Involuntary Unemployment

In Yahoo News, they were talking about how serious a problem it is for those who have tried to find work but have found it difficult to find any. Republicans are about to pull the one thing the unemployed have. Unemployment Insurance. I have been there, but I was fortunate that I had a teaching certificate and could sub. Today, substitution work pays only about $40.00 a day, and you must be lucky to catch a job every day. Although in the end, I was a regular sub. They plugged me in anywhere. It was not the best work, but at least it was work. Robert Klein, the comedian/actor, did sub work to supplement what work he had.

Not everyone is as fortunate as I was. Some people — and this was true in Indiana — graduated high school, and from there went directly into the steel mills. Now, the steel mills are gone. They were one of the largest employers of those living on both sides of the Indiana and Illinois state lines. What if you are 50, or in your early 60s? Older, but not old enough to retire, and the only work experience you have is working in the Mills. Going back to school if you were younger is a choice, but by the time you got a degree or a new skill, you would be even older. And employers are not interested in hiring you. This is a problem.