The war-promoting rulers want it this way.
"Veterans for hire; Returning troops find job prospects bleak; programs try to increase opportunities, ease way into civilian life" November 11, 2011|By Katie Johnston, Globe Staff
Paul Stewart would not have gone to Iraq if he had not needed the work. But the economy left him little choice.
The Air National Guard sergeant closed his Newton scuba diving shop when the economy crashed in 2008, and after finding nothing but $15-an-hour security guard jobs, he went back on active duty, patrolling a base in 130-degree heat in Baghdad.
I'd take $15/hr.
He returned in March, but his luck has been no better. “What’s available right now are just low-paying, no-benefit jobs,’’ he said.
I've got one -- and I'm supposed to feel grateful.
Stewart, a 41-year-old Northeastern University graduate, is among the tens of thousands of veterans returning to a difficult job market, one that is only expected to get tougher following the pullout of US troops from Iraq this year and from Afghanistan by the end of 2014....
2014 seems like light years away to me (as if I believed them).
Related: Occupation Iraq: US Returning in 2012
And if not we'll base 'em in Kuwait.
Nationally, the jobless rate for all post-9/11 veterans has risen nearly 2 percentage points, to 12.1 percent, over the past year, even as overall unemployment has declined to 9 percent. The unemployment rate for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan is even higher - 14.3 percent.
Related:
"Joseph, 43, who has bounced in and out of jobs since returning home, is confronting a problem that is common among job seekers who have left the military in recent years. Despite the marketing pitch from the armed forces, which promises to prepare soldiers for the working world, recent veterans are more likely to be unemployed than their civilian counterparts."
Can always re-up!
Men and women returning from military service face distinct challenges in finding work.
A third suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or traumatic brain injuries, which can make employers wary of hiring them, according to veteran services organizations.
Some employers are reluctant to hire members of the Reserves or National Guard because they can’t afford to lose a worker for six months or more if they are called up for active duty.
Really? With all the people out of work?
And in sectors that traditionally attract veterans, such as law enforcement, job opportunities have dwindled because of budget cuts. The Massachusetts State Police Academy has just started its first class in five years.
Related:
"Officials say the infusion will bolster the force at a time when it is increasingly called upon to play a key role in antiterrorism efforts and to assist cities and towns whose own departments have been depleted by budget cuts."
That's what happens when all the tax loot is shoveled at banks and corporations.
And you thought the fraudulent and lie-based war on terror didn't affect you, 'eh?
Maybe the cops could quit repressing protesters instead.
Jonathan Howe has struggled not only to find work but to adjust to living with his parents in Wareham and supporting his wife and 3-year-old daughter after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But banks and oil companies made billions last quarter.
During his nearly five years in the Army, he survived mortar attacks and patrolled garbage dumps that people called home. He was trained to look for dead animals rigged with explosives on the side of the road.
:-(
These experiences have stayed with Howe, 37, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It is something he feels he has to disclose to employers, but he is worried his condition might make companies leery about hiring him.
“Going into a job interview and saying, ‘I won’t kill everyone in the building,’ that’s what’s [hanging] over your head,’’ said Howe, who is getting treatment for post-traumatic stress while finishing his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Beth Costa, who heads the veteran employment and training programs for the state, said publicity around post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries has made some employers hesitant to hire veterans.
Further complicating job searches, veterans often return with higher aspirations, convinced the leadership and responsibility they assumed in the military will lead to better jobs. They are reluctant to take just anything.
That's why illegal immigrants are needed -- or so I have been told.
“You’re making decisions that are life-and-death,’’ she said. “When you come back, you want something more. You want a career.’’
You can always make the military your career!
Mine is supposed to be here, but it doesn't pay anything.
In anticipation of a more than 1 million service members leaving the military over the next five years, federal, state, and private business groups are rolling out a series of hiring initiatives.
I'm not worried because Israel will have us in another war or two by then.
Yesterday, the US Senate unanimously passed legislation that would award businesses tax credits of up to $5,600 for each veteran they hire - up to $9,600 if a disabled veteran - who has been unemployed for at least six months. The legislation would also improve employment counseling and training programs for veterans and troops about to leave the military.
Related:
"The 95-0 vote gave lawmakers the opportunity to fly home to holiday events and boast about helping veterans and protecting jobs."
Like all politics it was done for self-serving reasons.
The House is expected to pass it next week.
On Monday, the Obama administration announced several new initiatives for veterans, including enhanced career services, a job bank, and an online tool to help veterans translate military skills into civilian jobs.
In Massachusetts, the state is holding 20 job fairs and seminars for veterans this month. Governor Deval Patrick has formed a task force on hiring veterans while working with trade associations to encourage hiring, and $700,000 in state funds will be designated to train and employ veterans.
Today, Veterans Day, the US Chamber of Commerce is launching a campaign to enlist small businesses to hire veterans and is forming a Veterans Employment Advisory Council made up of the country’s largest employers. The chamber is also in the midst of a yearlong effort to hold 100 hiring events for veterans across the country.
“If post-9/11 veterans continue to suffer from significantly higher unemployment, what’s going to happen to our armed forces three years from now?’’ said Kevin Schmiegel, a Marine Corps veteran and vice president of veterans employment programs for the US Chamber. “We won’t be able to attract talented young people if they know they’re going to struggle to find work when they get out.’’
Veterans often undersell their skills, officials say, and have a hard time showing how combat experience can benefit employers. In addition, the cultural differences between a war zone and an office cubicle can be difficult to navigate....
And we will be living with these problems for decades.
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Of course, a WAR ECONOMY is a GOOD ECONOMY!
"Defense lobbyists say cuts mean jobs" October 11, 2011|By Theo Emery, Globe Staff
WASHINGTON - Defense lobbyists are packing a potent weapon in the battle to protect their industry: a warning that more cuts to the Pentagon budget will cost jobs, which could hit Massachusetts particularly hard.
Often, military contractors focus their pitch for federal dollars on the need to bolster national security. Now, however, the ultimate threat to the nation could be its economic insecurity.
So let's throw more trillions down a rat hole.
“When people are polled right now, what’s their number one issue? Jobs and the economy. Defense and homeland security and terrorism are polling very, very low,’’ said Michael H. Herson, a lobbyist whose firm’s clients include Raytheon Co. , the defense titan based in Waltham. “So how do you make this issue resonate? You talk about jobs.’’
So you can PROTECT PROFITS!
The Bay State is considered particularly vulnerable. From providing training shoes for soldiers to supplying sophisticated cruise missiles for Navy destroyers, companies here have played an outsized role in defense contracting.
The industry generates a significant number of indirect or direct jobs in Massachusetts....
This in the allegedly liberal, antiwar state.
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