This was written by Janalee Filer, an unemployed worker from Pueblo, Colorado. (She’s the blonde woman on the left.) She was in D.C. yesterday to tell her congressman she wants to work as part of Take Back The Capitol, an event organized by unions and activist groups:
I came to Washington, D.C. with a group of fellow Coloradans to tell our Congressman, Representative Scott Tipton, to create jobs and put Colorado back to work. What I heard back from him fell short.
As a construction worker for 26 years, I moved up through the ranks, saw my wages improve over the years and really enjoyed my job. But over the past 10 years my wages steadily declined. In 2008, my wages fell to $10 an hour, that’s $2 less than what I made in 1985!
I decided to leave work and take care of my ailing grandparents for a time, trusting that I’d have a job when I was ready to return. Well, here I am trying to get a construction job now for 2 years without any luck. My unemployment insurance has run out, and I am desperate for a job.
Unfortunately, my story isn’t unique. Pueblo, where I’m from, is experiencing an unemployment rate above 10%. Every family is affected. I believe in extending unemployment insurance for other people who still qualify, who are still struggling just to get by, who are still searching high and low for work.
That’s why I marched into Rep. Tipton’s office today and demanded a meeting. There is a crisis in Pueblo—and across the country—that requires leadership and commitment, and so far we have seen neither from our representative.
Rep. Tipton came and spoke with us for a few minutes in the lobby. When we asked him if he would vote to extend unemployment insurance, what I heard is that he is “pondering” it. I don’t understand how there is even a question about it!
One of his aides met with us in the lobby as well. When we asked him again about if Rep. Tipton would vote to extend the unemployment insurance, he told us he had to listen to both sides and then he told us a strange story. He heard about a disheveled guy going in for an interview and purposefully not getting hired just to get an unemployment check. We all sat there for a minute in disbelief. When I realized, that he was saying that my representative was considering not voting for unemployment insurance because he thinks there are lazy people milking the system, I was compelled to act.
I jumped out of my chair and told the aide that there are a lot more unemployed, hard working, good valued people in Pueblo and across Colorado who are looking for jobs than a handful who may not want work. I said, “I’ve worked for 26 years in road construction and paid into the system. Here I am, without a job for 2 years and my unemployment insurance has run out. I can’t milk the system. I want to work. What will you do for people like me?”
It was so offensive to hear him say he thought the unemployed were largely a lazy group looking for a handout. I am looking for work every day.
This visit actually opened my eyes to how Congress thinks—they live in a different reality. I didn’t expect to hear that they think of the unemployed as people just looking for a handout. It was shocking.
Congress is supposed to be supporting the people, their constituents. I came to him, basically begging for help, and they told me they wouldn’t help because I am lazy.
Well, lazy I am not.
I will be writing more to my local newspaper, organizing my neighbors, and speaking out more. I want to tell my Coloradans back home not to lose hope. You need to raise your voice. They can ignore a few of us, but they can’t ignore all of us. Let’s unite. It takes everyone.
And of course, I’d be very dismayed if any unemployed readers called Rep. Tipton’s Capitol Hill office (202-225-4761) and told them what they thought of his position.
“extending unemployment insurance for other people who still qualify”
Eyaw, unemployment for thee, but not for me. It’s like post 99ers don’t even exist.
Workers of the world unite! “The first step must be to convince the worker that only ‘unity’ will give him the means to change his existence.” “Only a politicized working class can move to the next stage: The organized struggle to safeguarding rights.” The 1% who control 40% of our wealth fear a unified 99% more than they fear death itself. The 1% creates “wedge issues” whenever possible to keep the 99% divided. The 1% uses war and the rumors of war as its greatest wedge issue. Once the 99% is unified against the 1%, the Capitalism that the 1% conducts will be tossed onto the trash heap of history.
Its based on a theological assumption that says that the just are rewarded and the unjust punished. Therefore if you are being punished it must be because of your own fault. Otherwise (1) the power in charge of the universe (whether it be God or the divine “market” ) does not recognize righteousness and punish wickedness, (2) My prosperity might not necessarily be because of my merit, and (3) I might be vulnerable to having the same thing happen to me. OR My idea of righteousness is not what God considers righteousness, so I better re-examine myself.
@#3P.R.: Ah, the old Weber Thesis. Or is it the prosperity gospel? It is truly shocking how strongly this train of thought runs just below the surface at many mainline congregations. But it never comes up for discussion. Wouldn’t want to offend any of those high-dollar pledgers or risk fomenting cognitive dissonance.
@#3P.R.: Ah, the old Weber Thesis. Or is it the prosperity gospel? It is truly shocking how strongly this train of thought runs just below the surface at many mainline congregations, but never comes up for discussion. Wouldn’t want to offend any of those high-dollar pledgers or risk fomenting cognitive dissonance.
You can say that again!
Congress. the media and the 1% are all of a mind that there is an underclass – lazy, ignorant, trashy underclass that deserves to be exploited. The powers that be are sociopathic authoritarians from both the left and the right.
The only ones in charge who admit this are the Ayn Rand fanatics. Her philosophy of objectivism teaches that the poor are non-productive sub-humans who don’t deserve to live.
“When we asked him again about if Rep. Tipton would vote to extend the unemployment insurance, he told us he had to listen to both sides and then he told us a strange story. He heard about a disheveled guy going in for an interview and purposefully not getting hired just to get an unemployment check.”
He heard about this guy. He’s got living, breathing constituents standing right in front of him and he’s going to leave them destitute because he heard about a guy.
I really don’t even know what to say.
“I heard about” is called hearsay and is not admissable in a court of law becasue it is meaningless garbage, made up stuff.
Next time one of “them” pulls an I heard about on you ask for details, names, time location, then verify. it will be like the alleged drug test failures…. a huge pile of crap
The Congressman’s attitude is so demeaning it crowds out another important issue — how in 2008 Ms. Filer’s wages were less than she was paid in 1985, twenty three years ago when she had just been in construction work for three years.
Calvinism, more than a “theological assumption,” is a way for the greedy to expiate their guilt and justify their continuing theft of the world’s wealth and oppression of the poor.