
There is usually an opt-out check box that allows you to not answer those questions, allegedly without being penalized. It's a legal thing, I am sure. However, I always answer the questions.
I am a white male with no military service. That probably disqualifies me from some jobs, regardless of whether the application or employer indicate that or not. The questions wouldn't be there if they didn't matter. I figure if gender and race are potentially deciding factors, I might as well answer the questions because eventually, somewhere in the hiring process someone will figure out that I am a white male.
I have written a lot about age discrimination in the workplace. The unemployment stats seem to support my opinion. From my perspective, it's as blatant as any kind of discrimination can be. But to make matters worse, these questions of race, ethnicity and gender on job applications make me feel as though I am hopelessly trying to swim upstream at 52 years old.
I am not sure when it became such a liability to be an experienced, white male with with a good employment history, but I can certainly hear the waterfalls getting closer as my job search continues and bank account dwindles.
For anyone who reads this blog, you probably know that I support our country and employers giving fair opportunities to qualified/deserving people, regardless of gender, race, ethnic background, etc. In addition, I believe vets deserve certain considerations for serving our country. But there is something that just doesn't feel right about these questions being standard on most job applications. I feel as though I am out of the running before the race even begins.
A couple months ago I wrote several blog posts about Sen. Jim Bunning's attack on unemployed Americans. I also wrote to politicians on the state and federal levels, expressing my concerns about Bunning's actions. The Republican senator unfairly blocked benefits to thousands of Americans in order to score a few political points with the right wing of the GOP.
After two months, I finally got a personal reply. It came from Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia via the postal mail today.
Because I have come down pretty hard on Republicans lately, I wanted to be fair and mention that Wolf, a longtime Republican representing the 10th District, did make an effort to address my concerns. It came a little too late, but as they say, better late than never.
Faisal Shahzad, 30, was arrested at JFK Airport. He was trying to flee to Dubai and was literally pulled off the plane by U.S. authorities. Notice that he was trying to escape to Dubai, not Cancun.
Preliminary reports indicate that Shahzad is a Pakistani man who is allegedly a naturalized American citizen. The attempted Times Square bombing is an act of terrorism, but officials haven't yet determined what formal ties the accused Shahzad might have to organized groups. One thing for sure, it wouldn't surprise anyone if Shahzad is connected to the Taliban, Al Qaeda or another terrorist group.
I said in a recent post that our fears of terrorism shouldn't be so centered on immigrants from Mexico. All of the major terrorism attacks in the U.S. in the last 20 years have come from the Middle East or from within our own borders. Not a single Mexican has shot up a military base, flown jets into skyscrapers, blown up federal buildings or threatened South Park cartoon producers. Not one Mexican that I know of has worn exploding underwear or put bombs in their shoes with the intent of killing of Americans. We are not at war with Catholicism, which is the prominent religion in Mexico.
We know what the problem is. We know where the extreme hatred for us is coming from. Instead of profiling Mexicans in Arizona or Prince William County, Va., maybe authorities need to take a harder look at the fanatics coming here legally and illegally who have nothing but contempt for America.
Neighbors have said that Shahzad mostly kept to himself. No crime in that. I live in an area where keeping to yourself is a way of life, especially among certain groups. However, I do wonder what other potential behaviors people might have seen in Shahzad that could have been a red flag. Understandably, it is not always easy to report those behaviors without sounding like a racist or appearing to be paranoid. Yet, with the current state of the world, we do have a responsibility to err on the side of caution.
Some people claim Mexicans do not want to assimilate into American culture. I disagree with that broad assessment. In fact, if you want to see real non-assimilating cultures, come to Northern Virginia where large mosques are surrounded by unwelcoming iron gates and where getting a simple hello from some neighbors is nearly impossible.
I suppose it's easy to go after Mexicans, particularly in the Southwest. Illegal immigration does cause certain problems. But if it's potential terrorism that you're worried about, my guess is that any future car bombs or exploding planes will be caused by people who hate America, not by people who risk their lives to get here.
