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I got fired recently at 64, and I think it's part of the plan. [1]

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Date: 2023-02-05  

A recent great diary from Laura Clawson about the pitiful wages of most Americans reminded me of something from April 2020 that has stuck with me since. www.dailykos.com/...

I literally have made $37,000.00 a year for the past 15 years. (And actually, just got fired). For being “insubordinate”. My crime was pointing out to my direct boss and his direct boss, that adding another job to my job description (done 3 times previously) without a pay raise was unacceptable, and that I couldn’t do it and wouldn’t do it. Being unemployed is not cool, but I did finally stick my head up, and realized that hell,…. at least I don’t have to replace a $60,000.00 salary. (Which is still too low for SW GA. And with the kids gone, and Medicare an option, I think I’m headed for an inflection point in life. I’m healthy, smart enough, and most importantly, have come to the realization that I don’t have to take this shit anymore, and frankly, I intend to get involved politically, even to the point of running against my GA State Rep in ‘24. A pitiful, 80 year old “Dixiecrat” who’s served for 40 years, the last 30 as a Repub after switching parties.

Now, for the part that has stuck with me:

When the 1st batch of Covid unemployment came out in April 2020, my wife had to close her hair salon for 6 weeks, and she was able to draw unemployment PLUS, the $600.00 a week extra from the Covid money.

After all those years of scraping by, it was amazing what that “extra” $3600.00 over 6 weeks showed me about “being poor”. It was a relief knowing that a $300.00 car part isn’t going to force me into scramble mode. $600 a week is just $30,000.00 a year and on top of my $37,000.00, imagine what $67,000.00 a year would do for us. Hell, I’d be the damn happiest dude moving around GA.

Poverty (and no, this is not poverty), is a damn menace, and Congress CAN fix this. We just have to keep pushing these asshats and elect Dems to fix this. Give us a fair fight electorally, reform the Justice System (expand the number of circuits), and for Christ’s sake, tax the over $400,000 a year (people & companies) crowd at a higher rate, break up a few monopolies (media & certain industries come to mind), add a Federal Workforce option (WPA, CCC,etc) to the economy (with a $15.00 hr starting point & benefits), and start defining the “job creators” for what they are.

And it is really a simple thing. “Jobs are created by demand, not by products”. Not a single company will add a single job unless forced to by demand. They aren’t so benevolent as to just “invent” jobs out of whole cloth.

The US Government is the only entity big enough to force private industry into flattening the inequality of this country. Just start a workforce. Repubs always want to add work requirements for “benefits” Better yet — give them a job. Outside of private industry.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/5/2151242/-I-got-fired-recently-at-64-and-I-think-it-s-part-of-the-plan

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