“2 years is plenty of time to have lived off your neighbors wallet.”

I hate to do it, I hate to comment on Glenn Beck, but this is a common argument against unemployment benefits, by people who absolutely don’t understand the way the market works. I’m responding to This this. It’s a common argument from what I’d like to call the ignorant douchebag right. I’d like to point out the irrelevant but kind of telling point that to him, a normal looking person, is a blonde, I don’t know why it just cracks me up. Also his idea that somehow socialists are not normal people goes against polls, during the election, polls pointed out that 1/5th of Americans and 1/3rd* of young Americans prefer socialism, now keep in mind that they didn’t explain actual socialist ideals in the polls, so what people had in mind is the socialism that the mainstream media portrays, which is a very negative image. When it comes to actual socialist ideals (which are almost the same as ideals of democracy), I’d venture to say that the numbers would be higher. But I guess in Glenn Becks world, your being a “Normal American” is political, i.e. you have to support the corporatist market (there’s not such thing as a free market).

But to the meat of it, why are people unemployed, because they don’t want to work? Considering that there are 5 applicants for every job, I don’t think that’s the problem. How about Jobs not hiring overqualified people, or even not hiring unemployed people, specifically, how about the fact that companies simply don’t want to hire, they’d rather work their employees harder and make more money. Here’s what Glenn and the ignorant-douche-bag right doesn’t understand, there is no free market, the market, is controlled by the richest people in the country, those are ultimately the people that decide if people get jobs or not, it’s not the unemployed.

This is Glenn becks solution to the unemployed, essentially (I’m paraphrasing) “shut up and deal with it, take what ever crumbs you can get if that, and don’t you dare do anything that might hurt corporate power.” That’s why it all goes to unions, what do unions do that Glenn Beck hates, I’d actually think he would like unions, since they work in the free market, they are workers using their collective labor power to get a better deal, I thought Glenn Beck would like that? After all isn’t it all about self-interest? Isn’t it all about what you can get for what you have? That’s the market? No Glenn Beck isn’t interested in THAT free market, Glenn Beck hate unions because they are a way for the poor to shift power from the rich, Unions are a way in which poor working class people can try and level the playing field, and have somewhat of a say over their economic lives, they are a way in which THEY can have a slight leg up so they are not totally subservient to the rich business class in America. Glenn Beck isn’t interested in any type of Market, if he was he would probably like unions, he’s interested in the power of the business class, nothing else. Glenn Beck wants the poor to take what’s dealt to them by the rich and shut up, deal with it them self, and just deal with the huge power imbalance, he doesn’t want them to act in their self interest, he doesn’t want them to organize, he doesn’t want them to try and shift policy in their favor.

Now he said something interesting, “here’s an idea … Merit.” Yeah, so what about the top bankers that destroyed the economy and made off with millions was that due to there “Merit”? What about the top CEO pay and bonuses going up and up while wages stagnate, was that due to “merit”? What about when a CEO makes a terrible business choice, keeps his job, and pay and just lays off some worker, was that due to his “merit?” NO, it has nothing to do with Merit, Capitalism does not reward merit, the corporatist market doesn’t reward merit, and it rewards economic power, nothing else. I agree though, we need an economy based on merit, so lets democratize the economy, so that if a CEO messes up, he won’t get away with it, lets strengthen the unions, so that workers can work less and more can work.

The ignorant-douche-bag right (that’s not all of them btw) don’t understand how capitalism works, but they understand one thing, the poor should get nothing, the poor should take it, the poor should shut their mouths and take what’s dealt to them, and the rich, should get their way. I think Glenn Beck needs to take an economics class.

In my opinion the solution isn’t more benefits (although I think those are needed), the solution is, democratize the economy, when you have everyone having a say on who has a job or not, and not just the rich, I’m pretty sure things would be different.

Also for the unemployed, theres nothing better you can do, than while looking for work, join a group, organize, don’t just take it laying down, fight for your interests, its NOT ok that the poorest in America suffer for the systemic failures that benefit the rich, that needs to change, and its going to happen when the poor make themselves heard and start attacking the powers that be.

*Poll 1
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