Oh yeah, it’s a nightmare alright

I have one thing to say about this below — Welcome to my world.

The Story:

Close your eyes and picture the scariest thing you can think of. Maybe it’s a giant spider or a giant Stay Puft marshmallow man or something that’s not even giant at all. Well, whatever it is, I guarantee it’s not nearly as scary as the real scariest thing in the world. That’s long-term unemployment.

There are two labor markets nowadays. There’s the market for people who have been out of work for less than six months, and the market for people who have been out of work longer. The former is working pretty normally, and the latter is horribly dysfunctional. That was the conclusion of recent research I highlighted a few months ago by Rand Ghayad, a visiting scholar at the Boston Fed and a PhD candidate in economics at Northeastern University, and William Dickens, a professor of economics at Northeastern University, that looked at Beveridge curves for different ages, industries, and education levels to see who the recovery is leaving behind.

via The Terrifying Reality of Long-Term Unemployment – Matthew O’Brien – The Atlantic.

I have been unemployed for 8 solid years. Now, some of that, is my fault. I got into some of that HERE, when I wrote about my job hunting. But, some of it; is simply the bad economy here in Michigan and as of 2008; the entire Country.

One part that I quibble with on this piece, is this here:

It’s time for the government to start hiring the long-term unemployed. Or, at the least, start giving employers tax incentives to hire the long-term unemployed. The worst possible outcome for all of us is if the long-term unemployed become unemployable. That would permanently reduce our productive capacity.

We can do better, and we need to start doing so now. We can’t afford long-term thinking in either the short or the long-term.

Okay, let me break this down here:

Our Government is broke. They hardly can afford the people that they have now! They are having to cut hours and staff to stay afloat. So, that is out.
As for the tax incentives; I just do not think that incentives would even remotely work. What the employers would do, is hire the people; declare it on their taxes and then turn around and let the people or fire them for silly reasons.

What will work is a strongly worded piece of legislation that would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against those, who have been unemployed longer than six months and make damned sure the law is enforced to the hilt. With fines and loss of business license being the penalties for the infraction.

Let me clear here; I am not in favor of big Government statism at all; however, there are times, when, because of the actions of crony capitalists, Government has to take action to protect the American people, namely long-term unemployed Americans, like me — from being discriminated against, for the simple crime of not being able to find a job. My reasons for not being able to get a job in the field that I trained in are explained here. Yes, I whacked a pole, trying to make a turn out of a parking lot; that was in 2003. I should have been able to find work with a trucking company locally or at least regionally. I have not, why? Because no one locally or regionally is hiring, outside a big company around here, which is notorious for screwing its employees.

Again, I agree with what this man is saying is this article; I simply just do not believe his solutions are the right ones.

Touching Video: The Final Ride Home

Many of my non-trucking friends might not understand why I like this video. But, trucking is a culture, unto it’s own. It’s the last free American Spirit. Trucking runs in families; this is an example of that. God Bless this man and his daddy.

Caption reads:

Owner operator Mark Gandy of Alexander City AL, taking his Daddy Austin Gandy for his “LAST RIDE”!! A very sad but proud moment!!

(Via Custom Trucks on Facebook)

The Working Class under Obama: Screwed, as always

This comes via InstaPundit, who snarks:

HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA?

Gallows humor, I like it. Hee hee

Reason Magazine reports the following:

If the labor participation rate had remained where it was in 2008, points out Investors Business Daily, unemployment would have recently risen to 11.1 percent.

By the way, I am one of those people, who basically left the job market, because there simply are not any jobs around here.

Some more lovely news, via Investors Business Daily:

Small businesses, who employ the bulk of American workers, don’t plan to hire additional staff, in another sign the job market is deteriorating again.

The National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday that confidence among small firms dropped, with its index dipping to 89.5 in March from 90.8 in February.

The share of firms planning to grow employment minus the share planning to shrink it fell to a net 0%, the lowest in a year, from 4% in the prior month.

The survey also found business owners were no more pessimistic on the economy, but the balance of sales expectations swung to -4% from 1%. Small firms also were more inclined to shrink inventories and less inclined to think now is a good time to expand.

The NFIB index comes days after the Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls grew by just 88,000 in March, after averaging gains of more than 200,000 in the earlier five months.

The latest jobs report seems to indicate a pattern of strong winter hiring followed by a spring or summer slump will be repeated this year.

“After another false start, small-business confidence has sputtered and stalled again,” said Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB’s chief economist, in a statement Tuesday. “For the sector that produces half the private GDP and employs half the private sector workforce — the fact that they are not growing, not hiring, not borrowing and not expanding like they should be, is evidence enough that uncertainty is slowing the economy.”

You have to understand, this is what Barack Obama and the Democrats want. They want people like me, the working class; to depend on Government. They do not want people like me working. They would rather I depend on Government and get some sort of Government assistance. Remember, Obama said, “I am interested in those high tech jobs” during the last President debate. The truth is, President Obama does not give two rips about the general labor types or the unskilled workers. The only people that the Democrats care about is:

Union Workers – Actually, he really does not care about them either. He just is obligated to them, because of the legacy of the labor movement of the past. Also too, because there are still some high rolling donors among the labor movement still to this day. So, the Democrats do still have to pay their respects; all the while selling their jobs overseas.
High Tech Jobs – This is because 90% of the tech job workers are immigrants and they. of course, are going to support a President, who gives them what they really want; which is amnesty. The other 10% of them are upper income liberals, who live in cities, like Ann Arbor, Michigan; fresh out of college and filled to the brim with liberal, socialist indoctrination.