In a time when we're at war and in a deep recession, where hope is dwindling in a divided America that has slipped in properly raising, educating and employing its citizens, simple pleasures like taking a walk on a beach or fishing in an inlet become more important to sustaining our collective sanity. Our natural surroundings often allow us to cope with unnatural circumstances.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill, caused by everything that is wrong with our increasingly greedy and shallow society, will undoubtedly break the backs of many folks who were hanging on by a thread before the oil rig blew up. As the oil makes its way to Florida, and possibly heads into the Atlantic Ocean, the scale of this tragedy will grow and literally seep into millions of lives and businesses in the coming weeks if a miracle doesn't occur soon. Walks on the beach and shrimping boats may be a thing of the past.
There should be many lessons that come from this oil spill. Unfortunately, the lessons likely to be learned won't necessarily be the best ones. This disaster should cause us to look inward, yet I believe those in power will approach this in a different manner -- the same manner they always do. They'll look for solutions on how to make rigs safer and plow ahead. That's all fine, but the core problem isn't entirely with oil rig technology or safety procedures. The real problem is us. That is something Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell fails to understand as he callously called for Virginia to move ahead with build off-shore platforms today. McDonnell, the man who recently brought back Confederate History Month, once again showed his poor timing and lack of sensitivity.
River by river, species by species, we are destroying everything that gives us life. We are doing it in the name of profits, progress and even national security. The people in big oil are no different than the poachers hunting tigers for cash. They are taking something for their gain and jeopardizing the rest of us.
Until we can mend the ways of the corporations and governments behind the mass destruction of land, lives and livelihoods, what chance do we have of convincing a poor South American farmer to not clear-cut another 10 acres in the rain forest? Until something is more important than money and power, what chance do we have of surviving? Until average citizens say enough is enough -- that we don't want to cavalierly accept that frogs are ominously growing extra appendages in vital wetlands and that massive chicken farms are still dumping waste into streams and rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay -- we are pulling the plug on our existence. Yes, I am calling for more screams of protest. But I am also hoping for greater public awareness and engagement. You don't have to get on a Greenpeace boat to have a positive impact. Small gestures can make a difference if people would only wake up and understand how this spill is the culmination of everything that is internally disappearing within us.
I am reminded of a situation last year when I was quietly sitting on my deck. Two teenagers walked by on a path behind our house. They didn't see me. As they turned a corner, they threw a plastic soda bottle in the bushes of my neighbor's house. I stood up and shouted, "Pick it up." Of course, they were surprised by my appearance. Hearing the tone of my voice, they did pick up the bottle. I thanked them for ultimately doing the right thing, and they moved on, hopefully realizing they were wrong to trash my neighbor's yard.
I believe if everyone spoke up more often, not only would this be a better place to live, but we'd also teach some important lessons to those who are tempted to try to get away with things either out of ignorance or malice. Whether it's two kids littering or BP trashing the entire Gulf of Mexico, we can speak up and help prevent this stuff from reoccurring. We don't have to elect governors like McDonnell, who make campaign promises to bring back good jobs, but do nothing to fulfill those promises. We can exam the records of politicians more closely before voting instead of electing officials by party affiliations or personalities. We can seek out news and information that is objective, instead of getting wound up by radio and TV commentators whose only motivation is to get ratings. We don't have to allow our way of life to be trashed by those with warped and selfish views.
It's up to us whether we continue to trash our waters, mountains, beaches and basic values. We can use this oil spill as a springboard into becoming more informed and more active, and to not allow people and companies with fat wallets and corrupt hearts to dictate what survives and what goes extinct. It starts with individuals being more aware of their surroundings, like the street vendor in New York City who helped avoid another man-made catastrophe in Times Square over the weekend. He saw something suspicious, alerted police and saved a lot of lives. That kind of simple involvement could happen each day in a number of ways that would be good for the planet and for mankind.
