Whose Responsibility Is It?

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I had a fairly secure job as a maintenance technician with a major small engine manufacturer for several years. A well-known tire manufacturer in the area ran an ad for a job fair in the local newspaper. This was an opportunity to move to a job with less stress and more money. A no-brainer. The short of it is that I went to the job fair, passed a few tests, had an interview, and was offered a job. Easier work, more money, better benefits, and more time off. If this is torture, chain me to the wall!

A Time For Change

I had been with this company for about four years when one day I got a call. It was a message to come to a meeting at a conference center in town. I arrived at the meeting with a feeling of what was going on. When I actually got to the room, I knew. Everyone from the plant was there. Boy was I excited! I was just wondering why they brought us to a conference center to tell us that we were receiving across the board raises? Well, as you may have guessed, there were no raises. Some big shirt from high in the company came swooping in complete with an earpiece wearing, secret service looking entourage surrounding him. The only thing missing was a theme song. Anyway, he proceeded to tell us that our plant was closing and good luck. He then dashed away to do press conferences with local TV stations. Our plant manager took the stage next and it was all blah, blah, blah from there.

Livin’ The Good Life

After the plant closed, I signed up for all of the government programs I could find. I mean come on, I had already heard that President Obama was going to pay house payments, car payments, and utility bills for citizens. It was time for me to collect my fair share. I now sit here in my government house watching my big screen tv (that I purchased with my government check) waiting for the 1st and the 15th. Akuna Ma Tada.

Reality

Ok, I lied. If you bought any of it all I can say is wow. The reality is that I never felt any of the dire hopelessness that seemed to plague some of my fellow employees. I knew that I would find a job not because employers would line up with job offers, but because I am responsible for taking care of my family. The government, via all of you tax payers, is not responsible for providing for my family. I knew that I would find a job because, as far as I was concerned, there was no other choice. Since there were no good jobs immediately available in our area, I signed up for the opportunity to transfer to another plant within the company and was offered a job about two months before the plant closure.

Sacrifice

In order to provide for my family I now spend several days each week working across the state. I drive over 600 miles each week to provide an immediate, short term income for my family while I hash out the details of some long term business plans. Basically, I do what I have to do to legally provide for my family. This isn’t easy. I don’t enjoy spending so much time on the road. I do what I have to do. I am responsible for my family. You are not responsible for my family. The government is not responsible for my family. My extended family and friends are not responsible for my family. I am responsible for my family. It is up to me to provide. God has handed me this opportunity, and now it’s my responsibility to accept it.

A Time For Help

I should point out that needing help is nothing to be ashamed of. There may come a time when the only way to fulfill your responsibility to your family is through some type of assistance. I don’t have a problem with that. Just don’t let it become a way of life. Don’t let  that temporary assistance turn into a full time career. Also, remember that unemployment payments are not part of a government handout. Unemployment is a type of insurance. Companies pay the premiums, similar to the premiums you pay for auto insurance. When the time comes for the payout, it’s just like your auto insurance company giving you a check to cover damages from a wreck. The point is that you should feel no worse about collecting unemployment payments than you would collecting a check from a gecko. Again, the problem occurs when people start to manipulate the system to keep getting those checks.