This right here, is why I cannot find at least a local dirt hauling job around here. One, because the house construction business around here is basically bust, since the crash of 2008 — Which was caused by the stupidity of the Bill Clinton and the Democrats in the 1990’s. Two, because of what I have pointed out above. You have to have a reason for hauling that dirt around and if the economy is in the condition it is in, no one is going to want to have a house built or anything else for that matter; and companies who provide this service are not going to hire anyone extra, due to the fact that it might cost them in taxes.

This above, is why it looks like I am simply going to have to suck it up, pack up my bags, tell my parents goodbye; and get in a truck for a big company and basically be a slave for 2 years, working for crap wages. Once I get through the refresher, and running with a trainer, I should start making a decent wage; that is, if I actually get the miles. I would love to own my own truck and trailer; and pull loads off of a load board. However, that requires a good deal of capital, or in layman’s terms; a whole shitload of money, which I simply do not have. Oh, and another thing too; I am simply not interested in going into a ton and mean A TON of debt to start a trucking company. Since deregulation, the trucking industry is so stacked against a small time operator, that it simply is not worth the hassle anymore.

In short: I would be better off working for a big company. It is the way it is anymore, here in good ‘ol ‘merica. Sad Rolling Eyes Loser Doh

apologies for silence

I just really have not been feeling the need to write anything as of late. My mind has been occupied with other things here as of late. Namely trying to get back into the truck driving business. I applied for a major company and am waiting to hear back. I will be applying for another here tomorrow.

What this means is that I will be most likely on the road for 30 days on end, and home for a few days and then off again. A refresher course will be needed, it is mainly for the insurance companies; which I happen to think that reform is highly overdue, especially with the trucking industry, it should fall under labor department rules and regulations. Trucking is exempt from those rules and regulations; for better….or worse. 🙁

What this also means that my internet access and my ability to write will be limited, while I am refreshing myself to the art of driving a semi-truck and until I am able to afford a smart phone. I am hoping against hope, that my truck will have some sort of internet with the Qualcomm system in it. But, I will not hold my breath.

It just really pisses me the hell off that I have been out of truck for 10 years now. In 2003, I went to school to get my CDL-A and instead of being smart and getting with a good company and going over the road for two good years and actually learning to drive a fucking truck; like you are supposed to — stupid me, goes out and gets with some small time operator, because I want to stay near home. Anyhow, I ended up with a person who was a bigger idiot than me; and I promptly get into a fucking accident with my truck. Luckily, no one died and I really did not damage anything, except for an errant light pole that happened to be in my way.

The good thing, the idiot truck owner; who was really a moron, lost his authority to pull loads and is no longer in business. The bad part is this; All of this happened back in 2003-2004. I have not drove a truck since then. To any and all trucking companies, I am basically considered a high risk and would not be hired. Insurance companies would not insure me at all. So this means, I have to go with a company, like Swift Transport, or one that has a trucking school to go to a class to teach me something that I already know how to do —- drive a truck. 🙄

After this, then I have to ride with someone, who is considered a trainer, for as long as the company thinks that I need to do it; all the while paying me chicken feed, while the trucking company keeps the profit. It is called legalized slave labor and it does piss me off a great deal. 😡 Not to mention that fact, that I might end up with some AIDS infested faggot or some cowboy, who thinks going down mountains at 90 MPH is a cool thing to do. Now as for the faggot comment. A bit of person revelation here: When I was 9-year-old, someone tried to molest me; basically a kid in Jr. High, caught me in the bathroom at school and wanted me to give him a BJ. I reported it, and he was expelled. Ever since then, I have been leery about being around men in close quarters, like sleeping.

Either way, it is the route that I have to go; because I really, outside of a miracle, do not have any other choice at this point. That is if I even can get hired by a company at all.

So, as you can see, my mind is in other places at the moment. I will try to keep everyone informed about what is going on. This writing is not paying anything anymore; and I have to get out from under my parents. Living here is not easy anymore. I’ll just put it like that.

Pray for me — much, please.

Update: I almost forgot to add this following: Add to all this above, that I have two 60-something year old parents. 68 and 65 and I am an only child. I am all they have. When something bad goes down. I am the only thing they have to be there for them. 🙁

Video: Freightliner Fever

What I would like to be out doing, but circumstances dictate otherwise. I miss driving for a living quite a bit. Anyone looking for a regional driver? I need to be home on the weekends.

I should also mention that I have a Michigan CDL class A with air brake. I have tanker and doubles endorsements. No hazmat, got to have a background check performed. Last time I checked, it cost $89 and some change for that. Plus testing costs.

Experience wise, I went to Wayne County Community College District in 2003 for eight weeks, state paid. Learned it all, thought I would get a job. No dice. All that effort, for nothing.

Anyone got anything?

(Via CDLLife.com)

Update on job

Remember that job possibility that I was telling you all about?

Well, it was a washout. This video here, tells more about it. Basically, I have not driven a semi truck or operated a manual transmission in a semi for about 7 or so good years…..and yes, it showed, badly.

So, I’m back to square one, unless I can find a local trucking company that will let me putter around in one of their trucks, which really will not happen, because of the insurance industry’s tight grip on trucking companies, by demanding that ALL driver’s have two or more years of experience. Problem is, I just cannot go OTR or “over the road.” so, that knocks that out.

So, once again, here I sit, painted into a corner. 🙁