Have we lost our ability to express outrage in a constructive and timely manner? Do we even know what we should be collectively outraged about anymore? That didn't seem to be a problem 30 or 40 years ago when U.S. citizens took to the streets over wars, environmental issues and civil rights. Our music, literature, movies and news reports reflected what was going wrong in society so that we could apply the pressure to fix it. But now, even when we do organize, our causes seem less substantive and often focus narrowly on self-serving interests or political ideologies. It's not that America lacks big, moral issues worth fighting for or against, it just seems everyone is preoccupied by other pursuits. Distractions abound in modern society.
We have a great opportunity to righteously scream bloody murder over the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The screw-ups and lies coming from the oil company and slow-reacting government officials should be enough to draw similar public outrage to the post-Katrina cries and protests. Yet, I don't see tears, raised fists or politicians demanding anything of themselves or BP. I want to see some anger and good old-fashioned finger pointing. I want to hear our president raise his voice. There are some things in life that people have a right, even a responsibility to scream about, particularly when it is relatively clear who and what is to blame. This man-made crime against nature is one of those things I don't need wait on a Congressional panel to tell me what went wrong.
I fear many people are only casual observers of what is going on in the gulf. The news in general, for whatever reason, just doesn't interest people like it did in the 1960s when folks gathered around the television to watch Walter Cronkite or picked up a copy of The New York Times to read about what they needed to know versus what they wanted to know. We now live in a Twitter world, where substance is sacrificed for immediacy. Our attention span is down to 140 characters.
Where is the organized outrage about over-development, unemployment, dangerous coal mines, polluted bays and corporate greed? Injustice should be easy to spot, particularly when people die, go broke or have no quality of life because of the actions or inaction of elected officials or corrupt business leaders. What's going to happen to the fishing industry in the gulf states, and shouldn't that concern us all? Why aren't more people bothered by Goldman Sachs or age discrimination? Do you have to get cancer before you begin to question why a cure hasn't been found yet?
We have a rather huge problem -- a leaking oil well that will rip through our economy in ways we don't even realize yet. Entire habitats are being destroyed as I write this post and I read one report where the Atlantic Ocean, not just the gulf, might be in jeopardy. And when all is said and done, I doubt anything will change to prevent this from happening again because the public outrage won't be loud enough or sustained. It seems the only time we become outraged is when problems are on our doorstep. By then, it's too late. Make no mistake about it, the problem in the gulf will impact us all, just as the 9/11 attacks rippled well beyond the World Trade Center and Pentagon sites.
The people causing these environmental disasters and economic assaults need to go to jail, whether they are from Wall Street or in the corner offices of big oil. Plain and simple, they need to be accountable. Whether it's a CEO of a car company that allows for unsafe vehicles to reach market or an oil executive that lies to the public, there has to be consequences for acting badly in big business. Not just monetary penalties, but time behind bars. These people can afford the fines, but few would want to risk 10 years in prison for acting irresponsibly.
There is a lot to be outraged about in our world, from corporate corruption to raping of the rain forest. And I understand one can't go through life fighting city hall 24/7. But we have migrated to such a point of apathy and distraction that virtually nothing gets fixed anymore because our collective voices aren't being heard on matters of energy, education, crime, the economy and the environment. We just keep repeating the same mistakes over and over either through neglect or misguided solutions. Heck, most people won't even bother writing a letter to their Congressman when they are upset. Perhaps some voices aren't heard because they aren't speaking loudly enough.
My thoughts go out to all the people in the gulf states who are breathing oil fumes and worrying that their livelihoods are gone. The images of birds and marine life covered in oil are heartbreaking. And unlike the destruction from earthquakes and tornadoes, this has been a tragedy created by and made worse by human beings. It was containable, if not outright preventable. But human beings in leadership positions failed.
Through it all, there will be some very good folks cleaning off sea turtles, washing down birds and volunteering to assist with the cleanup. There is always a segment of mankind that tries to undo the misdeeds of others. Unfortunately, this time the challenge is enormous and an entire industries such as fishing and tourism might be lost for decades.
