Fox News host Glenn Beck: Some unemployed 99ers should be ashamed to call themselves American

New York Daily News ^ | 8/17/10 | Aliyah Shahid

[Nachum]

Glenn Beck has a message for the chronically unemployed: You're a bunch of un-American losers. The Fox News host thinks some 99ers — those who have used up their 99 weeks of unemployment benefits—should be embarrassed to call themselves Americans (Snip) "Go out and get a job," said Beck. "You may not want the job. Work at McDonald's. Work two jobs. There has been plenty of times in my life I've done jobs I hated, but I had no choice. Two years is plenty of time to have lived off your neighbor's wallet."

[Domandred]

"Go out and get a job," said Beck. "You may not want the job. Work at McDonald's.

Funny you would say that Glenn. I've been out of work since Jan 2010, and I've applied at McDonald's and several fast food joints just to get some income. "Not hiring" or "decided to pursue other candidates". Strangely though the person working the drive through window doesn't speak English for crap (but that's a different issue...or is it?).

You name the minimum wage job, and I've applied for it. I've also applied for every job I'm qualified for, and many I have no work experience in but I know can do the job if given the training or the chance.

I was talking to the manager of a local retail store the other day. One position open, and they've gotten over 300 applications in just the first two days they advertised. A good portion of those applications were experienced professionals. You know who that job is going to go to? Someone without experience that they don't have to worry about leaving the job the next week if the job they really want suddenly opens up.

It's easy for someone to say "get a job". It's not easy to actually get one in this market.

I just watched a coffee shop down the street from my house close up two days ago without warning with a sign on the door that says "closed due to economic realities." That's 10 more minimum wage employees now looking for a job, right next to everyone else.

I love you Glenn, but you currently are on the outside looking in so really don't understand what's going on in the streets. I will give you that some people in the 99'ers aren't really looking, but a good majority of them are.

[GOPsterinMA]

AMEN to that!!! And it leads to horrible management.

[Kirkwood]

“I scanned the Want Ads today and found about 50 positions I could fill if I was willing to take a bit of a pay cut.”

Just because you can find an ad for a job that you think you are qualified for, that still doesn’t mean anyone would hire you. I don’t anything about you, but I wouldn’t hire you just because of your cocky attitude that you think you deserve a job.

[highlander_UW]

I hear ‘overqualified’ a lot when I actually even get a call about a job. It’s frustrating beyond belief.

Before I got a degree I got every job I ever applied for. I've been employed much of the time since then, but when I wasn't I heard I was overqualified, deserving of more than they could afford to pay and just about every other reason not to hire someone since.

One company I worked at told me I wouldn't have gotten my foot in the door without the degree, but it seems like every other company would have preferred me to be uneducated.

[ICCtheWay]

I have hard core experience with being unemployed and underemployed... Beck is somewhat right and a lot wrong... After 911 my 20 year business died - customers evaporated over the next year or two... Bottom line as one poster points out - if you are over educated or over experienced for available jobs - not likely you will get the low level job... it just doesn’t happen often...

During those bad years, I worked as Cable TV service cut off guy, in a retail electronics chain, detailed corporate jet aircraft, pulled water wells, installed septic tanks... and none of the jobs paid enough but to barely survive. It was total luck that I got back into a professional job - and it is not that great...

I like Glenn Beck but his personal experience is far outdated... It is a tough place out there right now.

On the other hand, extension after extension of unemployment benefits can be counterproductive. Once in a rut - you may stay there unless stimulated - pushed - shoved to do something else.

I will remind you folks - if one is self-employed and goes bust due to economic conditions beyond one’s control - Tough Stuff ... formerly self-employed folks GET NO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS -— zero, zip, zilch - nada...you are on your own from day one... find a way to make some money or starve and become homeless... bottom line...

It happened to me and it was a tough - hard time... no one bailed me out - period...

[Sparky1776]

I hear you Highlander, I’m a 50 yr old master electrician, they just laugh when you apply for anything but a technical job - then they would rather have a youngster.

Since Obama took office I lost a job, got a job, laid off from that job, then another company came to me begging me to come work for them, then job #2 rehired me from the layoff before things were set w/ new company, the “begging company” then dangles big money in front of me, I snatch it - then they lay me off THREE WEEKS later, kinda. Nothing official just, can you make it on 8 hours wages a week? How about 2?

Of course I’m going to file for those missing hours - that the government has already collected from employers.

Beck doesn’t know what he is talking about in this DEPRESSION.

[GonzoGOP]

I heard this segment driving home the other day. I think the NYDN piece has played around a bit with the context. Glenn was focusing on the professional victims protesting on Wall STreet, one in particular who I believe was a member of some socialist organization like the one in Cranked’s photo above.

