A Letter To Currently Unemployed Billings People

Dear people who are not working currently,

How can you afford to do this?

I see that McDonald's is starting workers off at $17 an hour. Along with flexible hours, free telehealth, 401k, free meals, and college tuition assistance.

That's a little better than what I was paid at my first gig. I made $2.78 an hour at 4B's as a bus boy. And I had to provide my dress slacks and white shirt. No 401K. No flexible hours. No discussions about it.

So I get that some folks who aren't working have chosen to work the system and get by with what they are able to receive from the government with all types of assistance available today.

Then there are the people who are on disability that you see skiing and walking 10 miles during hunting season.

And also the people who are living in mom and dad's basement at age 45. If it doesn't bother mom and dad, it shouldn't bother me.

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But I've always worked. And once I was out on my own, I worked at least two jobs well into my 30s.

The next chapter coming soon for me will be not working. But that is called retirement. And I had to work all of those hours at all of those jobs so that I could save and afford a retirement.

Even when that time gets here, I'm not so sure that I'll be able to handle just golfing all of the time. I've talked to friends who are retired and after two or three months got a part-time job because they were bored.

I'm still trying to find a gal to marry for money. No luck so far.