-- Modified on 2/16/2011 8:24:48 AM

And a vivid illustration of the cruelties of  "Conservative Social Darwinism".

That being said, what does GaG have to do with any of this ?!

Willy, I consider that a low blow unworthy of you.

at a local construction project, at Subway, at MacDonalds, and at the Whole Market grocery store. Your mentor "Mark" could have gotten jobs at any of these places.

     You say they were not worthy of his college education? Well I have worked at all of those places in various forms during my lifetime. That he got 99 weeks of unemployment rather than take these jobs is the real travesty here.

       And what the hell does this have to do with GGambler's tax cut? True, self employment tax has been reduced slightly for 2011 but this provides an incentive for the unemployed to go into business for themselves, not commit suicide.

    There are some real injustices in our society but to describe this as one is a bit much.

he said he applied at a Mcdonalds, but was turned down.

He obviously lived in a place that had a higher unemployment rate than L.A.

I have a suggestion for you : if you're cut loose from your firm, "shyster", I understand they have a counter opening at a "Baklava to go" on Westwood blvd.---------

You've got to be kidding. To say this letter found on the internet is bogus is an understatement. FYI, there appears to be another Hartmann version of this letter on the internet. One that is longer. Wonder why he didn't read the entire letter on your version?

This guy doesn't need Hartmann reading his letter, he needs Suze Orman to do an intervention. 60 years old, college educated, worked in management for 35 years, probably made well over $100K a year, and now he has $4 bucks in pocket. Sounds like he made some really poor life choices.

Do the math. He gets his degree probably at age 22, then works for 35 years. He probably got a severance package. Three years later, and after 2 years of unemployment he has only $4 bucks left in his pocket. I'm not buying it.

-- Modified on 2/16/2011 9:25:41 AM

I was hired everywhere I applied. Of course, this was 30 years ago but even so unemployment is a choice not a result of the system.

       Now preferred employment is a different matter. I've always lamented being an Unemployed Porn Star but until the world discovers my talent I have gotten other jobs rather than count on the fed gov for unemployment benefits.

       And baklava is never to go; it must be savored immediately while still warm and before the cinnamon-spiced honey robs the phyllo dough of its crispness.

Yes, some of this letter was edited, I'm guessing for television. But you're not buying it? Trying volunteering at a homeless shelter sometime. It's more common than you think.

Like I said do the math. The only other plausible explanation is the guy is a complete idiot. College educated, 35 years in management, making a good salary, and $4 bucks in his pocket after probably losing his job 2 years ago.

What happened? Didn't he buy a house years ago? Even with the housing downturn, he would still have significant equity. Did he forget to sign up for company's 401K plan, or at a minimum sock money away in a IRA, or Roth IRA?

If the Progressive Left want to use guilt, they need to craft a better bogus letter.

Fake, bogus, hoax! Pick one. I think I have the right to trash someone who doesn't exist. And if he did, I would like to get in his face, and say, "what the hell were you thinking the past 35 years?" Would I help this person if real, probably, but not before getting in his face.

Do the math AGAIN with this fictitious letter. College degree at 22 or 23 years of age. Works for 35 years in management. Laid off or fired at 58. Guess what? He gets Cobra for 18 months, and during the recession, Cobra was extended and partially funded by the tax payers.

Am I cold and callous to this particular fictitious person? Fuck yeah, because he doesn't exist. It was shock value by an angry white progressive liberal.

Now you're quoting Michael Moore, who is one double king chili cheese bacon burger from a heart attack. Does anybody have a coupon to Carl's Jr. they can send Moore?

And finally, I don't give a shit about the Europeans.

I think your definition of a good salary, and the vast majority of everyone else's definition of a good salary are two wildly different things.

...then shame on Hartmann. Suppose the guy does exist. Saint, would that mean that you are, in part, responsible for his death?

Do you not think that after 2 years of unemployment at near double digit levels that there's millions of Americans who are desperate?

Are we talking about a single fake person, a fake person with a fake wife and fake children (lol).

Let's assume he is a single fake person. My company's Cobra payment is approximately $350. A good assumption is that this fake person lost his job in 2008, and the Federal Govt paid 80% through a tax credit, called the Health Coverage Tax Act. All part of the Recovery Act, aka Stimulus.

Do you have any other questions for a non-existent person?

I would choke you. My whole argument is based on data from someone who doesn't EXIST. If he doesn't exist, he didn't die.

