"We ran ads in the paper, had signs out."
But no one applied.
"I'd call people and offer them some money and they'd laugh telling me they want 10, 11, 12 dollars an hour. I can't pay that," Brignac says. "
Nothing new for us in this article -- we have seen the signs begging for hired help all over the coast for months now. It's apparent that Dave and I view finances a little differently from some folks -- but we just can't figure this one out. Why - oh why - would someone prefer to draw $210 per week maximum from unemployment rather than take a job for less than 10, 11, 12 dollars an hour at least until they can get back on their feet? Where's the logic here?
Dave sent this news article via email earlier this week and it left us scratching our heads:
Sun Herald News Story: Jobless benefits ending
If I'm getting this straight - the former casino pit boss thinks they should extend his $210 unemployment benefit until he can get a job in a casino again because he's not good with computers. Somebody should hook this guy up with the manager at Barnhill's -- no heavy manual labor there, right?
Unfortunately, I have met too many people who have quit their jobs since the storm. I don't think they're lazy... I don't think they 'have it better' when they're drawing unemployment rather than working... What they seem to be is depressed. With everything that has happened it seems too hard for them to get out of bed every morning. Some of them legitimately can't bear the strain of a normal daily routine when they're living out of a camper and still taking showers with a warmed-up garden hose...
Thinking along this vein -- and ONLY this vein for a moment -- maybe it isn't such a good idea to extend unemployment benefits another 13 weeks... And then what? Another 13 weeks? And another? I am no expert in psychology -- but I have a hunch that none of this can help someone already struggling with depression.
I'm not suggesting that it will be easy -- but it's well past time for us to start struggling to our feet. Waking up in the morning and realizing you are going to have to do something to put some food on the table can be very motivational.
And scraping along at minimum wage because McDonald's doesn't pay enough (although they'd pay you more than you're getting) makes absolutely no sense no matter how you slice it... Especially when they're begging you to take the job.
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