The Unemployment Diaries, Reprise

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Friday January 11, 2013 · 5:25 AM PST

2013/01/11 · 05:25

A couple days ago I wrote about my feelings on losing my home to foreclosure. When I first lost my job, years ago, I wrote about it here. Here's the next chapter.

"The ship of the American Dream has wrecked, slammed into the iceberg of the recession. We hung on as long as we could, but 40% of the compartments were breached. Too much to hold on. We missed a couple payments, and the bank refused from that point on to deal with us honestly.

We offered to resume payments immediately provided they could give us an assurance that they would not foreclose on us while we were working on making up the deficit. No dice, they said. 'I can’t guarantee that the foreclosure department won’t move on it.'"

Edit: as the commentors have asked that I post the entire article here, it's now available over the jump.

eponymouse

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Friday August 19, 2011 · 8:20 AM PDT

2011/08/19 · 08:20

Facebook is a well (some would argue a cesspool) of memes. One of the current ones is this:

Thank you Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri, which are the first states that will require drug testing when applying for welfare. Some people are crying and calling this unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional ? It's OK to drug test people who work for their money but not those who don't?… Re-post this if you'd like to see this done in all 50 states
Everyone should agree with this!
Amen

Beyond the obvious hoax (it's not a law in all three of these states yet) this is a patently ridiculous statement and a part of the right-wing echo chamber. Follow me over the fold if you're interested in my refutation, which has already led to one retraction.

Poll

76 votes Show Results

Are any of these drug tests proper?

76 votes Vote Now!

Are any of these drug tests proper?

Pre-employment

5 votes

Random for current employees

3 votes

Pre-public assistance

19 votes

No, they are simply part of the failked War on Drugs

36 votes

Other more nuanced view

6 votes

Pie

7 votes

A brief observation of the parking lot at the local food shelf

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday August 17, 2011 · 8:10 PM PDT

2011/08/17 · 20:10

Five or six years ago, the parking lot at the food shelf was filled with crappy cars. Beaters with coat hanger antennas, bashed bumpers, doors held closed with bungee cords. There would be a couple nice cars in the lot, and they stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb.

2011, the ratio has flipflopped. There are a lot more nice cars in the lot than lousy ones. The people getting out of the cars have a shell-shocked look, and it's clear that for most of them, that nice vehicle is the only asset they have left -- and it makes no sense to trade in a good vehicle with a lot of miles left in it for a cheap car and one or two months of bills that would soon leave you broke and without reliable transportation.

Thanks for the repost!

Poll

59 votes Show Results

In the last year I've been to a local food shelf

59 votes Vote Now!

In the last year I've been to a local food shelf

Once

2 votes

Twice

0 votes

Three times

2 votes

Frequently

2 votes

As often as allowed

1 vote

Food shelf? There aren't any near me

4 votes

Nope. Too proud.

3 votes

Nope. Haven't had to. Yet.

38 votes

Other

4 votes

Pie

3 votes

Jobs: a 3-Point Plan

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday August 09, 2011 · 6:27 AM PDT

2011/08/09 · 06:27

Like everyone else, I know exactly how to save the country.

Come over the fold for three simple ideas that would go a long way to fixing our political and economic problems. Tell me in the comments why it won't work -- other than "The people in power won't allow it to happen."

Poll

12 votes Show Results

These three points are:

12 votes Vote Now!

These three points are:

Ill-considered and naive

1 vote

Not a bad idea but need refinement

1 vote

Good as far as they go

0 votes

A good place to start

1 vote

Let's do it now

7 votes

Other

0 votes

Pie

2 votes

America Doesn't Need Jobs

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday August 02, 2011 · 1:04 PM PDT

2011/08/02 · 13:04

America doesn't need jobs.

America needs careers. America needs something better than stressed,unhappy, underutilized people who earn not enough to get by and spend their days worrying whether today is the day they get the axe for impersonal -- or personal -- reasons.

Follow me over the fold, if you like. I promise a ramble with a bit of a rant, but no hard figures, snazzy charts, or unimpeachable statistics. Everyone's seen those, and if you're reading this, you know where to find them.

Poll

32 votes Show Results

The engine of job creation is:

32 votes Vote Now!

The engine of job creation is:

Corporate profits

1 vote

Personal wealth of individuals

1 vote

Demand for goods and services by the wealthy ($250k+/year)

1 vote

Normal people who make enough to live on and buy the occasional extra

27 votes

Pie

2 votes

Do Not Bind Up The Mouths Of The Kine That Tread The Corn

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday April 15, 2011 · 2:00 PM PDT

2011/04/15 · 14:00

What is the American Dream?