It's late, but not too late to get a drink. I'm starting to feel like that AFLAC duck after listening to Yogi Berra. You do know the commercial.

Since you don't know this guys personal situation, comments and crude remarks like "poor life choices" are not appropriate to make about his circumstances.

As one example, everyone without health insurance in America is just one hospitalization away from bankruptcy, that is a known fact.  If this person had any existing health issues, he would not be able to get coverage on the private market and would be vulnerable to financial disaster merely by having bad luck.  Heck, as Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" demonstrates, even if someone has health coverage they can still find themselves up the creek financially, simply by getting sick.

In America, one can make all the right moves, do everything right, and still wind up broke due to bad luck, bad health, suddenly losing a job, being sued, being ripped off by risky financial investments with inadequate disclosures, or in some cases, just by getting old.  The wealthy make the rules, the poor and middle class just struggle to avoid going broke.  That's the point of the video.  

Europeans think we're positively insane, and it's easy to see why.

to be GaGambler's butler for 30 days, a la Seinfeld.

      That way Willy can learn how to work and run a real business and GaGambler can learn how tax dollars should be used to support the fat and lazy. Too bad that both of them are wrong on every gun control position, so no learning there, but it's a start.

     And best of all, St. Croix, you will not have to test the boundaries of the defense of justifiable homicide.

The government parasite actually has the nerve to criticize the one who is actually doing something about high unemployment by making a payroll every fucking week.

Willy should keep in mind that every $50K a year I pay in taxes represents one less worker making a grand a week. One of these days I am going to get sick of having to make payroll, pay taxes, insurance, company vehicles, etc and cash in my fucking chips.Then I can be almost as worthless as Willy. Of course I'll be able to be "worthless" in comfort becauase I actually worked hard and made something of myself instead of settling for the "security" of being another government (taxpayer) paid parasite.

Hey Willy, everybody knows what I contribute to this country, What the fuck do you contribute?

Do you know if this guy signed up for the tax credit for his COBRA? How expensive is health coverage for the unemployed? What do you base his non-existence on? That your definition of a good salary is the same as yours?

You know what your average American likely thinks a good salary is? Probably about 60k. How quickly could you lose any savings from health care costs? I remind you Saint, that the number one cause of bankruptcy prior to this recession was health care costs. Health care coverage for the ill often exceed mortgage payments.

But this guy doesn't exist, right? Why? Because it would mean that you would be in part responsible for his death?

Remember, Willy carries bangs bangs to prevent such things. Just a very friendly reminder.

I tried to use Snopes.com to see if this was real but got no info.  Perhaps someone more familiar with doing searches on Snopes should try it.

Sure capitalism is brutal but there is always an opportunity to prosper if you have the needed survival skills. Why rely on government safety nets when you can build your own?  It is obvious that the capitalist and ruling classes have no intention of guaranteeing the wellbeing of the working and middle classes. We are on our own. Mark did not understand this and when he became aware of it he died by his own hand.
Tough shit! There must have been a flaw in his DNA.

Don't dislocate your sholder trying to pat yourself on the back GaG.

What do I contribute to this country? Well, that would be giving away secret idenities wouldn't it, GaG? But I have said before that prosecutions are sometimes involved.

This reminds of the last Seinfeld episode. Since we are talking about fictitious victims, let's get Art Vandelay as the judge. Hell, I'll even get marikod to represent me. I bet even marikod could win this case considering the victim does not EXIST!!!!

Then I'm going to hire marikod again to represent me for the violent choking death of one willywonka. You see, I want to be respectful of marikod's anti-gun position. But after he reads this dumb ass thread about a non-existent person, I bet he would temporarily consider a one-time waiver of his strident view of guns.

$60K is a good salary after a college degree & 35 years of management? Maybe if he worked as a store manager for Bed Bath and Beyond. Working for govt gives you a skewed view of the value of a college education & time on the job.

or just about any retail store?

When my dad got sick with cancer his treatment cost about a half a million bucks for 3 months worth of treatment. Luckily, he had health care since my mom was in a union.

Again, you base this guy's non-existence on what?

...I'm a Liberal but I'm also a skeptic, and so many of these kinds of things are hoaxes.  Now, usually they're easy to check out on snopes.com but not in this case.  I tried asking the question every way I could but got nothing, one way or the other.  I also used Bing to check out the letter.  Lots of chatter about it and various people have tried to find "Mark," or evidence of his suicide, to no avail.  So I went back to snopes and filed a question about it.  We'll see if they follow up.  If they do I'll post the response.