There’s a lot of focus during the holidays on the homeless and unemployed — and appropriately so. But Eagle news columnist Mark McCormick wrote last week about a 50-something woman with a master’s degree and more than 20 years of management-level marketing experience. She lost her job two years ago and has struggled to find work that pays enough for her family to live on. She is one car breakdown or medical problem from going under, and she warns that there are many others like her — people who work hard but can barely make ends meet, and those who think they are OK but could quickly become downsized into her circumstances. “Please know, a rude awakening is just around the corner for many unsuspecting folks,” she said.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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44 Comments
I can’t believe the Eagle published this column in the first place. A woman with 20 years of marketing experience is FIRED from her job and can’t find another on. A marketing professional who can’t sell her own skills, no mention of what her spouse is doing, and how rough it is working low-end tasks.
Give me a break. I know that these types of ‘rude awakenings’ exist, but this has to be the worst example they could find. It makes me wonder about the intellectual fortitude at the Eagle.
I’m an electrical engineer. Part of the corporation I work for is being offshored next year. I hear again and again that this will not affect my job.
My question is how long before they hire electrical engineers in that same country to do my job.
Maybe it won’t affect my job today, what about next year?
I think his editorial did a great job of illustrating the reality that even those who are educated and have excellent job skills are vulnerable to the effects of jobs being offshored. A friend of mine who was a manager for the same company for over 20 yrs was just layed off for the same reason. Now, at 45, she’s having to start over and is having no luck finding a position that will pay a comparable salary. The Bush administraton has done nothing to discourage big business from going overseas and the influx of illegal aliens (with the blessing of Dubya)has only hurt us more. When Walmart can exploit a Chinese worker by paying them $3 for a 15-18 hour shift, why would they choose to stay here? BTW, have you noticed how full their parking lot has been since Thanksgiving? We are our own worse enemy!!
When we drag all of the Israeli spies out of the Pentagon, there should be a massive opening for new jobs.
Age is a factor in people know being able to find jobs.The average age of the people who work at GM that are being laid off is 49 years.Just how easily will they find a new job at their age even making half of what they did before.
It was 3 dollar gasoline that threw the GM workers out of their jobs. You’re witnessing the “Trickle-Down” effect of Bush’s foreign policy. The “gift” that keeps on giving.
It really matters not why these people are out there.. what matters is that there are people on the street and someday it could be us. We need to do whatever we can to help while we still have the resources. Once we are on the street, then we are at the mercy of people like you and me that may or may not be willing to feed us!
As long as we keep outsourcing jobs, things will continue to decline. I’ve never seen this economy so poorly managed by any administration. Bush has deliberately put our soldiers and our economy in harms way with his foolish decisions.
Bush is acting as a wrecking-ball to this country. Somehow, pathetically, he’s too stupid to see it.
Amen, Ed!!!
We can’t have our “cake” and eat it too.
Low prices, artificially made on manufactured goods spells low wages, or worse yet, no wages at all. It is possible to “tune” taxes, so as to keep jobs here at home. As long as Bush makes it profitable to move production elsewhere, it will keep happening.
If Bush hadn’t stayed drunk during his economics class, we wouldn’t be in this mess. We can’t afford to have a “president” who can’t add numbers together { or read a newspaper }. Or allow himself to be talked into using our military for reasons which hurt the United States.
In short: The job is over his head.
Yeah, Bush is to blame for outsourcing. I remember when he signed NAFTA and GATT into law like it was just yesterday.
Sum1, you failed to mention that less than 15% of the workforce in GM is under 40 years old. So the average age of a layed off person is going to be over 40.
The women in the article considers it “humilating” to work for lower pay then she used to get. I guess her attitude for the employees who work beside her is considered “beneath” her.
When they wrote she has 20 years of management-level marketing experience, what that means, she was in sales. There are so many sales jobs out there, its crazy, but its a tough job. She landed a cusion management position of sales people for those years, but I guess she doesn’t want to be a sales person so she can start back up again working towards management position. You also don’t need a Masters Degree to get it. I guess she just wants to step right into a $50,000 a year job, because she is entitled to it, rather than trying to earn and work for it.
They also failed to mention where she recieved her masters degree. When they don’t mention the University or College, it is most likely a paper mill college. They also failed to mention what she majored in. Making it more suspect that it is a Bull-S degree; a “pay your fee, pick up your B” type.
I’m not trying to make her look bad. I’m sure she is trying to do the best she can. We all are. Many people experience what she is going through. And people learn to adjust. We have good times and bad times through out our lives. The world cannot be made perfect.
We can debate on the issues on best how to stimulate economic growth, opporunity, and job creation, but we cannot legislate a perfect society or force companies to pay people extermely high salaries.
I think we have some misunderstandings on what poverty really means. In America, poverty still means you have an automobile, a home, a color television, refridgator, food on a daily basis, most even have jobs and earn income. But poverty in the rest of the world is completely different. It means not having anything. In America, that is not happening.
