Out of work? Thank Obama for your healthcare instead of a job - then buy yourself a shotgun.
For the sake of argument, let's say the national average for rent on a one-bedroom apartment is $750 a month.
Then add another $750 a month for:
* car payment
* car insurance (State mandated)
* heat (electric, gas, or oil)
* electricity
* water
* phone (land-line or cell)
* (cable - not optional, necessary in many areas)
Average unemployment benefits doesn't even cover this!
Now, how much is left over for food, gas, and other basic necessities? Do you like eating macaroni and cheese 7 days a week?
If you're single, unmarried, live alone, and don't have children, you won't qualify for food stamps either. Do you still have a few dollars in the bank for a rainy day? Better not have much or you're also disqualified for food stamps.
Forget about having any healthcare (even Obama-care). COBRA won't help, it's nearly impossible to afford it if you also want to eat.
And if you're not yet 65, forget about Medicaid or Medicare too (unless you're a single mom with lots of kids).
Never take away someone's hope, it might be all they have.
Are you without friends, co-workers and familiy members?
If you're over 40 years old (but not yet 65), you probably won't get a job; but you can't get Social Security either. Forget a pension too, at least until you're 55, but most likely with a 50% reduction of what you would normally receive.
No room-mate or someone to help share the monthly expenses? You're in deep trouble - close to living on the street. Start looking at the homeless shelters...
Unless you're strong and fit and have the wherewithal to survive on the mean streets, you'll probably succumb to a long miserable death by starvation, exposure to the elements, or by brutal violence.
If you end up homeless, you'll also face the humiliation and ridicle as well...it's a hard world out there, and teen-agers may throw garbage at you.
...or consider buying a shotgun while you are still enjoying the comfort of a roof over your head. Your local Wal-Mart might help you.
No one lives forever anyway...have a cigarette and a glass of wine, and then write your final note...remembering to thank Obama focusing on jobs.
Then just pretend you're going to sleep, but you'll never wake up to know the difference.
The Jobless and Suicide - Direct Connections
In situations where continuing to live is intolerable, some people use suicide as a means of escape.
The most common reasons are:
1- an underlying mental disorder which include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse.
2 - Financial difficulties or other undesirable situations play a significant role.
Over one million people commit suicide every year, making it the tenth-leading cause of death worldwide.
External circumstances, such as a traumatic event, may trigger suicide but it does not seem to be an independent cause. Thus suicides are more likely to occur during periods of socio-economic, family and individual crisis.
Socio-economic factors such as unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and discrimination may trigger suicidal thoughts. Poverty may not be a direct cause but it can increase the risk of suicide, as it is a major risk group for depression.
In the United States 52% of suicides involve the use of firearms.
According to 2005 data, suicides in the U.S. outnumber homicides by nearly 2 to 1 and ranks as the 11th leading cause of death in the country.
The ones being passed over for jobs
In the United States, the rate of suicide is increasing for the first time in a decade. The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 has been due primarily to an increase in suicides among whites aged 40-64, with white middle-aged women experiencing the largest annual increase.
In the USA, Caucasians are nearly 2.5 times more likely to kill themselves than are African Americans or Hispanics.
The Moral Issue - And why many think it's OK
In most forms of Christianity, suicide is considered a sin. In Catholic doctrine, the argument against suicide is based on the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". However, it is believed that mental illness or grave fear of suffering diminishes the responsibility of the one completing suicide.
Counter-arguments include the following: that the sixth commandment is more accurately translated as "thou shalt not murder", not necessarily applying to the self; that taking one's own life no more violates God's law than does curing a disease; and that a number of suicides by followers of God are recorded in the Bible with no dire condemnation.
Some see suicide as a legitimate matter of personal choice, and maintain that no one should be forced to suffer against their will, particularly from conditions such as incurable disease, mental illness, and old age - and have no possibility of improvement.
See all my well-researched posts on the current unemployment situation:
The New Poor - Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2010/02/21/the-new-poor-millions-of-unemployed-face
Out of work? Buy a shotgun
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog3.php/2010/03/07/out-of-work-buy-a-shotgun
Government Jobs (Bigger Government) Drive Employment Numbers
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2010/03/01/government-jobs-bigger-government-drive
Actual Unemployment in 2010 - Recession Worse than Reported
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2010/02/04/actual-unemployment-in-january-2010-rece
Deep Recession Shows No Sign of Letting Up - Maybe Getting Worse
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2010/02/24/deep-recession-shows-no-sign-of-letting
Largest U.S. Labor Union: AFL-CIO says Jobs Won't Return
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2010/01/07/largest-u-s-labor-union-afl-cio-says-job
More Bad News for the Unemployed in 2010 - and Beyond
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2010/02/23/more-bad-news-for-the-unemployed-in-2010
Almost 1 out of 5 People are Out of Work in the U.S.A.
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2009/12/31/unemployment-december-2009-new-release
FOX News Wages War on Unemployed - Thinks They're Lazy
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog1.php/2010/03/02/real-reason-why-extended-unemployment-be
Tea Party, Fox News, and Conservatives Attack the Unemployed
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog3.php/2010/03/04/tea-party-gets-in-wrong-on-unemployment
Extended Unemployment Benefits in 2010 - Fully Explained
http://tobuds.com/blogs/blog3.php/2010/02/16/extended-unemployment-benefits-in-2010