Out- of- work men need help, not condescension

Recently, President Barack Obama’s economic adviser Jason Furman had this to say about long- term unemployed men: “They’re not spending any more time on child care, not spending any more time on chores. They are spending a lot more time watching TV than men who are in the labor force.”

I have been out of work for nine months, and I spend every day do- ing odd jobs to get by, applying for any and every job available, and spending little to no time watching TV or living off of someone else’s dime. I am college educated with decades of experience working on justice issues, including many of the accomplishments Obama fought to get done. So, it stings a bit to hear someone from the Obama administration make such a cynical statement.

Do they know what it is like to try to sit across from someone half your age interviewing for an entry level position? To know that this person has no interest in hiring someone in their 50s for a job someone in their 20s can do with lower health care and other costs?

Obama must step back and take a longer look at the problem. Like any good organizer, he should listen to the stories of those clos- est to the problem and fight back against broad generalizations that make the have- nots the problem.

No empathy

It was not surprising to read that Gov. Bruce Rauner enjoys hunting and killing innocent birds for recreational pleasure. He’s the same governor who is allowing majestic and imperiled bobcats to be cruelly hunted and trapped in Illinois. His political policies do not have empathy for the poor and other people in dire need of government assistance. The governor is obviously intelligent and financially successful, but he’s also arguably inhumane.