Jobs and the State of Our Nation

          President Obama needs to speak truth tonight. Although Republicans have difficulty accepting reality this should not hinder our Presidents ability to present it to the nation.

          The Private Sector has let Americans down as far as their ability to produce numerous desirable well-paying jobs with the flexibility to support a healthier American lifestyle. Jobs that set the bar for the Private Sector have become almost nonexistent since the Republicans have controlled the House. They have demanded virtually no Government hiring except for jobs for veterans and retired military personnel.  

          Ask most American’s and they will tell you they would prefer a nice government job. One with regular pay increases, reasonable work schedules and plenty of holiday time off. Private sector workers are at the mercy of their employer every second of every day, with no ability to refuse demands to work late, work weekends, nights and holidays. I would say Americans are pretty much fed up with the indentured servitude of Private Sector Jobs. We want the government to start hiring again.  Only then will workers in the Private Sector begin to be looked upon as human beings. Only then will working conditions and employer expectations become slightly more reasonable for “workers”.

          In addition standards need to be put into place to protect those Americans seeking a job who have been out of work for any length of time or who have suffered damage to their credit rating. It should be seen as discriminatory for employers to seek access to a job applicant’s credit rating or to hold lapses in employment as derogatory in any way.
        Are Americans seen as "worker bees" or as Human Beings? Would one consider the possibility that Americans might have other life priorities than serving an employer continuously year after year after year? People live longer and have more diverse family obligations, we suffer from a myriad of chronic conditions and high amounts of stress as a norm in America. To have lapses in employment held against us and seen as some sort of insufficiency when we apply for a position is absolutely criminal and presents an unnecessary hardship that serves no ethical purpose.

~ Stephanie J. Gilley MS