Melissa, thanks for using my response to The New York Times Story in your article. Corporatization is to blame for much of the problem with people not able to find decent jobs anymore. Also the Bush Economy which the mainstream media constantly tries to prop up is not nearly as good as the media reports it to be. People are working for less money, with less or no health care, higher energy prices, higher rents, meanwhile corporate profits are at all time highs. I believe this situation will only get worse, being that both Democrats, and Republicans are beholden to their corporate masters, and are only concerned with their corporate donors, and don’t give a damn about their constituents. Joe Lieberman comes to mind. He lost his primary election yesterday mainly because of his pro war stance, and his subservience to Bush, but he refused to budge when the people spoke. He was bought and paid for by corporate interests. Thanks again for the mention.

I am a 51 year old man who voluntarily left the workforce just prior to the birth of my son in 2002. Not only was I able to raise both of our children and bond with them like most fathers are unable to do, I was also given the the time and opportunity to cleanse my intellectual palate by blogging on a regular basis. I would love to go back to work, but unless I can find a position with great insurance and benefits, I cannot afford to earn more money.

If I add to my wife’s earnings (as a teacher), it would put us into a higher brackett and our children would lose heir state medical benefits. Anyone who has raised children know that visits to the pediatrician, hospital and dentist should know that the extra amount I might make would not be enough to provide adequate medical care for our kids.

Since that man who currently resides in the White House took office, this country has gone to hell in a tankerfull of handbags.

My wife supports my decision. When she gets home from work, the house is clean, the kids have been fed and she can sit back in relax. Yes, some of the gender roles have changed in our household, but our kids know where Daddy is - except on those weeks where Daddy goes to Crawford, TX or Washington DC to protest Dubya and his illegal and immoral war (except next month when the wife and kids will go with me to Washington).

Fight the power!

Like you, I’m doing the best I can, but I’m really surprised by the level of outright hostility I encounter when I dare to suggest that perhaps excluding male mid-career workers is a deliberate strategy. One well-placed HR type, in a seeming burst of candor, or perhaps guilt, once confessed to me that the hiring was, and these were her direct words, “clique based and youth oriented”, and that my resume would be ignored because it was “intimidating”!

It may be slothfulness that is causing some men to opt out, but in my case this long layoff has absolutely nothing to do with a lack of ambition on my part or an unwillingness to take work that I feel is beneath me. The opportunities simply aren’t there. It’s as if a switch was flipped and I suddenly became invisible.

I’m grateful to learn that it isn’t just me suddenly struggling for my own existence. Looks like it’s happening to a lot of us.

Oh how I long for the good ole days of the 18th century.

Just wanted to let you know I linked to your blog in my column on CBSNews.com today. Thanks!

If you want to take a look, here’s the link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/08/blogophile/main1873436.shtml

Thanks,

Melissa