Poll Reveals Trauma of Joblessness in U.S.

[groovedaddy]

More than half of the nation’s unemployed workers have borrowed money from friends or relatives since losing their jobs. An equal number have cut back on doctor visits or medical treatments because they are out of work.

Almost half have suffered from depression or anxiety. About 4 in 10 parents have noticed behavioral changes in their children that they attribute to their difficulties in finding work.

Joblessness has wreaked financial and emotional havoc on the lives of many of those out of work, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll of unemployed adults, causing major life changes, mental health issues and trouble maintaining even basic necessities.

The results of the poll, which surveyed 708 unemployed adults from Dec. 5 to Dec. 10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points, help to lay bare the depth of the trauma experienced by millions across the country who are out of work as the jobless rate hovers at 10 percent and, in particular, as the ranks of the long-term unemployed soar.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/us/15poll.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

[LibDemAlways]

1. Unless things start to improve significantly, the Dems will pay

for this next year. I realize Bush created the mess, but voters don't have long memories. They always blame the party in power. And you can bet the repuke mantra on the campaign trail this year is going to be "jobs,jobs,jobs."

[aaronbav]

2. BushCo may have created the mess, but that IN NO WAY excuses the DEMS for their

COWARDLY, CORPORATIST WAYS.

While they have SHOWERD TRILLIONS of dollars on WALL $TREET, all BO could say for workers is that "Our resources are limited"

FUCK HIM AND ALL THE OTHER CORPORATE DEM WHORES TO HELL!

[wuvuj]

3. They've only screwed themselves...

...and all us chickens too of course.

But they just had to kowtow to Wall St and the military/security sector...next will be the insurance/big pharma sector...then the energy sector.

The BIG BUCKS go to their corporate sponsors...some trickles down to the voters who put them there?

[groovedaddy]

4. "Our resources are limited" but not so much so for Iraq and Afganistan?

To tell people that unnecessary war is more important than their livelyhood is a slap in the face.

[Kat45]

5. This falls under the category of 'no shit, Sherlock' but I'm glad

they are writing about it because a lot of people, particularly those who are still employed in good jobs that they've had for a long time, do not realize what things are like. I lost my job about a year ago and can barely get interviews because so many others, many more perfect for the position, are trying to get the same few jobs that are available. Coincidentally, most of my friends do have good jobs that they've had forever, and they have no idea what it's like out there, no clue. People pay lip service to knowing it's tough to find a job, but they really do not know just how bad it is. I feel like people won't even want to be around me anymore because I'm always so down and pessimistic. They don't get it. We have to remember that even with the unconscionable levels of unemployment we have today, that still means 75-80% of people ARE employed. Sure some of these folks are worried about their jobs, but some are not (particularly those in the upper echelons). So that's 75-80% of the population who don't have a clue, and in some cases don't give a shit.

[fasttense]

6. It's really a lot worse than you know.

As of October 1999 there were 109,487,000 Total number of of nonfarm private-sector jobs. As of October 2009 there were 108,401,000 jobs. But US population gained 34,573,000 workers.