Rumonations over the jump -- crossposted to FaceBook

Poll

21 votes Show Results

They earned it, they should keep every penny

21 votes Vote Now!

They earned it, they should keep every penny

yes

5 votes

13 votes

nuanced -- explained in comments

2 votes

pie

1 vote

The Unemployment Diaries, part Long Time No See

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 11, 2011 · 8:10 PM PDT

2011/04/11 · 20:10

Howdy. It's been a while. Quite a while, in fact.

I'm still unemployed, but there's a good reason for that.

If you remember me, follow me over the jump for an extremely abbreviated update. If you don't recall the Accidental Rodent? A quick search for "Unemployment Diaries" will give you some background.

Poll

8 votes Show Results

Remember me?

8 votes Vote Now!

Remember me?

Epony-who?

1 vote

Vaguely rings a bell

1 vote

*Yawn*

0 votes

Just when the place was getting cleaned up

0 votes

Where the hell have you been?

1 vote

Welcome back

3 votes

Pie

2 votes

Inaction Diary: Teabag Edition

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday April 15, 2009 · 5:07 PM PDT

2009/04/15 · 17:07

Yesterday, I was planning to go disrupt the local gathering of teabaggers that was, according to the paper, going to be held at our beautiful new library today.

Several wise Kossacks talked me down from that. Thanks.

In the end, I didn't do much of anything. Here's the who, what, when, where, and why. -- apre les crease --

Poll

22 votes Show Results

Discretion is

22 votes Vote Now!

Discretion is

the better part of valor

14 votes

cowardice

2 votes

pie

6 votes

Call for Action: Should We Crash The Tea Party?

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday April 14, 2009 · 11:45 AM PDT

2009/04/14 · 11:45

There's going to be a "tea party" tomorrow in my city.

I'm seriously thinking about going.

Update -- getting good advice here on action vs inaction, etc.

Poll

430 votes Show Results

On April 15th

430 votes Vote Now!

On April 15th

we should infiltrate the local tea party and wreck it

85 votes

we shouls respectfully protest from our designated zone

66 votes

we should drive by and say nothing

31 votes

we should stay home

235 votes

I'm organizing something -- details below

13 votes

Guns: An alternative solution

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday April 08, 2009 · 6:35 PM PDT

2009/04/08 · 18:35

Here's the one issue that the proponents of unrestricted gunplay have never been able to answer. Mention this next time you hear someone passionately talking about their home and personal defense.

Because they always, always, always will say their cold blue steel ~~dildo~~ buddy is for defense.

Look them right in the eye, square your shoulders, and repeat after me --

(over the fold)

Poll

122 votes Show Results

Guns

122 votes Vote Now!

Guns

Ban 'em all -- including the police. Do it like the UK where only SWAT has firearms.

14 votes

26 votes

17 votes

Black powder only.

5 votes

No regulation or registration -- guns are our national birthright.

44 votes

I'm with Epo -- manate swords. Especially lightsabers.

9 votes

The Unemployment Diaries 12: Confusion Edition

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 06, 2009 · 10:06 AM PDT

2009/04/06 · 10:06

On Wednesday, it will have been 3 months since I was tossed on the Human Resources Discard pile.

Just another day.

I don't understand what is happening in the world anymore. I guess I never did. I just thought it made sense.

Poll

23 votes Show Results

It tastes like

23 votes Vote Now!

It tastes like

burning

5 votes

Splenda

3 votes

a shit sandwich

12 votes

pie

3 votes

The Unemployment Diaries 11: Foreclosure Rage Edition

eponymouse

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 29, 2009 · 6:25 PM PDT

2009/03/29 · 18:25

Kossacks, I am outraged. Again.

Due to the course of the events of my life, I am fortunately not in serious immediate danger of losing my home to foreclosure. So my anger is not for me, it is for the many who are in the situation I came close to.

I've talked before about my views on foreclosure. This week, it's coming to a head. Follow me over the fold for the bile.

Poll

85 votes Show Results

People who buy foreclosures

85 votes Vote Now!

People who buy foreclosures

are smart investors

20 votes

are being rewarded for "doing it right"

3 votes

are vultures and will reap the karma they sow

24 votes

are morally bankrupt

10 votes

Oh, gee, man, I really can't form an opinion, it's all shades of grey, I mean, your simplistic black/white views are just unrealistic

18 votes

I'll tell you in my comment

5 votes

pie

5 votes

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