THE STATUS OF A NON PERSON

It has been three years since I have had a full time job. My last big year was 2007 and I made $48,000. Last year was $10,000. I am female, have three college degrees, no job, and I have now earned the status of a Non Person.

As a Non Person, my day starts out pretty easy: I get up, look outside, make my coffee, then go sit outside. Today I am going to do some writing. I am going to work on my shorthand. Go through craigslist, Monster and Career Builder, and email resumes that will go into a black hole.


A person with a job has status and he gets to say things like:
“I work at ---“
“ My boss ---“
“I hate my job ---“
“We had a staff meeting ---“
“I don’t get paid enough for what I do.”
“They take out so much for taxes.”

A person with a job has the life of a Beatles’ song,
A Well Respected Man
“Cause he gets up in the morning
And he goes to work at nine …
Cause he’s oh so good
And he’s oh so fine…”


But I say none of those things. The life of a Non Person is pretty simple. Here’s how it works:


The Government’s concept of a Non Person:

1. We don’t pay taxes, because you don’t pay taxes when you don’t have a job.

2. We are not premium meat to perspective employers. There have been many commentaries about employers advertising a job and stating “Unemployed people will not be considered.”

3. We don’t have special interests groups at the Capital fighting to make jobs in the United States. Non People have no representation. We bring in no money and we have nothing of value for any interest group to want to help us.

How we have adapted to our status of being a Non Person:

1. We don’t waste time, money or drama on medical care. We have no medical care. One thing we do have, we will die with dignity, without any doctor or nurse exercising every medical and ethical right, and spending thousands of dollars, to keep us alive.

2. We don’t get dental care. That has taught us something. We need to appreciate our teeth. Don’t smoke. Don’t drink soda or sugary drinks. Brush and floss often.

3. We are much more thrifty. Spend $40.00 a week on groceries?!!! Never!!! Half of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with a cup of milk is perfect for breakfast. Don’t forget to add a couple ice cubes to the milk. I am so much healthier since I started drinking ice water with a little sugar.

How the Government has assisted me:

1. I have food stamps - $120 a month. I get to eat.
2. I got a free cell phone with 250 minutes a month. I canceled my Vonage to save $25.00 a month.


How the Government benefits from my status of being a Non Person:

The majority of us who have gained the status of being a Non Person are over 45 – and some are 62.

Sure, right now government jobs are being eliminated to help with the immediate budget cuts. Sure, teacher jobs are being eliminated.

Think of it this way: Most of those kids in the public schools, their parents also have Non Person status too, and those students will graduate into Non Person status. Why spend billions of dollars on teachers for a bunch of people who have Non Person status and won’t amount to much anyways.

The kids who do matter, their parents are at least upper middle class, and they send their children to private schools, where education is the main focus, the teachers don’t have to spend their day on classroom management issues and little thug behavior; and the better students don’t have to be in a scary environment. Schools are a rough place today.


The Real Savings:

In about five years the United States will start savings billions of dollars on Medicaid/Medicare that it would have spent on us. Just like a black person has a shorter life span than a white person, a Non Person will have a shorter life span than a Working Person. We will die off before ever reaching age 65, so we will not be a drain on the Medicaid/Medicare system.

In about five years the United States will start savings billions of dollars on Social Security. Same as above, we will die off before ever reaching the age of entitlement.

So at age 53 I have gained the status of a Non Person. I have three college degrees and Florida teacher certification. (Surprised? So am I.) What am I doing to survive? Substitute teaching. At least I still can make my house payment.

As each birthday comes, that golden opportunity from the Hoover Years of a job for every American, diminishes – and it’s scary.


Mary Cochran