Yesterday was a typical blustery and cold March day in Chicago. I was riding home on the El and watching the city flash by. A man sits down next to me. A stop or two down the line, he taps me on the shoulder and asks if I am finished with the newspaper folded in my lap. That is how I meet Chuck.
He said he was riding the train to keep warm and it gets boring without something to read. We started to chat.
"I am tired, man. Tired of riding the trains. Tired of living on the streets. Tired of looking for work. Just plain tired."
I made some stupid comment about how bad the economy has been lately.
"Nobody wants an old guy with no address, even to sweep floors or clean toilets."
"It was not always this way. I used to have a good job, nice house, nice car, family, the works."
I asked what happened.
"I was a fork lift operator for 27 years. All with the same company. I was making about $40,000 a year. Not a rich man for sure, but we were doing alright. Then 16 years ago, I show up to work and there is this big sign saying the plant was closing and moving to Mexico. Last checks would be mailed out next week."
"That was it. Bang. Why pay us $15, $20 an hour when they can pay people next to nothing south of the border."
"I looked for another job, but there wasn't nothing that paid anywhere near what I was getting. I looked every day for six months. Then I got discouraged and started to drink. Pretty soon I lost my car, then my house, and then my wife and kids."
"You married?"
I said I was and for how long.
"It is such a blessing. Me, I kind of took it for granted when things were going well."
Chuck apologized for talking too much.
"Not too many people to talk to these days. I have a few guys that look out for each other's stuff, but we don't talk much. They are off in their worlds. Used to have buddies, get together for beer and games. Shoot the shit and such. I miss those days."
"I thought I would get back on my feet one day. Hasn't happened yet."
I asked if anyone had tried to help him find a job.
"Yeah, someone from social services looked up jobs for certified fork lift operator. Found a few out in Schaumburg and Aurora, but I don't have the money to get out there to interview. It would cost me $20 just to get there and back and they probably won't hire me anyway. Even if they hired me, they are not going to give me money to find a place a live close enough to get to work every day with no car. I am pretty much stuck finding something close to the shelter I am staying now. There just ain't nothing."
The paper had a big picture of Brian Urlacher, the Bears longtime middle linebacker, who was let go after a difficult contract renegotiation. We talked about the Bears for a bit until the train neared the end of the line.
Chuck stood up and said he was getting off at the next stop. I asked if I could give him a few bucks to help him through the day. He smiled, pocketed the money, and held out his fist. We bumped.
"How come you did not ask me for money, Chuck?"
"Cuz I am tired of asking. So tired."
As the train was pulling out of the station, he looked back and waved.
I debated whether to write about Chuck's story. I made up my mind when I read this:
We tend to think that America is a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps economy. Lose your job? Just work harder, move or get new skills. This study — and the 4.8 million Americans who are officially considered among the long-term unemployed — suggest that it’s much harder to get back on our feet economically than we think. As University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers said: “The rich are getting richer and staying richer. The poor are getting poorer and staying poorer.”
I am tired of wealthy politicians selling the bootstrap myth. They know it is a lie. Just like the lie that giving tax cuts to rich people creates jobs.