Mark T, TX, Unemployed Story #1862

By cutting my cash income this month the insurance on the truck will not be paid, the telephone will not be paid and my internet I use for job searches and resume submitting will be cut off. I could go to the library to search for jobs and submit applications... If I had a legal truck to drive there and gas to go in the tank. Congress is out of touch with reality thinking we will find jobs walking around town and having no transportation or a phone to call back on. Pass some real legislation like a "Targeted Jobs Tax Credit" tied to the tiers of unemployement 10-20-30-40-50% based on lenth of unemployement... THAT would give small businesses a REAL REASON TO HIRE LONG TERM UNEMPLOYED. And keep the meager amount of cash flowing to help us FIND WORK. Trust me 192.00 a week is no windfall, but so far with very frugal spending we have managed to keep insurance on the Truck a Phone and dialup internet to apply to companies far away and save gas for interviews. (not to mention stave off hunger or food stamps, the next step if UI is cut from us) Get a clue congress if the AMERICAN PEOPLE cannot get BACK TO WORK you will not have a job either, if not voted out of office the lack of taxes will cripple our economy. Social services will increase to extraordinary levels and crime will increase as people struggle to feed their children, themselves and survive.After the initial 26 weeks in Pennsylvania I relocated to stay with my daughter in Georgia (Temporary in Fort Benning Military Housing) after not being able to find work there... Through the internet I found a church in Texas that needed a care taker in trade for a place to live. That place to live has kept us out of a shelter but the church "also suffering from the economy" could not offer a salary so unemployement has kept us off social services and seeking work. Now the end of Tier 4 looms over our heads and no income is available after that (This means food stamps, no transportation, phone or internet to make applications and look for new postings) We recently found a similar job opening in Utah (With A Salary) but if accepted we will have to sell whatever we can and beg for community cash or donations just to get there. (Oh and with a uninsured truck - No Choice) This is OUR dilema and I feel we have been fortunate compared to others ! Tier 5 isnt a convienience ITS SURVIVAL. I have worked all my life, the layoff from Proctor and Gamble in PA was not a choice I made and if the choice WAS mine 192.00 a week vs. 400.00 would be fairly simple ! My wife and I want WORK, A LIFE, AND INDEPENDENCE. We will never get that without a way to get there.. Tier 5 is needed to SURVIVE