A freelance writer on Huffington Post:
We “Used-to-Haves” all used to work in the corporate world for big, wealthy companies. We were discarded in layoffs. I’ve been told, as my employer du jour let me go, what a positive difference I made and the value of my contributions. I agree. I know I made my bosses look brilliant. Fully aware that my contributions built the company’s brand image. Yet, I was expendable.
As a new “Used-to-Have,” I denied my slide. “I’m not poor!” I nervously chuckled to myself. But as I slid more, the smartest thing was finally acknowledging poverty and applying for the benefits available. I’d never been poor before. I didn’t know how to be poor. But finally, I learned. The magnitude of my shame and embarrassment is unspeakable. It’s impossible to explain to people who aren’t poor — “The Haves.” When I’m beseechingly desperate for a check owed to me, the check writer inevitably has no concept of how frighteningly desperate I am for that money. They say, “Next week? or “The accountant says two weeks.” I plead, nicely, sincerely, “Is there no way you could just write me that check?” And the answer is “no.” It’s just putting a pen to paper, but for “The Haves,” I’m just a pain in the neck.
Despite the disappearance of the middle class and the proliferation of the “Used-to-Haves,” Corporate America is as cavalier and unfeeling as they were when I was laid off. I remember working overtime for a New England financial firm on weekends, holidays and New Year’s Eve. Getting my arm stuck in a copier while fixing a paper jam. Wearing matching t-shirts as we moved boxes from one location to another. You name it, I made every sacrifice to keep my job in Corporate America.
Watching John Boehner and the Republican Congress during the past few years has been a stunning confirmation of their seeming disregard for the “Used-to-Haves.” As they pull down salaries of $174,000 a year, unparalleled benefits and the option of voting themselves a raise, their selfishness is unrivaled as they barricade health care reform, knowingly shut down the government, cut SNAP benefits and eliminate extended unemployment payments.
Congress doesn’t have the stones to call up their lobbyist buddies and corporate honchos and insist they hire more unemployed Americans for the American companies they celebrate and boast about.
The press calls it “The Great Recession.” It actually was the “Great Theft.” In the wake of this very public, often-glossed-over theft from the middle class, the perpetrators have been revealed. We know the American corporations without the courage, scruples or heart to help us, the ones responsible for the recession and the politicians who put the toxic policies in place. We “Used-to-Haves” aren’t stupid.
As a “Used-to-Have,” I’m beyond angry. I’m not a “Never Had.” I know what it’s like to pay bills on time and have a little left over. I remember vacations and pedicures and going out to dinner. As a “Used-to-Have,” I know exactly what Corporate America, lobbyists and politicians have taken away from me. The “Used-to-Haves” and the children of the “Used-to-Haves” won’t forget. The “Used-to-Haves” are educated. Many of us and our children have amazing talent and academic honors. We know how to get things done. And though all of the odds appear to be against us, we must refuse to give up hope.
H/t Ben Mann.
Over the past 12 months Labor Costs have declined across the board. Productivity has increased in that same time period. Which means that lots of the work that used to be done by people is now being done by machines. That begs this question: as this process accelerates, and it will, what are all of the “Used-to-Haves” going to do for money? Left up to the Republicans all of them will be wondering the streets in rags slowly starving to death.
Not to belittle the “used to haves”, but I come from a generation and upbringing of “never haves”. Not to whine, you understand, but bootstraps were in short supply in my parents day. Being black with relatively uneducated parents, our only means of survival was to do the best with what Detroit offered at the time. Fortunately for us the JFK’s, MLK’s, and LBJ’s opened some doors to at least offer my generation some options. But now it appears we’ve regressed to the 50″s and 60’s where shitheads with no nuts are in charge, including Obama who has failed to do right by signing the Farm Biill and taking food out of the mouths of those who need it most. Can he say “VETO”?
“…As they pull down salaries of $174,000 a year…”
That $ 174,000 doesn’t mean peanuts to these guys. They’ve all got big money from sources other than their Congressional salary. Boner especially probably just reserves his salary for drinks.