There is a wide varity of issues we debate on that we feels is best to help the citizens of our country. Some feel we need to be a capitalist society, some socialist, and some even communist, so we will always disagree or compromise on these issues.
But for my own personal interjection, I believe an idea called the “Fair Tax” would be one of the best economic moves to ever happen to our country. It would bring many companies activities that are presentally overseas back to America and investments would go through the roof.
My two pennies tossed in the fountain.
I’m sure this is a story that’s been repeated in Wichita many times, considering the instability in the aircraft industry these past years. The response in many cases was shameful. I’m amazed at how heartless many of our fellow Wichitians are. Nobody “deserves” poverty as payback for having a high income. Perhaps when we see someone down on their luck, we should consider the old saying, “There but for the grace of God Go I”.
Falcone,Good post. I think your summary was the take-home message of the article.
A lot of opinions here. Probably the worst being Damoons.
In the first place, neither the blog nor the article said anything about the FIRED woman losing her job to overseas.
Second. It is not just the Bush administration doing nothing about losing jobs overseas; it is the whole Washington structure, Liberals and Conservatives.
Third. The whole WalMart fiasco was played out in a previous blog, with the usual clap-trap being professed by both sides. End result? A lot of people hate it, but still shop there. An indictment of the American people? See the woman making $9.25 an hour.
Fourth. The FIRED woman (anybody curious as to exactly why she was fired?) is currently making $9.25 an hour. Some poor people would kill for that wage. Nobody ever said life was fair or easy.
She needs to go to nursing school. With her management experience she’d be running things within a year.
JM, FIRED is such an ugly word. It insinuates that you did something wrong, or you’re a bad person. I got fired once because of a medical condition.
But since you mention it, I wonder why she was fired.
Been there, done that. Could not find a job in Florida after my job was eliminated. (sorry, Damoon, my job loss had nothing to do with presidential policies)
Did I whine and moan about not being able to find a job? Nope. I searched for jobs a little further away from my front door. Wound up finding a job here in Wichita, at a much lower salary, but am working.
Yes, we are mostly dependent on our jobs for continued survival. But, for people unfortunate enough to lose their jobs, there are other jobs out there–IF you are willing to do what it takes (move) to get them. Yes, I miss friends/family, but I am employed and not whining or engaging in self pity.
Oh sure..”they CAN’T move”, schools, friends, etc. Sure. It depends on where you place your priorities. Like I said, been there/done that.
Good post, Ray. That’s the reason I’m in Wichita. Did you have a family to move?Family, friends, and schools won’t keep you from starving when you’re down and out. Moving from Florida to Kansas has got to suck, but if you’re not willing to look outside of your locality for a job, you really shouldn’t complain if things don’t go the way you want them to.
I would imagine it’s damn hard support a family, pay rent and utilities, and buy food on less than $10 an hour, but hey, if you’re working what the hell.
Damoon, I know people who support themselves and children on one income, $7.50-$8 an hour. They’re called “Temps”. That’s got to be one of the worst ideas our society has come up with. Throw-away labor.
Professional jobs are leaving the country to be replaced with jobs that pay less than half what a worker was paying.
It’s easy to say that worker was just greedy and should be willing to work for so much less.
What about the same companies that give their CEO’s millions of dollars in bonuses? How many people would that have kept on the payroll?
But hey, the CEO worked hard, the only thing the employee did was do the work that created the profits that paid his bonus. Why not replace them with someone who will do the work for less. After all, don’t you think next quarters bonus should be just a little more.
It is so easy to sit back in your arm chairs and decide that everyone who is educated and can’t find a job today must be unemployable because of some personality short-comings.It is really easy, if you have been lucky enough to not have been laid off in the last 3 1/2 years, to think you are somehow a much better worker than those poor schmoes who got pink slips.KEEP DREAMING!!!You will be awakened very soon.Reality has a way of sneaking up and biting you in the ass.
Oh ladies, ain’t it the truth! I wonder how long before the big companies choke on corperate greed. Ours is a consumer driven economy. What happens to big business once they reduce us to surfdom?
I’m sure the current CEOs are not too worried, they’ll ride this gravy train as long as it lasts, then they’ll all retire to the Caymans with their millions.
Just a reminder here….A degree or education is not a guarantee to a job. you must have skills that are in high demand…..period. If you have’em a job ( a good paying one) is not hard to find.
If you think that you can just graduate from college at 21yrs old go into the workplace and just do the same thing for the rest of your life then yes you will find yourself in the exact same place as this woman.
Want proof that this is the prevailing mentality? just look at the fact that there is more emphasis by employees on employers paying for helath insurance than paying for tuition and books for education
Great post, Jana–One can only hope that job dislocation and a plunge into poverty doesn’t have to happen to JM and JoeW before they realize that Clinton’s economy versus Bush’s means people live better under the former than the latter.
