[backwoods-engineer]

Long-term unemployment is a terrifying trap that, even in the best of times, is difficult to escape.

First sentence has obvious victim-mentality, pawn-in-the-game-of life, Uncle Sugar, Free Crap Army, "I am owed a job" overtones.

Stopped reading right there.

[C210N]

First sentence has obvious victim-mentality.. Stopped reading right there.

I went slightly further, but then stopped as well:

the long-term unemployed aren't much different from the short-term unemployed...

Hogwash. Those that make the best effort to utilize whatever education is presented to them, and go the extra 100 miles to absorb it and then some, learn by their mistakes, and are go-getters, thinkers, and movers... have no problem with landing a job. Whereas, short-term employed includes many of those in that frame of mind, and those will find something within short order. Those missing those qualities will not. If they are employed, they will at some point find themselves unemployed at some point and then have difficulties.

[Mastador1]

Gosh, how pithy! I sure don’t feel I’m owed a job, but funny thing is no matter how qualified, or not, I come out being too old, too White, not qualified enough or over qualified. But I guess I’ll just start that business with no savings, no income no home, but what the hell I just a friggin deadbeast that feels the I am owed something and was just leeching off the government I payed friggin taxes into for over forty years!