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The pain of unemployment: A local couple's story

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    The pain of unemployment: A local couple's story

    June 4, 2011

    14-million Americans are out of work and according to the latest jobs report, the Ark-La-Tex is faring much better than the nation as a whole, but the jobless here are suffering just the same.

    "We have five small children and no income whatsoever."

    Dawn Baker says her husband lost his job in March.

    "He's never been down this long. Before, it's been like a week or two of him being home."

    Two and a half months later, he hasn't found anything. The only job dawn has been able to land was at a gas station. It lasted a week.

    "Me having five kids, not having transportation, and being in the situation I'm in, they let me go," says Dawn.

    She says their application for food stamps was denied.

    "I thought that's what food stamps and that stuff was there for, when you're down and you need a little help. Our church has been pretty much supplying everything in our household for the past two months."

    Millions of Americans are in similar shape thanks to consistently high unemployment.

    "9.1 percent for the nation, that's pretty bad," says Jacques Lasseigne with the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

    Jacques Lasseigne says Louisiana is at 7.4 percent and for Shreveport-Bossier, it's 6.6 percent. But he says businesses everywhere are hesitant to make plans for the future.

    "When they're hesitant, they don't hire people. They don't make plans to expand," says Jacques.

    Many are saving up because of higher costs to run. One reason, he says, is healthcare.

    "Unless they get a waiver they'll be paying a lot more for health insurance for their employees or they gotta lay people off to afford the healthcare premiums."

    So folks like Dawn do what they can to make ends meet.

    Dawn says, "I've put signs up at the mailboxes for babysitting, mowing yards, cleaning house. I have tried," but to no avail, so she clings to hope that a change comes soon.

    14-million Americans are out of work and according to the latest jobs report, the Ark-La-Tex is faring much better than the nation as a whole, but the jobless here are suffering just the same.
    Filed/discharged/closed Chapter 7 in 2010!

    #2
    I was traveling this past weekend in NC and noticed in several areas people had handwritten signs at intersections stating they would take in laundry, do ironing, etc. Very rarely in the past have I ever seen signs posted for that at major and/or smaller intersections anywhere...
    _________________________________________
    Filed 5 Year Chapter 13: April 2002
    Early Buy-Out: April 2006
    Discharge: August 2006

    "A credit card is a snake in your pocket"

    Comment


      #3
      There is a handwritten sign on the bulletin board in the lobby of our post office from a woman willing to do housework.
      "To go bravely forward is to invite a miracle."

      "Worry is the darkroom where negatives are formed."

      Comment


        #4
        I heard on the news on the way home that more people (percentage wise) are out of work for longer than 13 weeks NOW than in 1934...

        Remember to also, rougly double all unemployment figures....www.shadowstats.com

        Comment


          #5
          Man, I'm scared for our country....
          Chapter 7 Filed: 04/21/2011, 341 Meeting: 05/31/2011, Report of No Distrubution: 06/02/2011, Discharged: 08/03/2011, Closed: 08/10/11

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