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OddTod Laid Low by the Law
nickynicky9doors writes "The International Herald Tribune has a NYT article on the recent woes of Tod Rosenberg who started 'Laid Off: A Day in the Life'. Mr. Rosenberg started www.oddtodd.com to tell the tale of a laid off guy who spends days watching TV and eating chips. Oddtod became so successful Mr. Rosenberg reaped cash donations and national TV exposure. Unfortunately it also brought the attention of the Department of Labor who have explained the catch of having to be actively looking for work while collecting unemployment benefits. Another dot com bust."
This guy really needs to get a real job. Director of Business Development for a dot com, huh? Good luck, sucker.
So this guy actually made quite a bit of money from being laid off. I suppose its only fair they take any unemployeement benefits away, being that he now successfully has a (paying) job being jobless. Saddly the people who donated money to him are probably the same people who cast their eyes away from homeless people or those who are on welfare and can't afford a computer and a web diary. Guess being in the media does pay.
can't sleep slashdot will eat me
Looking at some unemployment requirements, most of them require you to be making "contacts looking for work". If his web site has had a million visitors, well I think I could argue that he's made a million potential work contacts. I suspect if times weren't so bad in his chosen field, he probably would have had dozens of job offers by now.
After all, isn't looking for a job simply marketing? I think he's done a pretty good job at marketing, although I'm not sure what type of picture he's portrayed of himself...
Answering emails all day could also count. Perhaps he was answering emails to prove to people he could be useful. Perhaps each email is a job contact.
I could go on all day. Someone could really have fun with this....
Hmm.. I guess this is true only if you are female.
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
I my self was collecting unemployment from september til mid december. And remaind jobless up until just this week. I stoped collecting because i figured it would help modivate me. ive been living off left over x-mas and birthday money.
But i have been orderd to repay my unemployment bennifits of 2,020. When i was actively searching for work. So im in the process of appealing that.
But leave it the government to give you a helping hand and then knock you ass back down. When you decide to try and help your self.
As somebody currently collecting unemployment, I can say that it's bullshit. First of all, the "maximum" is ridiculously low. Secondly, unemployment benefits are taxed. Thirdly, you don't get to collect unemployment if you earn a fraction of your measly unemployment check. Meaning, I'm bored to tears. They want me to be employed. But, if I get a MINIMUM WAGE job while I'm waiting for a REAL job, then I'm ineligible for unemployment. In essence, instead of getting some grunt job while I'm waiting for a real job, I'm encouraged to stay COMPLETLELY unemployed. It's complete bullshit.
Myth 1: You make that much on unemployment? You lucky fuck!
Reality: If you filed after Jan 6th, 2002, the California state employment maximum is 330.00 a week, for up to 26 weeks. You can't file again for a year, and you have to have worked a substantial amount during the benefit year to be able to get more. That's 8580.00 to last a year, before taxes. Yes, it's taxable. That's well below the national "poverty line".
Myth 2: Well, still, it's enough to live on, you lucky fuck.
Reality: Maybe where you live, but not everywhere. In most major cities in the US, it's not enough for basic living expenses. Move to the country? Well, there aren't any jobs there, either, and less infrastructure. Oh, and if you have any other expenses, you're pretty much screwed. For example, I pay 100.00 a week in child support (a very modest sum), so I have to live on 230.00 a week. If I had a car payment, student loans, or other debts, I'd be toast. As it is, my lease locks me into over 1500.00 a month in rent. Hey, you do the math -- it's pretty grim.
Myth 3: You're better off getting a job at Wal-mart or something.
Reality: A "good" basic job might pay the same as the unemployment, but it'll also eat 40 hours a week of job-hunting time -- and management at that McJob isn't going to let you go on interviews every other day, either. Even if the McJob might pay a little more, it may hinder your ability to get Work In Your Field, which is a net loss in the long term.
Myth: People on unemployment are lazy anyway.
Reality: A lot of people treat job hunting as a full time job in and of itself, spending hours a day sending out resumes, querying employers, researching, etc. Do they sometimes get depressed and do nothing? Sure -- and that's perfectly normal for such a demoralizing, life-changing event.
Myth: You're supposed to take any job you can get.
Reality: In California, at least, there is no expectation that you will "take any job". The state expects you to look for work in your field, and to accept a reasonable offer of work, or explain to their satisfaction why you didn't. A job offer asking you to move 2000 miles is not reasonable, but one with a 20 percent cut in pay may be.