“…their selfishness is unrivaled …”
Actually, it is rivaled by the selfishness of any Corporate Board member in America, who are of course bestest pals forever with any Congressperson.
“…Congress doesn’t have the stones to call up their lobbyist buddies and corporate honchos and insist they hire more unemployed Americans…”
Nah. It’s not a matter of having the “stones” or not – having the stones implies deep down inside you’d like to see some people get hired, and you’re working up your nerve to confront Corporate America about this and you finally do so.
But if you don’t care at all in the first place, then whether you have the stones or not never really enters the picture.
“… The “Used-to-Haves” are educated. Many of us and our children have amazing talent and academic honors. We know how to get things done…”
Yup. Somehow, some way, we need to have an economic track other than Corporate America so that people can put their talents to use. Transition towns, local currencies, local economies – things like that.
At some point there will be a revolution.
Enough is enough.
After reading this person’s lament, the only thing I’m surprised about is that she still won’t admit that it’s HER party that can be blamed for her used-to-have status. Oh, but wait! It’s still W’s fault. Obama has been in office 5 years, and still he doesn’t own the economy.
The Dems own the executive branch and 1/2 of Congress, and yet, it’s those evil Republicans’ fault. I wonder how this used-to-have was doing during W’s 8 years as president.
Yes, company’s have stopped hiring like they used, and unemployment numbers are only going down because so many have simply stopped looking. The labor participation rate is the lowest in decades. All of that happened under the naive, pin-headed leadership of our first affirmative action president.
But, its Boehner’s fault. Yeah, we’re the ones that passed Obamacare so that employers’ would reduce employee hours, let others go, and sit on their cash (instead of hiring) because they can’t properly estimate the medical cost burdens they’ll have to bear.
Look in the mirror. You voted this dufus into office, a guy who had never run anything, and now you are suffering the consequences of a stupid electorate. Enjoy your new status because it’s going to last as long as the Dems run things.
Ron, you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, so I’m guessing you’re either in IT or engineering. Because they’re usually the commenters who are so very wrong, but never in doubt.
I read the post on Huffington Post and I am also a 30 year very experienced HR professional with all of the same new “symptoms and, until recently, I was very “ill” indeed.
Then, I decided it’s time to not get additionally mad – but to get even.
My husband and I both went through a 5.5 year slide from prosperity (hard worked and earned the old way) into oblivion. We are both in our late fifties – so there you go. Lost everything and tried to rearrange ourselves on our savings…. very bad idea but we did so thinking we would land on our feet.
We just decided to work with what we now have. We moved to a very rural area of the country, where my husband (who has old guy skills like mechanics, truck driving, small engine repair, and carpentry) was able to find work. I also have old woman skills like alternations and resume writing that I put to work. Slowly, over the past three years – we have built up a new life embracing new ideas surrounding using our poverty to live. It’s very difficult and my anger is still simmering every day over what we had to give up after so much hard work, education, and living for our corporate jobs, however, here are the new rules:
We NEVER eat out
We live on a strict small budget
We barter with neighbors and try to buy most things used
We bought a small 4 acre wooded farm with a small shed that, yes, we fashioned into a house on a contract for deed. Our entire living expenses amount to 600 dollars a month. We shop at Walmart, along with most of America’s poor and we shop carefully. We buy nothing new and I will NEVER shop for non-essentials new ever again.
You see, we are going to “starve the beast”. I know many out there will say that we are making things worse….. I say that we are forcing our hand and this is just about the only way to do it. If everyone would stop shopping for “stuff”; pull their money from the “too big to fail” and go about the business of shedding the old ideas … based on endless growth for the “always to have” – we will definitely be a force to be reckoned with … and maybe we can create a new world for our children and be part of a new “Have” generation’s gift to the afterall – because it isn’t what you have but what you do with it.
I feel your pain and with a new plan we may just have more than we thought we could….. and in a better way.