Galahad,I don’t know- maybe the purifying effect of poverty, and it’s way of making people get their priorities in order might do some of those jokers a world of good! Maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to judge if they had a spell of desperate circumstances under their belts.
I drank so much coffee that people think I’m waving at them.
Maybe some of you who think the president is responsible for the economy can answer a question:
What five things did President Clinton do that was responsible for the ‘good’ economy?
What five things have President G.W. Bush done that is responsible for the current economy?
In other words, what exactly do you think presidents do that dictates the economy?
Now that is an interesting proposition;
Clinton: Inherited a strong economy. Hence, income up, tax receipts up, no wars. He almost blew it during his second term, but the Republicans took control of congress and we had record surpluses.
Bush: Took over at the start of a recession (Clinton’s? If recessions are produced by current presidents.)
GDP is about the same as it was during Clinton’s watch. Income is up. Inflation is lower. Unemployment is about the same.
The budget deficet is caused by stupid wars and massive natural disasters. Without 9/11, the budget would be in a reasonable range. There would have been no need ( as Congress saw it) to invade Afganistan or Iraq.
Winner? On economics alone, Bush. On everything else, Clinton.
Moose:
Do I detect a litle sarcasm??
I agree with you for the most part.Management seems to be severely lacking at most hospitals. You’re not a “Manager,” You’re a Tool of the administration. Their only goal, is to make a profit, regardless of how many nurses they run off.
ProudMan
1.Spend and kill2.Spend and kill3.Spend and kill4.Spend and kill
5.Then,Get on channel 3 in Israel and threaten a nuclear strike on the world’s crude oil delivery system.
Then, just rack-back and watch Crude spike to 70 dollars and gasoline to 3 dollars, which in turn shuts-down SUV sales overnight.
Dealers are stuck, and GM lays off thousands of workers.
President Alfred E. Newman, hard at work.
President Alfred E. Newman…AKA G.W. Bush, the PNAC Stooge.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=73909&d=29&m=11&y=2005&pix=opinion.jpg&category=Opinion
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=73934&d=29&m=11&y=2005
Just a short note, folks. You know if you put your own political rights and wrongs, beliefs and disbeliefs, what you all think our president and his cronies should or should not be doing into one pile and ignore them for just a little bit, it becomes very clear that our president (and associates) might very well know just exactly what they are doing, and are leading our country down a path that it will not survive. At least not as we know America. And that leaves me fighting mad. However, if there is going to be a “global” community, then America will have to be brought to her knees. And once you stop and LOOK at the whole picture, that is exactly what is going on. Call me paranoid, but I challenge anyone to prove differently.
Justoneman
That has been precisely my point. The amount of ire I’ve drawn is in direct proportion to just how disturbingly close my point strikes those who plan so well. They’ve had a long time to sell whatever is for sale and lack no cunning or willingness to feed their ever so hungry beast. I can’t say I truly understand the gratification of underhandedness, though it seems so compelling for those schemers.
Besides self-admiration it’s almost as though they beg to be stopped. That could be wishful.
justoneman,
paranoia strikes deep, and you be one paranoid dude, dude.
justoneman, See what I mean?
Back onto the subject…….dr is right, if you don’t have skills that are in demand, then it doesn’t matter how many letters there are behind your name. Like Moose said, nursing is a well paying, very in demand profession if you can handle the stress, and you don’t have to have a 4 yr degree to do it. Too many kids in the USA go to college and get degrees that they can’t do a whole lot with. Just look at India and China, they shame us with the number of students graduating with engineering and other technical degrees compared to us. In our country an education is taken for granted, but in those countries, it’s the only way out of poverty and the chance to get an education is taken very seriously. Americans have become too spoiled and complacent, and in the end we’ll pay for it with more of our jobs going to qualified people overseas.
Ed,
Do you have any links to a reputable US news agency that show Bush on Israeli TV threatening a nuclear strike?
Damoon you are 100% correct.
Proudman
All three networks carried it, you’d have to dig through their archives or ask.
It was just before oil spiked.
J.M. Walker No, not paranoid. At least no more than what could be considered normal in this day and age. Just have lived long enough to look back over the last several decades and very clearly see a pattern being followed. And I stand by what I originallly said. Our leaders, and other around the world ARE systematically destroying the America we think we know. You cannot have a “global community” unless the major superpowers are brought to their knees. For America it will more than likely be done financially. And we, in the most part, will do it to ourselves.
I’m a high school educated, tradesman hazed out of my trade here in Wichita. I tried to get rent assistance from the Red Cross,they told me unless I had a source of income they couldn’t help….????. This is the type of compassion this state has for the down and out, grasping at straws, I went to this papers message board and asked for help (cyberbegging) all I got from the compassionate people of Wichita was ” Get off your lazy butt. “Anyone who can give pat answers like that has never been down on their luck…but hey I just a bum who needs to get off my lazy butt and get a job …right ?