I could go on and on here, but the bottom line is, it's not a day in the park. I'm one of those people trying to do the best I can to get a job, while working to improve my chances -- which can be tough. For example, I had to get special permission from the State to take college credit classes -- they had to be things that would help me gain job skills, and I couldn't take the classes during any time that would prevent me from working or looking for work. I ended up taking internet-based community college courses that required no deadlines or class meetings.
People have asked me, "So, that Odd Todd thing, is that how it is?" and I've told them that it's a lot like that, yeah. I get up and I feel crappy that I can't find a job. Like many of my unemployed friends, I don't go out the way I used to because it costs money. There's a lot of inertia involved -- but it's not about laziness and it's not about "scamming the system." It's just about unfortunate economic realities, folks.
So you shouldn't have signed a lease for $1500 a month working in an industry that everyone knew was unstable. Declare bankruptcy and be done with it.
I know I am prolly going to get mod'd down to flamebait for this, but here goes:
I actually *agree* the labor deptartment on this one. I mean, the purpose of unemployment benefits is to cushion the edge of being laid off and give you a little something until you get back on your feet. If you aren't looking for work, you're cheating the system and the community -- what's to stop everybody from freeloading? Hence, the rule seems a sort of necessity. He should have expect the man to come down on him from the time his website became popular - I mean, don't they always?
Just my $.02
To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
--E.C. Stanton
The article said "unemployed people are supposed to be actively looking for work, not spending all of their time answering e-mail, drawing cartoons and getting interviewed on television about being unemployed."
Well, what does Todd say on a page behind a like entitled "Gimme a JOB"? "you'd have to really pay me alot to take me off schedule on producing cartoons for this site."
Sounds to me like they have a case.
Cheers,
Philip
Esli epei etot cumprenan, shris soa Sfaha.
$1500.00 for rent... Holy crap.. I strongly reccomend moving to the midwest or other technical center and get your cost of living to a reasonable level. My house payment is Less than $700.00 and I live in a upscale neighborhood, (not rich buttheads that all drive SUV's and live in houses that are less than 5 years old) My house is 50 years old, It is a very nice place, awesome, quiet neighborhood that is heavily police patrolled on Foot because of the higher taxes I pay. to the point that my car is rarely locked overnight. granted I drive 45 minutes every day to work (many of my friends in chicago have a 45 minute commute to work and they only live 2 miles from work.. I live 36.) and I dont get the insane $150,000 a year job as a sysadmin.. but I live very comfortably, I can buy whatever I want on Ebay, or thinkgeek.com,bestbuy,whatever most all the time, my daughter has it very well. (yes a man with custody of a child... the HORROR! to all the feminatzi's out there)
basically my point... Live somewhere where the cost of living is sane. No-place in california is sane.... Hell where in california can you live on waterfront property for less than $700.00 a month?.. they wont rent you a campsite for that. my suggestion is to pack up and get the hell out of that state. your chances of a better life rise dramatically when you start driving east.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
You heard it here folks. He just confessed to committing fraud against the government. I hope they hang you by your thumbs you lazy piece of garbage. Get off your ass and get a job. There are plenty out there. No more of this "I must have a job in my field" nonsense. You've been unemployed for 8 months. You don't need a job in your field - you need a JOB.
Grow up, be a man, take some responsibility for yourself and GET A JOB.
Oh, and I'm no shirker. I'm reading /. on my break.
In fairness, though, unemployment is meant to keep you afloat from week to week while you look for a job. It's not not meant to be a long-term anti-poverty program (those exist but unemployment isn't one) and it's misleading to talk about as a year's pay.
Not to disparage you or anyone who is out of work -- some of my friends are going though the same thing and it breaks my heart to watch. I wish I could be more positive, but I think the reality is that the days of high-paying web development and admin jobs for high school dropouts and liberal arts majors are over, and they're never coming back.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
Stop waiting for the government to solve your problems for you.
And now they won't get you a suitable job? The cads! When will it stop? When will the promise, nay, the guarantee of low-cost (actually, NO cost) cradle-to-grave care be realized???
This site gets so pompus and smug about its so-called agenda, its very amusing. You can boil it down to one theme:ME ME ME ME
So, technologically capable young people are elitist oligarchy when they complain about taxes, and undeserving hypocritical scum when they stand in need.
I only hope all of us can aspire to your notions of equality.
Maybe he got dumped by his wife. Maybe she cheated on him and then got a nice settlement. Maybe it's a she, and these conditions are reversed. Or maybe they never got married. You can't know what the truth is simply from the fact that the poster pays child support - but yet you rush to judgment about his (her) lifestyle choices.
Lots of people shirk their child-support responsibilities (and not just the "deadbeat dads" the media like to talk about). Here's someone who is trying to be responsible!
sulli
RTFJ.