Thomas D. Segel
Some Are Still Working For Their Daily Bread
April 10, 2010

Everyone knows there is a recession and understands unemployment is high. But, are things really as bad as portrayed, or have Americans just lost their spirit along with their work ethic?

To explain that question I reflect back on the Great Depression. My father was a professional man and a land title research expert who could not find work in his field. He provided for his family by working as a laborer in meat packing plant and slaughterhouse. My grandfather and an uncle were plumbers. They traded their labor in barter fashion for food items and products. One uncle sold Watkins products door to door. In other words, they all did what had to be done to provide for their families.

Today we hear that 47% of the population will pay no federal income tax. Most of them will even be rewarded with an earned income tax credit payment that comes right out of the pockets of fellow Americans who did pay taxes. A large segment of our society remains of the welfare rolls, some into the third generation of living off government assistance. But, what really bothers many people is we have so many who are unemployed and really refuse to seek any position that brings in less money than they were making before the recession hit. They seem to be content to not only draw unemployment benefits, but demand those benefits be extended again…and again.

I argue that with the exception of the Rust Belt or California which is overrun with illegal aliens, there is work to be found. A person might need to travel to find that job, but there is work available. This observation is made from Texas, which admittedly is in better shape than most states, but according to the daily newspaper many positions are there for qualified people. However, some of the work requires a person to roll up his or her sleeves and perhaps get the hands a bit dirty.

I know young people who have lost their jobs due to reduced workforce at their former places of employment. They are at home, living off their parents and not even seeking jobs that are being offered. For example, just about every fast-food establishment has a hiring sign in the window, but I have heard these young adults say forcefully, "I am never going to flip burgers for a living!”

The state operated mental health and medial facility where I still serve as a consultant has dozens of positions open for health care workers. The facility advertises and attends job fairs, but few people make application. If 20 people apply for the jobs, half will be rejected because of prior history involving drugs or criminal activity. Of those remaining, a few more do not complete their training. Of the six or seven who are hired and start work, half walk off the job after the first paycheck. That is the work ethic I see in young America.

The other side of that coin is the elderly side of our population. They keep on moving just like the Energizer Bunny. One friend retired after a long career at a technical college. He then started a very successful business on E-Bay. Another friend, a veterinarian, is still caring for animals even though he is in his mid eighties. At least a half dozen health professionals of my acquaintance have retired after 20 to 30 years of service, only to seek out another career in the same field. A former educator friend retired, only to continue working as a sports official and has now taken a position with the Army National Guard and Reserve. These individuals are senior citizens. who continue to be employed, productive and willing to take on any meaningful labor.

Why do you think such a difference in work ethic exists between the younger workers and the elderly? Some say it is because the past thirty years of American governance and education has changed the "working class” into the "dependent class”. This was evident when so many young Americans rushed forward to install the current administration into office. They were more interested in advancing the nanny state than they were the spirit of American self-sufficiency.

But that spirit which made this country great till remains in the hearts and minds of those who do not accept cradle to grave dictates from government. You see them rise up at town hall meetings and at Tea Party rallies across the country. It took the form of action in several state and special elections. You see it in those who reject the government position that we all need to be led through life by Washington. And you see it in those who in spite of a recession and a crashed economy, both created by government mismanagement, keep working hard to provide their own daily bread…and fighting to keep the political class from stealing it out of our hands.