This is what ERE can save you from

[Mo]

"Also, the part where the guy laments the job at Target was remarkable: in an hour you'll earn more than 80% of the world earns in a day, and that's some sort of tragedy?"
I think it is fair criticism because I think it’s important for individuals to understand how fortunate or unfortunate they are on a broad scale, rather than a narrow scale. I also think there is room to be critical of the notion that someone who can’t find a job in 2 years is being subjected to something terrible by being offered a job at 9.25 an hour.
I do see your point about the cost of living being much higher in silicon valley than where I live, and it’s true that I hadn’t really thought much about that before posting. To a certain extent though, I think it’s reasonable for me to assert that other people manage to live a good life on $9620 per year (9.25/hr x20hrs x 52weeks), and so can the man in the video. He may have to move though. This site is frequented by several individuals who voluntarily live on far less than what this man is facing. I looked back at my own earnings, and adjusted for inflation, I lived on less than $19300/year (9.25/hr full time) for 12 years, and less than $9600/year for 7 years. It's hard to properly account for the impact of location, but fair to note that I was living in places with a lower cost of living than Silicon Valley.

[photoguy]

See the following articles for age discrimination at google:
http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/201 ... Case-.aspx
http://open.salon.com/blog/bonnie_russe ... that_brats
Also see
http://www.strategie.gouv.fr/revue/IMG/ ... ickHS5.pdf
While everybody is responsible for trying to stay current and working hard to get a new job, it seems that some people have a harder uphill battle than others.

[methix]

Vanguard had a documentary entitled Maxed Out on this topic:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/91604/vanguar ... s-p4-so-i0
what people consider normal, frugal, and etc., can be a bit of trip to the other side. Lewis Carol wrote fiction, unlike this.

[AlexOliver]

Current! Al Gore's TV channel. I'll be sure to watch that later, thanks for the link methix.

[mwilliams92]

just 12000$ per person will give them 2 years to find a job instead of gov spending, maybe not living the way they want for the rest of their lives (ere IS a choice after all) but if some people can do this for life, all should be able to do it for a "crisis" add in a minimum wage job 20 hours a week while your looking for something better makes 1000 a month or forever on 500.
and lets face it 12k is not difficult when the average person makes what? 2000-3000 a month. at the "recommended 15%" thats 40 months and i think a lot of these people have worked more than 3 years.

[mwilliams92]

btw i am astonished that the duct cleaning truck didn't boom in a recession.