Open letter to the governor

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

I just sent a note to Pat McCrory's office regarding the need to work on lowering the unemployment rate in the state:

Dear Governor McCrory,
I am an unemployed information technology worker, with over 25 years of experience in programming computers. My career ended via “outsourcing” a little under three years ago. Since then, I have managed to get a couple of temporary jobs to minimize my time on government assistance, but in spite of constantly searching for a new job, no one has been willing to talk with me. My last job ended in March of 2012, and I’m currently taking a class in the state’s “Back to Work” program. This program is a great idea, and I have some high hopes that the course I am in at GTCC will soon lead to me getting a chance to start a new career.
In the meantime, I have to look for work… and this is a reason why I wanted to write to you to ask for a little help for the many people who are in a situation similar to mine. You see, over the past 9 months of searching for a job, I have seen and applied for several openings with the State government (mostly as 6 month to 1 year contracts, but still good work to have) that I should have been a very strong candidate for. Yet in none of these instances of state openings have I ever been called in for even a preliminary interview.
This makes me wonder about how many times the state has actually hired anyone who was unemployed. It seems to me that if the state government were to direct its managers to give even a tiny bit of preference to unemployed people in the hiring process, it might lead to a better outcome for the state unemployment rate. I can only assume that there is no preference policy in place at this time, simply because I have not been asked to talk with anyone in these openings, in spite of many years of relevant experience.
It seems to me obvious that with unemployment being such a big concern to so many areas of the economy, those who are unemployed ought to be the first ones considered for hiring. After all, if a company or a government creates an opening, then hires someone who merely wants to get a different job, the impact to the economy and government cash flows are minimal. On the other hand, allowing a well-qualified worker to re-start his or her career would be a far more positive outcome for all involved.
Further, I wonder whether creating a policy of hiring as many qualified unemployed people might have some effect on private sector businesses. I recall back in 1981, when President Reagan was inaugurated, that one of his first acts as President was to publicly announce that the Federal government would institute a hiring freeze to deal with the problems he was facing with the nation’s economy – and across the country, hundreds of private companies immediately followed suit. Were you to create some policy to help get us unemployed folks back into work, as opposed to merely helping currently employed people switch jobs, I think it’s possible that many local companies that are hiring could end up doing the same.
Thanks for taking the time to consider this suggestion. I don’t know if it would be feasible in the list of matters that you are working on here at the start of your administration, but I think that it’s very possible that it could lead to a far better environment for the thousands of people in this state that are in similar situations.

Sincerely,
My name
Greensboro, NC

[Liv]

Yeah didn't he just rescind the order to take control of the judicial system here in NC. NC is the new Egypt apparently.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

Yeah didn't he just rescind the order to take control of the judicial system here in NC.

I hadn't heard this. Got a link?

[Liv]

In his first executive order, the Republican repealed a nonpartisan judicial nominating commission put in place by his Democratic predecessor.

“We are going back to the original constitutional authority granted to the governor,” he said. “With the signing of this order, I intend to appoint individuals with the highest quality of temperament, education, experience, ability and integrity who will impartially interpret the laws and administer justice.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/0 ... rylink=cpy

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

Meh. The results will be telling in the long run. Seems to me that taking partisanship out of the process was a good idea. Putting things back the way they were before, particularly considering the way partisanship is practiced today, should result in some disagreeable results.

Back to the subject of getting unemployed people more opportunities to WORK... this story was music to my ears.

McCrory said looming computer problems threaten food stamp and Medicaid programs. He said new systems have been put in place without a backup plan and questioned whether they’d work in a few months. He has appointed a new chief information officer, Chris Estes, to address the issues.

He also has former ambassador Aldona Wos, who lives in Greensboro, running the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, where technology problems have already cost the department millions.

I've known this has been a huge problem for years. I can tell the state EXACTLY where the problem lies: poor project definition and management. For years, there has been a steady stream of job openings related to these projects to upgrade food stamps and Medicaid. I've applied for every one of those openings, even though the HR people insist they will only talk with people who have worked on Medicaid applications in the past. They never even bother to call me to screen me.

Obviously, that "strategy" hasn't worked. How long it might take these people to start looking for "new blood," no one could say. But it seems pretty obvious to me that they're in a terrible rut and need a major overhaul.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

I have created a White House petition to add this idea to the federal government's hiring practices.

Please consider signing it, to get it into the attention of the Obama administration.

[Liv]

We suck!!!!

The petition you are trying to access has expired, because it failed to meet the signature threshold.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

We suck!!!!

The petition you are trying to access has expired, because it failed to meet the signature threshold.

Yeah... I thought it was a good idea, but hardly anyone else paid attention. Story of my life...