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."

[freedumb2003]

I think there is therapy available for your anger issues. Some use medication, others are more behavior-based.

[GonzoGOP]

The father was layed off also and doing side jobs just to get by and gives her what he can.

That's why I asked. Like I said I wasn't trying to be a smart ass, just trying to get relevant info. Both parents out of work changes the equation completely. The only hope is to survive by any means necessary until the economy turns around. And with the current burden of debt, taxes and bureaucratic regulation that doesn't seem likely for a couple more years. At least until after Obama gets run out of town.

You can waste a lot of time talking about what should have been done (tax cuts, opening up Federal land) or not done (Stimulus, Obamacare, Bank bailouts), but that doesn't help the people out of work now. The economy and government are so screwed up now that all we have remaining are a series of crappy choices.

I don't think moving unemployment from a temporary insurance into a permanent entitlement is a good idea. And it appears that is where the 99ers want to go with it. If two years isn't enough the question that must be answered is what is? When do you cut it off? Is it when the economy recovers? That won't happen until you can cut taxes and government spending. It is not out of lack of sympathy but a sense of necessity that I favor expending the remaining resources of the nation in a desperate attempt to get the economy moving again rather than in programs to help people in a European style perpetual high unemployment economy.

[GonzoGOP]

Some like to imagine an American 1776 style revolution. That is fantasy.

The fantasy is that the American Revolution was an easy thing. That was a nine year long war in which the local economy was destroyed, most families lost someone, the currency was rendered worthless, and a large chunk of the population was forced to emigrate to what is now Canada. I think the problem is that most people don't study history enough to understand just how bad the 1774-1783 was for the average Colonist / American. The colonial army suffered 25,000 casualties from battle, starvation or disease. The latter was the big killer, but you are just as dead from small pox as you are from a musket ball. While that may not sound like much, the army was never larger than 37,000 total. Your odds of surviving to the Treaty of Paris if you mustered on Lexington Green were not particularly good.

[Nachum]

Exactly.

Unless, you want to compare it to the civil war. :(

[GonzoGOP]

Unless, you want to compare it to the civil war. :(

That is what you get with American efficiency and ingenuity. We accomplished more slaughter, destruction and devastation in four years than the Brits could accomplish in nine. Hire Americans we are good at what we set our mind to.

[winodog]

I have been self employed for 18 years. I signed checks totaling tens of thousands for unenjoyment yet I could not collect either.
I have spent the past year working for nine dollars an hour doing something I “hate”.

Theres no work out there for 50 plus year old construction workers who can run circles around most owners and everyone working for them.

Tell Beck to get the D of C to bring back all the jobs they have shipped overseas while they collect superfat paychecks with superb healthcare and one hundred thousand dollar pensions for life. Screww all of them/

Folks who have worked hard all their lives are being screwed everyway possible by predators and parasites in fed,state,county,city,town.gov.

For myself, hope and change = white folks like myself seeing to it that the District of Criminals is totally destroyed before they murder hundreds of millions of Americans as I believe with all my heart that that is their intention.

[ThomasMore]

I'm surprised at Beck, but then again, he, on occasion, can “open mouth and insert foot”. His statement was a “one size fits all” scenario and that just isn't the case. And disparaging others who are going through a tough time is not the Charitable thing to do. It isn't a teachable moment. And he certainly isn't my big brother or father. He has been promoting Faith, Hope and Charity. And he hits the mark often and true. However, I don't like when he gets on a soap box like this in a disparaging tone. Of course, reformed “drunks, smokers, liars, addicts of all sorts” seem to slip occasionally into pontificating about others woes. He should think back to when he was in a world of shit as an active alcoholic. Maybe then he'll be humbled a bit to stop denigrating , by way of generalizing, everyone who is out of work for a long period of time.

I'll bet some if not many long term unemployed didn't expect the government to shovel out more unemployment checks. That move was political and a CYA move by this lame administration that hasn't done anything to stimulate and encourage job creation in the private sector.

As for those in this thread who are ridiculing others; just pray your ass isn't in a bread line some day for whatever reason beyond your control. Not all those who are unemployed, even for a long time, are to blame. A little hand up and encouraging word goes a long way.

[caww]

If you cannot hand deliver your resume to the person who is doing the hiring...then try again..I don’t recommend speaking about a job with any who are not doing the hiring unless they have access to that person...and then only to inquire of names etc. Their job is to screen people....before they have opportunity to see the person who hires. Ask to see a person...not to get a job.

[caww]

Yep....that is the secret...downplay your skills to fit the requirements...and sometimes just do an application alone...no resume if not required. And dress for the position when interviewed. Don’t overdress...and remove all “metal” for those who have it.

[ThomasMore]

Tell Beck to get the D of C to bring back all the jobs they have shipped overseas

Funny thing is....Beck read and also encouraged others to read "Road to Serfdom" by FA Hayak...the father of laissez faire, free market enterprise. What Beck doesn't get is that huge corporations are no different than huge government. The end result is the same: enslavement. Hayak speaks of monopolies in a way that seems foreign to today's mindset. Many a good and hard worker is being screwed over by greedy bastards who have taken advantage of the letter of the law. This is not only found in big government but in big business as well. GREED is killing this country.

[rickomatic]

No offense to developers here, but a “programmer” in the ERP world is like the guy who used to put feathers on the end of quill pens.

If I'm not mistaken quill pens ARE feathers. You just compared a computer programmer to God. hehe

[freedumb2003]

>>If I’m not mistaken quill pens ARE feathers. You just compared a computer programmer to God. hehe<<

I am sure that matches up with some of their self-opinions ;) But I was talking about the quill pens of my youth — plastic and metal at the end and a feather glued onto the end. I never actually used a real quill pen but I did work on an S-100 bus CP/M machine writing in Z80 assembler...

[Rebelbase]

““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.””

A large percentage of employers already know who they are going to hire to fill an open position. The want ads advertising is cover for Equal Employment Opportunity requirements.

[rickomatic]

>>If I’m not mistaken quill pens ARE feathers. You just compared a computer programmer to God. hehe<< I am sure that matches up with some of their self-opinions ;) But I was talking about the quill pens of my youth — plastic and metal at the end and a feather glued onto the end. I never actually used a real quill pen but I did work on an S-100 bus CP/M machine writing in Z80 assembler...

Yea, but I bet you stayed at a Holiday Inn the night before.. :)

[caww]

I have worked for such as that...and you have to suck it up or loose you job...that is the bottom line.

[the_devils_advocate_666]

Two years is plenty of time to get certified as a truck driver. Seems around here people are always looking for truck drivers.

[Lil Flower]

>>I sure did, but I read that you were racking me for suggesting that Unemployment should be limited<<
Then you didn’t read what I posted because all I had a problem with was you suggesting those who are unemployed are lazy. I never said anything regarding whether or not unemployment benefits should/should not be limited.

[freedumb2003]

Well, if I read in more than was intended I apologize. And it is almost impossible to link the data about job hunting to unemployment benefits without implying a “lazy” link — but those are data and we are talking people.

FReepers in particular are industrious and want nothing more than to pull their weight. Very few lazy people stay very long here.

DU and Koz OTOH have whole threads dedicated to how people can avoid work...

[Lil Flower]

Oh and by the way, I’m just curious, what is the name of the company you work for?

[freedumb2003]

El Compania Grande del Tropo

(no offense — I try to minimize my data footprint on the Interwebz).