MaverickVoice.com

Over the past year, I’ve been very harsh in my posts regarding my belief that people need to take responsibility for themselves. My point of view has always been that our Government needs to do the work that is important to protecting the foundations of our nation, even when it isn’t financially beneficial to them. My argument has always been based in the belief that I don’t need or want anyone doing my thinking for me. For the past week, I’ve put my money where my mouth is.

I’ve been straightforward about my current employment situation. I had worked as an independent Real Estate Appraiser for 16 years, but was forced out of that line of work as a result of Legislative Change brought about in the “dead of night” by Congress, essentially making it impossible for an Appraiser to make a reasonable living doing business ethically. Since late May, I’ve been searching for a job, filling out applications, sending out my resume and, for lack of a better description, sitting on my ass and collecting my unemployment check every two weeks.

Last week, an opportunity presented itself to do some work with my mother-in-law. It’s part time work at a low rate of pay. Did I ask to be paid under the table so it won’t impact on my Unemployment Compensation? No, I’ll be paid ON THE BOOKS and I will claim that pay against my Unemployment Claim, meaning a lower check for weeks worked. Did I ask for the pay level that I had made as an Appraiser? No, I took the job at a very low rate of pay, meaning that I won’t likely earn more than my current level of unemployment compensation. Am I being given any special motivation, like free lunch, fuel for my car, benefits, or anything else? Nope. I show up when THEY want me there, and I work until THEY tell me I can go. I was essentially the Manager of the company I worked for before: I am currently doing the low-level, mundane work that frees the established employees to do the more difficult tasks of the day.

Let me make this clear yet again: I can get MORE money with LESS effort by just sitting on my ass and collecting my check. I don’t have to spend the money for gas, I don’t have to spend the money to have a lunch to take with me, I don’t have to wash my “office” clothes, and I could just sit at home watching TV, but I have CHOSEN to go in to work. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do.

There is a chance that this opportunity could pan out into a full time job, one that pays at a level that is more beneficial than my Unemployment. It may become a job with vacation time, health benefits, and enough income to let my wife and I live more comfortably. But, if I were to choose to hold out for that job and not prove that I’m willing & able to do the job they need done, that chance would likely slim. Sure, I could sit around and hope something better would come along, but, look around: the job market sucks. Employers know they don’t need to pay top dollar to hire employees, and that means that people who are currently making a lot of money at their current jobs have no hope of advancement by switching employers. And the risk, in all honesty, is that the selfishness of both the Employer and Employee will stretch the effects of this economic climate much longer than necessary.

So, what’s the key to fixing the economy? How do we move forward and get people back to work? Here’s my answer: GO TO WORK. Even if it isn’t going to be rewarding today, it may be tomorrow. Don’t hold out for the job you want: do the job you can get, and build from there. Don’t just sit on your ass: do something productive with your time.

 As a result of going back to work, I’ll be blogging less frequently than I have been over the past few months. I’m sure that there are those who will be grateful for that. I’m hopeful there will be at least a few that will miss my tirades, but I assure you of this: I’m not done posting. So keep checking: There’s a lot more to come, and thank you for your continued support!

Filed under: Finance/Economy, Politics by T. Edwin Perry