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, I was driving through a small town in Maryland. I was at a four-way stop in my brand new Ford Explorer. To my left was a police officer in his cruiser. The light turned green and I drove on. Within a half a mile, I was pulled over by the cop. He asked to see my license and registration, which I presented to him without question, and he let me go shortly afterward. I don't know why I was pulled over that day. Was it my new, black SUV with the tinted windows that somehow raised his suspicion? Was it that I looked like someone who might have stolen the vehicle? This wasn't a checkpoint where everyone was being stopped, nor did I commit any traffic violation. So was this some kind of errant ethnic profiling in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks? I can tell you that as an American citizen, it was a very unsettling feeling for me.
In essence, this is what is wrong with the new Arizona law that tries to curb illegal immigration based on how people look rather than how they actually behave. This was the same problem that Prince William County, Va., faced in 2007 with its push for tougher laws that eventually had to be curtailed. If you get a chance to see the film 9500 Liberty, you will see what these types of laws do to communities. In Prince William County and Manassas, Va., even the police chief was against the tougher laws for reasons he outlined to a county commission that didn't seem to listen. The chief made a strong case about how the law would make policing tougher and actually result in more crime.
Eventually, the county's economy began to collapse because so many people left the area. Hispanic kids, even the ones here legally, weren't going to school out of fear of being targeted by authorities. Community policing efforts became fractured because of a lack of trust. This is what Arizona will face on a state-wide basis.
I have included the 9500 Liberty trailer here, but it doesn't totally capture the complexities of what went wrong in Northern Virginia when misguided politicians tried to push the law to its limits. The documentary is currently being shown in various movie houses in Arizona. Perhaps it will provide some insights on why laws like this often make matters worse and why the authors of these bills sometimes have less than honest or honorable intentions.
There are functional and fair laws already on the books to address certain problems created by illegal aliens, or anyone else, who violate the law. Federal enforcement and immigration policies do need to be beefed up to curtail the flow of illegal immigrants from all countries, not just ones from south of the border. But Arizona, like Prince William County, should not take matters into its own hands by creating laws that go against common decency. Arizona has embarrassed itself enough in the past by doing things like not recognizing Martin Luther King Day. And it paid an economic and moral price for it.
Despite the highest profits in six years and a plan to increase automobile production, Ford officials are not committed to hiring workers anytime soon. That is representative of what is keeping the economy from a true and sustainable recovery.
Many companies are making money again. The federal stimulus funds are beginning to work and certain business practices are improving. Some companies, such as Ford, are reporting huge profits. Even the newspaper industry, where I worked for nearly three decades, seems to be on the mend.
Yet, there is one thing missing from all this good news. Jobs.
Whether it's due to a lack of confidence in the fragile recovery or just pure greed, corporate America does not seem inclined to hire at a rate sufficient enough to put a serious dent in unemployment figures. That's a major problem for the country as a whole as we try to reduce the deficit and restore the hope and spirit of the middle class.
If companies don't begin to show some faith in themselves and the economy by creating more jobs, whatever gains that have been made in recent months will be quickly lost in a second and deeper recession -- maybe as early as this fall, according to some economists. Whatever sense of optimism that has been generated in real estate sales and through other economic indicators has to be supported by the generation of a significant number of new jobs. Simply halting layoffs isn't going to get it done. We have a lot of catching up to do in order to bring laid-off folks back into the system.
So far, it appears the majority of new jobs have been low-level positions. That is feeding into the underemployment rate, which is around 18 percent. Until jobs are available that pay decent wages, foreclosures will continue. Consumers will cut back again. The negative rippling effect will resume once the stimulus funds are exhausted.
The formation of good jobs remains the key to everything. While $50,000 jobs being replaced by $20,000 jobs might be good for short-term corporate profits, it does little to strengthen our economy for the long haul.
I think it's fair to assume that saving the state of Alabama a few bucks isn't the only motivation behind the position stated in this Republican advertisement. Look what happened in Arizona last week with the new state immigration law. There seems to be a growing "us-against-them" movement, which is a very dangerous thing for politicians to perpetuate, regardless of whether this specific English-only idea makes sense or not. I like for my political leaders to find ways to bring us together rather than tear us apart. But maybe that's just me. It will be interesting to see how Alabamians react to the ad and to the Tim James candidacy.
Here is the number that matters: 15.3 million. That's how many folks remain unemployed.
