If you listen to the network news (I have to, I can't afford cable any more), you'd think that the recession was over. It's not. Despite "a growing economy" no one is actually hiring. Because of all the uncertainty, there really aren't any jobs around. Most of those are merely seasonal for the holidays. The competition for those is so fierce that it's almost frightening.
How do I know? I'm working all of 14-16 hours a week...for a catering company. That's all the work I've been able to find. I have 10 years experience as a cabinetmaker/carpenter and 22 in restaurant, but the best I've been able to find is part time work as a bartender...no tips straight hourly wage. My wife isn't doing much better. She works 22 hours a week for a big box department store as an HR clerk. That's despite having 23 years experience in retail management.
On Tuesday, November 23, at 10 am, we are scheduled to be evicted unless we can raise $873.50 to pay October's rent. I don't know what I'm going to do about November's rent at this point either.
With the largest tax hike in history looming come January 1st, I don't think I'm going to be able to find a job any time soon. We tried applying for food stamps. But here in Maryland the system is so screwed up, we were notified that we would have a "telephonic hearing" two days after the hear was scheduled. Needless to say, our application was denied.
I worked for just under 30 days as with a company as a cabinet maker, but what I thought was a permanent position, was only to finish a deadline job...and was laid off as soon as that work was completed. To compound it all, I didn't work long enough to qualify for unemployment! What makes it even worse, is that I turned down a position with a new restaurant in downtown Baltimore that just opened in October as "Service Lead" (head waiter in prepolitical correctness days). About the only good news I have is that I do have a job interview on Tuesday morning with a company that assembles office furniture. A friend has recommended me to a couple of the incoming Congressmen and I am supposed to undergo an FBI background check in the next few weeks, but I've not heard anything directly on that as of yet.
I this point I don't know what to do. We can't even afford to rent a storage unit to what few things we have left since I closed my cabinet shop in December of 2008 when we lost the house. So we'll pack up this weekend, and hope we can find someone who will allow us to use their garage to store our things.
I don't want a free ride, I want to work...but what do you do when there's no work to be found? It's not like I'm not putting our 20-30 resumes a day. I've long since begun applying to jobs all over the eastern US...but so far I've only had "thanks for applying if anything meeting your qualifications opens up we'll..."
If you can afford to do so, I'd appreciate you're hitting the tip jar to the right.
UPDATE: I would like to thank everyone who has been so kind and generous to help my wife and I. I will be contacting everyone who donated, directly in the next day or two, but wanted to get something up here now. Thank you again for all your generosity, you have no idea how much it means to us.
Rich Vail
Pikesville, MD
4 years ago
16 comments:
Look, I'll explain it one more time.
The recession is over, the economy is no longer shrinking.
What we have now is a lack of recovery, the economy is not getting any worse but it also not getting any better. The economy is stuck in neutral but at least it isn't getting any worse*.
* actually the US economy is getting worse because despite the fact that the economy as a whole is growing slightly. Population dynamics require the US economy to "grow" about 1.5%/year for the immediate future in order to keep pace with the increase in population. think of it as being in a car on a hill with a slight incline, even though the engine is in neutral you still slowly slip down that incline. but that's more complex than talking about a lack of recovery.
Please go to your church and ask for help. They will help you.
I feel your pain. I was unemployed for almost a year. I did some quick looking... did you see this job?
http://careers.diversityinc.com/careers/jobsearch/detail?searchType=browse&categories=categoryconstruction&location=&jobId=31862848&viewType=main&networkView=main&offset=80
Good luck!
How much handiman type work can you do? I assume cabinet makers can install crown molding and hang doors? How about installing a bathroom fan (and patching the drywall after)? There is a market for underpriced quality paperwork free handiman work in Montgomery County and the nice parts of PG county.
I just paypal you some dough, just hope it help. Long term I am not sure we all are going to be a such great shape either
Hey, Rick. Followed the link from Glenn's site.
I'm in for $20. I hope that it works out. Just remember that this, too, shall pass.
Hi Rick...Linked from Instapundit. Sent a donation by way of paypal. I hope it helps. God bless...Martha
I just sent $15. I wish it could be more. Hope it helps.
Your "Tea Party Difference" emblem on the sidebar looks a lot like the one on my sidebar.
If you did get it from my sidebar could you build it the right way so that it links back to a post that sells TEA Party Difference Mugs and shirts?
It is how the artist who did the work gets some recompense for the effort. The artist is a really nice guy and deserves it.
$20.00 is on its way.
The Recession is not over. It will not be for a while.
If you were on the other Coast I have bookcases to be built. So do some people where you live.
Stay strong, know how much we all want to be out of this tar pit.
Here by way of Glen; just threw $20 in the tip jar. If you've got any sort of handyman skills, even as minor as painting, replacing electrical outlets, etc., there are thousands of well-off and utterly helpless people around you who need your skills and will pay for them. Here in southeastern MA having someone show up to replace the $10 valve in your toilet would probably cost in the neighborhood of $100.
As the economy continues to get... weirder, traditional 'show up regularly and get a check a the end of the week' jobs will become progressively tougher to find. Little one-on-one acts of entrepreneurship can help pay the bills... and may possibly turn into something Bigger than you expect.
Good Luck
-lr
You must be kidding... got your ass in that situtation, get your ass out. quit begging.
idiot.
Do you have a contractor's license? Can you get one - hopefully using free training?
Get in touch with real estate agents and banks. There is work trashing out and repairing foreclosed homes. Also doing the yard maintance.
I know trash-out people that hold yard sales with all the stuff they keep, on top of what they're paid.
The yard guys tell me they never buy fruit or veggies because they find it in the yards of foreclosed homes. Granted, this is in So Cal.
Keep faith. You'll make it.
My family is in the same position, only earlier in the process, so I can't send you anything other than good thoughts.
And yet our country can spend another 4 flipping years rebuilding an Afghanistan that didn't exist. All that capital invested in Iraq. Billions of our dollars flowing to Middle East countries that could and should be invested by the private sector in the private sector here.
Bin Laden is getting exactly what he wanted.
If the recession has been declared 'officially' over, how come interest rates are effectively at zero?
It is like the doctors saying to the patient that has cancer, you are cured by we are going to continue with your chemotherapy treatments until we know for sure the cancer is dead or you are.
Too much treatment can have its own effects, spill over, and the cost...maybe worse than the disease that prompted the action.
Recession over or not
Post a Comment