They’re at it again.  Our politicians are arguing over the war on poverty, or rather what causes the failure of this war on poverty.  They call it the downside to the recovering economy: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.  Economic inequality is the downside of any economy.  It’s just felt more during a recovery because the “new” poor don’t recover as fast, if at all.  They haven’t grown accustomed to navigating a broken system and enduring the inevitable prejudice.

The parties agree we have a problem, but where the Republicans feel we cannot extend employment/welfare benefits and further increase the national deficit, the Democrats believe unemployment insurance actually helps the economy and therefore reduces the deficit in the long run.  This is the same old argument.

You know that old saying about the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over against but expecting different results.

Why can’t our leaders begin to think outside of the box? Better yet, why don’t they get out of the rich seat of clueless patronization and work with the poor to find a solution? Perhaps even try to break it down a little more like the average American, or foreigner for that matter?

Unemployment is an issue.   We have standard unemployment insurance guidelines that work during a healthy economy, but seem to fail during a depression and the recovery that follows.  Why?  The length of unemployment extends beyond the standard timeline.  That seems to be understood since the usual response is to provide benefit extension (additional 16 or 21 weeks) in tiers based on the unemployment level in each state at the time.  So the problem is understood, but the standard response to that problem – unemployment extensions – are not working and further strain the budget.

Here’s something else that’s common knowledge and proven through research.  The long-term unemployed, defined as anyone who had been out of work for greater  than 6 months, face discrimination in the workplace.   Experience and skill level takes a back seat to that timeline of joblessness and the stigma it carries.  So, at a time when unemployment benefits are set to expire, it becomes exponentially more difficult to gain employment.

The traditional answer, to extend benefits, addresses the need for money to survive, but doesn’t address the root of the problem: joblessness.  Job growth initiatives address the overall numbers (e.g. this many new jobs = this many off unemployment docket).  Yet that doesn’t appear to be impacting the social program dollars as much as the reporting numbers themselves.  Why?

Just a thought.  New jobs go to newly unemployeed.  The long-term unemployeed remain in the system, and begin accessing other programs the longer they are jobless.  They also cease to be strong contributors to the overall economy.  It’s logical really.  The person who is recently unemployeed is using the funds of a working system, the standard unemployment measures.  They haven’t started tapping into their savings to survive (yet), haven’t fallen short on payments (yet), haven’t downsized (yet) and aren’t living on a shoe string budget (yet).  It’s the long-term unemployeed, those surviving on the benefit extension programs while facing all of these additional burdens, that start signing up for food stamps and other subsidies.  The long-term employment issue is a larger problem than the actual unemployment percentage.

So here’s a thought.  Why not offer incentives to companies who will hire the long-term unemployeed?  Why not help break the discrimination that is such a handicap before benefit extensions and other government subsidies are required?

Why not offer incentives to partner with their state department of labor to a greater level?  Instead of using it as just another posting board, use the department as an interactive recruiting and development forum?

Why not upgrade the set-up of the department of labor so it actually is functional and not preaching impossibilities instead of teaching how to overcome the reality?

How about incentives to corporations that provide grants to be issued through the department of labor to train long-term unemployeed on jobs specific to their business?   Or perhaps a program that provides priority treatment to the unemployeed who spend volunteer during their difficult time?

Why not actually start an education campaign – something real and felt, that touches the heart and opens the mind –  so we (and I’m including the President of the United States here) are not always reminding the policy makers that the unemployeed are not lazy?

Wait, why not create a War on Poverty initiative that actually involved the impoverished in the research, studies, policy and procedure creation and in building a new infrastructure?

Just as you can’t bring about change by making the same failing moves over and over and over again, you can’t manufacture a solution for poverty from the rich seats far from the problem, separated by a clouded, glass dome of delusions, lies and misinformation.

Unemployment isn’t the only issue.  Lord knows we’ve got a myriad of misconceptions and missteps to correct, and a stagnant system to completely revamp, but as our political leaders are pecking away at these problems can they at least try to approach it from a different side of the coo coo nest?  America would appreciate it.

Do you have creative ideas for turning the tide on the battle of unemployment in this war on poverty?