Expounding on the post below

Both a commenter and the Ragin' Mrs. mentioned things to me about the post below, and I guess I should at least explain why I'm so ticked off about that CNN article.

I guess the bottom line is that in life, shit happens. Yes, sometimes you can't get a job. The Ragin' Mrs. herself has been on unemployment before we were married. But she was not the main breadwinner. I am. Are there times when you can't get a job at all? Yes, there is. And to be honest, yes, that is what unemployment is for.

But that's not the case in the CNN article. Mr. LeBlanc could have gotten a well paying job on an oil rig. He chose not to do so. And even THAT is fine, because that's his choice. Being around his family is more important to him than making money away from home.

But that was his CHOICE. Meaning, he chose to stay home. Do not whine about it.

He's working as a pizza delivery driver right now. He should have gotten that job BEFORE things were so dire that he had to sell off his "beloved 2003 Kawasaki motorcycle". But from what I read in the article, this guy chose NOT to get a job that was somehow below him. He just kept waiting for the perfect job to come along.

Wrong answer.

One of our buddies in Seattle was working in the computer field, and got laid off in 2001. This guy worked any and every job he could until he could find another job in computers. Two years of selling cell phones, delivering pizzas, jobs that Mr. LeBlanc obviously feels are below him. But my buddy made sure his bills were paid.

Granted, this was in Seattle, where there are a ton of jobs like that to be had - food service, other service industries. But again, from the article, Mr. LeBlanc had job opportunities, he just didn't like them, so he didn't take them.

Wrong answer, folks. Because at that point the economy is not to blame for your financial straits, your CHOICES are.

What pissed me off the most is that this whole sob story resulted from the choices that this guy has made. There are plenty of people out there who are dealing with real hardship. REAL hardship, folks, as in do you pay your mortgage or your food bill, and they're in that position due to no fault of their own.

Mr. LeBlanc just didn't want to be away from home. But he could have gotten a job. And because he chose to sit around and wait for the perfect job to come along, his family is having financial difficulties. And they're crying about it. That doesn't fly with me.

Did I explain why I was pissed well enough, or are things still as clear as mud?