I Wouldn't Hire Me, Either.

I have observed some of the goings on over the past week in regard to the long term unemployed.  I think many of these proceedings are positive but the overall effect does nothing to move the 99ers agenda forward. I find that fact troubling.

This past week, Rhonda Taylor started a data base to aggregate all the 99ers in one place. Ms. Taylor also acknowledged that to expand the database it is imperative to reach out to 99ers not active in Social Media. During that span Unemployed Friends resurfaced as Unemployed Friends 2.0.  A comprehensive database inclusive of all unemployed will be a welcome aid in organizing and disseminating information to 99ers.  I also want to wish a hearty welcome back to Unemployed Friends. Unemployed Friends was one of my first points of connection when I came joined unemployed rights advocacy. The Unemployed Friends shoe march in the summer of 2010 remains an inspired original action. Hopefully shoe march will resurface. Nothing but good here.

Yesterday and today there is an advocacy action to support H.R. 589.  There has been significant Social Media promotion for this action. A quick count shows a combined 56 respondents (I may have missed something) on the Facebook and Fullseat events pages for this action. Early reviews from yesterday's action activity shows 99ers made some noise. Still, I remain unsettled about results.

H.R. 589 was introduced February 9, 2011 in the 112th Congress and originally as H.R. 6556 in the 111th Congress. I count the combined bills "on the floor" for about 8 weeks, over the half the benefit period the bills hope to offer. So, we now have 99ers "celebrating" a year without benefits and a bill for additional benefits in the system for 8 weeks and the best we can do is 56 public commitments to nag Congress during the 2 day action? U_Cubed shows almost 4000 members and we were unable to get a public "I'm in" from 10%? There is an obvious disconnect and I'm baffled.

I've been in involved in an ongoing thread with a commenter from a post last week. The commenter used an "expensive" word to call me a liar in my explanation of Minnesota HF 171 (no more than $20 cash monthly for state aid recipients) and mentioned s/he would never hire me. I think the commenter used the fancy word to channel William F. Buckley and in this endeavor the commenter failed in both spirit and analysis. Buckley was magnanimous of spirit and meticulous in anaylsis. The commenter is mean spirited and myopic, symbolic of today's NeoCons. But in returning to the topic at hand, when it comes to results, I wouldn't hire me, either.

I started blogging in July, 2010 spurred on by the lack of organization and message with the long term unemployed.

That week was a very busy week in Washington. 2 confirmation hearings, the death of Senator Byrd, the ongoing mess in the Gulf. Many pressing issues were competing for coverage. 1.2 million citizens without any support, promised support and very little coverage. This is my responsibility along with my fellow unemployed.

The unemployed have no voice, no face, no advocate. We don't have a concrete message other than we need help either with a job or longer benefits. We are relying on the compassion of others, but our plight is much harder to comprehend than the image of an oil-slicked pelican. That is not going to change unless we make it change.

Today is my 101st post and 99ers are even more diffuse and still lack a concrete message. I'm not so ego-driven that I believe I can organize and disseminate a message on my own. Still, in concert with passionate, creative and driven advocates, I have failed to advance the agenda of "jobs, jobs, jobs with a safety net in the interim" via a unified organization and a unique message one iota. We're no closer to this goal than we were 10 months ago, when I started. Effectively, I have produced no results, so I wouldn't hire me either.

Loose ends and requests.

Last night's #99eraid Twitterchat had multiple themes. One theme discussed was ways of building a nonpartisan coalition to pass H.R. 589 and beyond. This is a great idea. Unemployment effects people of all political persuasions.

In what will apparently illustrate the challenge of creating bipartisan support, it seems yesterdays post caught the attention of someone that posts to Breitbart (no link from me, sorry).  The blogger said he first heard about the 99ers recently. He commented that 99ers have a slick looking website and linked this little ol' blog right here. (thanks, dude) He went on to give his opinion about 99ers and our plight with the usual "I'm sympathetic" but that's not the way his piece slanted. Hey, it's his post and his opinions. I do have a couple of thoughts:

1. Just heard about the 99ers?  Hey feel free to comment on something that's been going on for over year. Why bother with research?
2. Thought this was a slick looking website. Kudos to Awesome, Inc. for the template and concernedinKY for the opening video. (Concerned, he thought your video could be a beer commercial.  Given what Bud spends on advertising that's quite a compliment.) The slick look has nothing to do with me. In the 9 months I've been blogging I haven't spent an hour a month on design maintenance.
3. Blogger also criticized yours truly for perpetuating the myth that the Minnesota GOP wants to restrict state aid recipients to a maximum of $20 cash per month. Here's the link I read and it doesn't look like a myth to me.
4. In the comments "anonymous" criticized me for spending time on my site/blog when I should be looking for work, having a negative attitude and for not taking personal responsibility.  Anonymous went on to suggest that 99ers were taking cash under the table (based on?) and would stated he/she would never hire a 99er. Essentially when anonymous couldn't carry a fact based discussion anonymous turned to a personal attack and broad assumptions using limited or no facts.

I'm hoping the blogger and anonymous are not indicative of the majority of the GOP. I don't see enough (any?) common ground for a nonpartisan coalition. 

I also have two requests:

1. Please read this article from Donalee King and if applicable add your information to the 99er database.
2. I have nominated my friend Sima Dahl and her work on Marketing Job Wire for inclusion in Seth Godins/Domino Project new Kindle book, due out on April 11, 2011. Voting opened yesterday and concludes today at 5 PM EDT. Please take a minute to vote and pass it along. Thanks.

Please make the #99eraid Twitterchat appointment tweeting, Tuesday nights, 8 PM EDT.