What If You Offered A Job And Nobody Wanted It?

The overriding flaw in the thinking of those who would have this become handout nation is that eventually people need other people to do work.

No matter how many inflated dollars the government direct deposits into your account, or how much is handed out in the way of other subsidies, it’s all meaningless unless some people continue to do their jobs.

You need truckers delivering goods. You need people stocking grocery shelves. You need policemen, firemen, healthcare workers, utility workers, teachers, child care workers construction workers, military. Etc., etc., etc.

I came face-to-face with the shortage of willing workers in recent days when yet another strong windstorm raced through the area and took the measure of one of the upper-level downspouts on my house.

I live in Southmont Borough, where the sewer Nazis are out and about inspecting for homes who might have storm runoff infiltrating the sewers. That means one can’t chance unchecked water flow near the house’s foundation, lest some of it infiltrate the basement and exit through the floor drain.

This makes downspouts vital and one of mine had its date with gravity Friday of last week. I immediately did some quick internet research and reached out to several “handyman” types, thinking they’d be eager for the work.

I actually spoke to one who answered the phone because his jobs were called off due to the high wind the problems that creates for those working on ladders.

Both that respondent, and a woman who answered the phone at another establishment, were, how shall I say this, disinterested. They would try to take a look next week.

I stressed someone could knock it off in about an hour, tops, and the pieces were intact, just needing to be put back into place and ostensibly better secured with a pop rivet or two.

Apparently they have more work than they can handle. One couldn’t even slip by at the end of the day for a bonus job. But, if that’s the case in my economically depressed area, you’d think others would get into the contracting/handyman business to fill the apparent need.

Or maybe people would rather collect enhanced unemployment, stimulus checks, and other governmental largesse.

The local rag had a story a couple of weeks back about how local small business owners were up against the wall finding people willing to work. One actually had an employee quit once the stimulus money was in his checking account. He’d worry about working down the line, when that ran out, or wasn’t replaced by yet another round of giveaway money.

When Tuesday was slipping away, I tried to reach out to both handyman contacts from the past Friday. They could not be reached. I tried a third, no answer. I tried yet another – number out of service.

My wife found a name on a neighbors message board she frequents and called. The guy actually was interested. I took over talking to him and got a commitment that he’d get back to me today about possibly coming Friday. Great.

Having had a trying day of helping babysit granddaughters, and watching my investment portfolio shrink, I got the Mustang convertible out for a therapeutic cruise, with a stop at a local indoor flea market.

Returning to my car, I was surprised to see a text and missed call on my cell phone. The guy was coming tonight (Tuesday) to do the downspout.

God Bless America! I quickly called him to confirm that was great, I’d be racing home (figuratively speaking, of course) and hopefully it would be as easy as I told him it would be.

The work could have been done by me, if I was about 60 pounds lighter, and not cursed with severe acrophobia. My wife had volunteered to borrow a neighbor’s ladder and do the job, but I didn’t like that idea, either, for safety reasons.

This “handyman” and his worker showed up, went the extra mile in terms of securing the downspout to prevent future unhappiness, and generally were pleasant people.

It occurred to me that the next windstorm might find the house blown away, but the downspout still standing. Quipped the guy on the ladder: In case of an earthquake, stand under this downspout and you’ll be safe.

When I’d talked on the phone originally with the business owner, I lamented how people didn’t want to work, or believed a job wasn’t worthwhile unless it promised five figures.

He’d given me a ballpark figure of about $70 to $100 for my repair. I told him I’d willingly go beyond that just to have the problem fixed.

When all was said and done, I happily paid him $120 – not bad for two guys and an hour of work. It is one hell of a lot more than the proposed $15-an-hour minimum wage

Yet as time passes, fewer and fewer people are willing to perform such jobs – or any jobs, for that matter.

You might not think that’s a problem now. Trust me, you will.