There was another on that segment that was so fat that no company that had to provide health insurance would ever hire her. Short term unemployment insurance is a good thing. It allows for a flexible work force. Unemployment measured in years is a recipe for disaster. The higher taxes needed to pay for the benefits cripple small business. Which guts the job market. Making even longer benefits necessary and starting an economic death spiral.

The illegal immigration argument was always that they were doing jobs Americans wouldn't do. Well when your unemployment runs out there aren't many jobs that you won't do. Pushing a lawnmower around isn't an easy job, I did it to work my way through college. I also counted garbage trucks at a landfill. Neither was a great job or paid well. But it will put a meal on the table, and pay the rent on a reasonable apartment. And since you don't have money for Nintendo or extended cable you have time in the evenings you to look for a better job.

[highlander_UW]

My experience is much like yours.

Beck doesn’t know what he is talking about in this DEPRESSION

If I hadn't experienced it personally, I probably would have agreed with him. It would have been true in the past...but the liberals have really exceeded all expectations in crashing this economy.

[Tolsti2]

Anyone with Beck’s attitude clearly has no idea what’s going on. I mean none. And there’s no excuse for ignorance now. There’s plenty of news and real people online explaining how this is a severe depression in the job market.

[freedumb2003]

If I was unemployed I would be willing to go from low 6 figures to low 5 figures.

I already have a budget plan that posits a $35K salary — I would be OK (I have pretty much no debt) but would have to give up some fun stuff.

But the idea of “sacrifice” is almost Un-american these days. I have tube TVs that are around 15 years old (bought after the Northridge Quake killed all my older TVs). Appliances I have replaced only when the old ones finally expired (25 years +/-).

If you do good budgeting, you can live on a very slim paycheck.

I an ready for it, but most importantly, I keep my “tool kit” extra sharp — I am in great demand in my field and should my company (one of the largest in the world) go under, I have 20 or 30 companies and institutions that would hire me at around what I make now. Networking reaps rewards my friend.

[Tolsti2]

Nobody is using lawn services now btw. 2 years ago I’d agree with you, and you could might even get by ok doing it. Not now.

[Tolsti2]

$35k lol. You realize how hard it is to find something at that rate now? And it can be even harder to find something for less when you factor in ‘overqualified’ and illegals sucking up the low end of the market.

You’re living in some fantasy world where $35k is easily obtainable. Sure there may be job ‘listings’ out there, but a lot of it is fake as hell too. No real jobs there and if there is, 50 people trying to get that one or more.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Exactly. Some states pay more than $600 PER WEEK unemployment compensation. Those people are NOT going to take a job making $500 a week.

[DontTreadOnMe2009]

very un-PC

[Colonel Blimp]

You nailed it. McDonald’s isn’t looking to hire 55-year-olds with college degrees.

Honestly, I’m appalled at the number of Freepers who think that getting even an entry-level, low wage job is a breeze in this wretched economy. Entry-level means entry-level — they don’t want you if you’re too old or have too much education or experience.

The only answer for a lot of experienced folks will be to try to start their own businesses.

[liberty or death]

I’ve been there. I owned my own business. An Alaska fishing lodge that was struggling because of fishery closures but I still had to make the payments and feed 5 kids.

When I went looking for work I let no-one know what I actually did. Got a grunt level construction job (labor). I was 40 and everyone assumed I was some loser.Their words) Who cares. It payed some bills and helped me to save my business.

[Blue Collar Christian]

And here we are, with enough put together to be online making comments.

[GOPsterinMA]

I can't remember the last time I saw a ‘neighborhood kid(s)’ cutting grass or shoveling snow.

Back in HS/college the money from the couple of lawns I cut came in very handy, that's for sure.

[GonzoGOP]

Nobody is using lawn services now btw. 2 years ago I’d agree with you, and you could might even get by ok doing it. Not now.

That goes to my point about getting small business going. If the cost of extending benefits is tax increases then it is counter productive. If we get people back to work they will start buying luxury services like lawn care again. We have to break the Increased Benefits => Taxes => Business Destruction => Unemployment cycle. We are faced with a series of choices that range from hard (limiting benefits to reduce the tax burden) to suicidal (high tax European style nanny state). The cycle sucks the life out of the economy and it will continue to suck worse until we break out of it. So we should choose the option that breaks the cycle soonest, rather than the one that holds off the Armageddon of suckiness the longest, but renders its eventual arrival inevitable.

[chooseascreennamepat]

The longest I was ever out of work was 2 months. It would have been 5 weeks except I didn’t want to move from Florida to New York just before Christmas.