New Opportunities in Tough Times

According to this morning’s Wonkette (the website of record), a think tank called The Roosevelt Institute issued a report, The Stagnating Labor Market,  stating that most of those currently unemployed will never work again.

Pessimism will not help us in the current situation.  In fact, many Americans have not given up but are actively getting rid of old junk in the attic like jewelry that probably hasn’t been worn since granny’s day.  They are the new entrepreneurs creating a greener future by selling off their goods rather than simply disposing of them when they are forced to leave their homes.  Others have learned to make do by taking three or four part-time jobs, discovering that one can function fine on four hours a night of sleep (or rather a day since the break between jobs is often in the morning or afternoon).

But the Roosevelt report also misses the many opportunities for growth that will occur as the middle-class continues to shrink, especially if the Tea Party revolution succeeds and people are freed from the yoke of government interference.  We need only look at some of our neighbors in the developing world to see where the new jobs will come from and how people function without the so-called “safety net” of benefits like unemployment insurance, Medicare and social security.

Kidnapping is a growth industry and will soon offer many opportunities.  This is a labor-intensive field, requiring teamwork and several distinct skill-sets.  It’s not simply about raw strength.  There are leadership roles for those with communication and  people skills as well as  the ability to think strategically.  At the entry level there’s a need for drivers, clean up crews, guards, cooks, etc.

Increases in kidnapping mean that all types of security services will mushroom, from higher-level consultants, to construction opportunities in renovating homes to include gates, panic rooms etc.  The need for bodyguards, private negotiators, and private police will be astronomical.

Meantime, the unemployed should protect their remaining assets, especially their kidneys. You can function fine with just one and the sacrifice of even a small piece of liver could help with heating bills. Corneas are also valuable and depth perception is over-rated.  (In a pinch those with supportive spouses can sacrifice both corneas which may increase earnings in the panhandling field considerably.) With new technologies making transplant of hands and other extremities easier, there will be growth in this segment as well.

The last thing we can afford as we move forward and seize the future is the continued interference of a government that seeks to “protect” us  by making us completely dependent on it for basic services and a safety net.

2 thoughts on “New Opportunities in Tough Times

  1. Wow, Marion!

    I was just about to boil over into outrage when I reached the paragraph about kidnapping as a growth industry. Jonathan Swift would be proud.

    I’m going to post a link to this essay on my blog.

    Thanks for the dark humor.

    Susan Wells Bennett

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