Must be available to work other hours as necessary

One of the logical arguments put forward on the unemployment front is, "Well, why not get yourself a part time job? At least it's something." In actuality, it's not - not when you "Must be available to work other hours as necessary."

Taking two part-time jobs would solve my problems - but, in the New American Economy, I'm only allowed to have one.

Employment being at a premium these days, the folks with the checkbooks are spending the money with ruthless wisdom; avoiding the expense of full-time employees, they still need to be able to cover all  operating hours with a minimum workforce, including possible absences or employee turnover. Thus, a part-time position now includes being on-call, unpaid, outside of assigned shifts.

Needless to say, the possibility of stacking jobs when one - or both - require random access to your weekday is approximately nil. As sure as the sun rises, one job or the other will demand hours you've already committed elsewhere.

As a result, to qualify for a majority of available part-time jobs - including Comcast, Wawa, McDonalds - you must agree to live on $200.00 weekly gross, which over the course of a month will allow you to either live indoors or eat, maintain a vehicle, pay for electricity and continue to receive outside communications. Neither choice, alone, is viable for survival.

It's something, all right... just not enough.