2009/05/22

Ye Have The Poor Always With You...

Lots of folks coming in this week to apply for jobs online, as fast-food crew and truck drivers especially. We have to make sure they know that they must have web mail accounts first, or all their pecking at keyboards will be for naught.

They are also coming in to apply for SafeLink Wireless, a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.

It is just wrong to require workers of a certain class to be computer literate. Laborers must be able to find work according to their ability to look for it. I recall an older woman who wanted to get a job as a charwoman at a local hospital. She was unable to handle applying online for the position, nor did she need to be computer literate to do the job.

We have to find a way for everyone to put food on the table, even if they can do no more than make their mark. And after thinking about it, I don't like the idea of having Internet Job Centers, where intermediaries would apply for jobs on their behalf. Screw the Internet. Require that employers must accept paper job applications without prejudice for positions below a certain grade.

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