Four Years in Pottersville and All I Got Was This Lousy Blog

Seriously, sometimes if you're a smart ass and a loudmouth like me, having a political blog can be loads of fun, especially when you have a small but devoted following such I've cultivated over the last 48 months.

Welcome Back to Pottersville, which shamelessly stole its name from its late, lamented predecessor that had, ahem, disappeared in a fit of pique, began its lonely road of political outrage four years ago today. You remember what was going on four years ago today: Some fresh-faced biracial senator named Barack Obama was trying to make history and was opposed by some guy whom Imhotep once called "Sonny."

Furiously fast forward four years. Another presidential election, another Olympics (hopefully, one that won't start off with a murder as with the one in Beijing). We're now, thankfully, out of Iraq and... Well, that's about the only thing that's significantly changed.

We're still in Afghanistan, we're still killing innocent brown people with drone strikes and we're still in a depression. We've been saddled with an "Affordable" Care Act that hardly makes health care more affordable than it was before, 50,000,000 remain uninsured at least until that onerous mandate kicks in by 2014 and unemployment is still at over 8% (economists ring the warning bells when it hits 6.1%).

It's that last figure to which we ought to pay attention, because any economic recovery turns on the availability of jobs that can actually pay the bills and, to paraphrase our Lord of the Apple Steve Jobs, those aren't coming back anytime soon. A lot has changed in my life personally, as well as for the nation in general. Aside from the obvious difference of with whom I live (a huge upgrade, I must say), the biggest difference is that when I began this blog four years ago today, I was employed. Then my embezzling, right wing boss put me out of work along with his own wife one Monday morning and I've hardly found work these past three plus years.

Interviewing managers younger than half my kids ask me, "What have you been doing all this time?" as if they're imagining me jacking off for 40 straight months to a Penthouse in a janitor's closet. How do I explain to them why I'm still out of work? "Because of ageist little assholes like you?" But the fact is that people who are forced to start over again in their 50's, as I was early in 2009, have the hardest time of it. People want experience but not the age that comes with it. The Age Discrimination Act of 1967 is completely worthless as is any civil rights act from the 60's as long as they don't put their prejudice in words or clearly define it in action.

Yours truly is hanging in limbo waiting for some guy here in town to make up his mind as to whether or not to use me for a ten week temp assignment. Unfortunately, it's the closest thing I have to a fire in the iron. I worked at that same facility and had done the same exact job for which they're interviewing for the company that was bought by the company that'd interviewed me two weeks ago. Sad to say, it's life or death: If I get the temp job, we'll be able to keep a roof over our heads for another month or two. If not, it's eviction in a month.

Having paid the rent just hours ago, this left us destitute and with less than zero chance of making August's rent. As with many other people, it's not just rent we have to come up with but natural gas, gasoline, electricity, auto insurance, internet, phone, etc. Even with SNAP benefits, it's a struggle making ends meet, a monthly or bimonthly psychological Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads.

We know many of you are struggling out there. Mrs. JP and I hardly know anyone who isn't. But this is part of the reason why I haven't been blogging much until lately, because of the handwringing and mental and emotional wear and tear on us dreading rent day. We have literally less than $7 in the bank, which would buy maybe a generic pack of cigarettes or, if you're lucky, two gallons of gas.

So, if you're in the same straits as us, don't leave comments apologizing for not being able to do anything. You have nothing to apologize for. If anyone should apologize to anyone, it ought to be me apologizing to you all for inflicting my problems on you via a blog that started out with the noble intention of giving away my thoughts on matters political and otherwise.

This latest appeal, hopefully, the last I'll ever have to make, goes out to those who might be in a position to help us meet our obligations for at least another month. My youngest son's birthday is coming up on the 6th and Mrs. JP's is the next day. There's no way that I'll ignore those occasions. But that'll put us even farther back and further drain what little is in our Paypal account.

If you're in any kind of a position to help keep the wolves from our door for at least another 30 days, please seriously consider doing so and, if you can also find it in your hearts, to spread the word via email or if you have a blog, Twitter or Facebook account. And if you haven't already received them, I'll be only too glad to send via email attachment (Word format) copies of both my novels currently for sale on Kindle.