Cindy Paoletti of Syracuse, N.Y appeared on the Ed Schultz show on MSNBC yesterday. Paoletti, 58, understands those costs of long term unemployment. Laid off from her job as a bookkeeper at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s operations center in December 2007, she used a severance package to pay bills, and then began collecting $330 a week in unemployment benefits. She exhausted her 99 weeks of benefits in March 2010, and still can't find a job. Employers "just don't want to hire anybody in our age group," she says.
Cindy has worked tirelessly as a vocal advocate for the 99er Nation. She has done countless interviews for print media, radio shows and Tv as well. Her experiences as a 99er advocate in her own words: “
My life as an activist for the 99ers has been a fruitful yet frustrating one. I fight for all 99ers and have been doing so since EUC Tier 2 was close to expiring. It has taught me to respect all mankind and that everyone is at a different level of devastation. I have talked to people on the verge of desperation thinking about taking their own life. I have done television, radio and newpaper interviews for our cause. I spend a couple hours each day calling my Senators and Congressmen, expressing the need for a Tier 5.
I've read tons of letters I've received from other 99ers that have made me cry more then once. My heart goes out to all of the people that have exhausted UI benefits. I am here as a cushion for anyone that needs to vent, and I will continue to fight until our Government does the right thing and passes a jobs bill that helps everyone and supplies all unemployed with a safety net to survive until the jobs appear. Will everyone have a normal life like we once had? I doubt it, but I look at it as starting over and making my life as good as I can with what I have to work with. I am praying that eventually our Government will wake up and deal with the disaster that millions of Americans are going through. The suffering has to stop, and I will not give up until it does.”
When asked what the experience of being on national TV, with the reach of the Ed Schlutz show, Cindy replied:
"Being on the Ed Show was quite an experience. I had to sit in a chair and look at a camera. I could hear Ed speaking through the ear piece but could not see any of the show, just a camera! There was a camera man in the room with me, that kept giving me a thumbs up...he could see me on the screen. I rolled my eyes a few times forgetting that I was supposed to keep them glued to the camera. Being the first time on camera like this it takes some getting used to. If I have the opportunity again then I'll know what to do. There was a guy ahead of me that they were filming for another show and he was running late, so we didn't have much time to get me set up before I had to go on the air. All and all, I enjoyed doing it and I hope that the message I got across to the country about the 99ers will be taken to heart by Congress and all those that are up for re-election. Thank you all for the support and the kind emails and messages I've received. We need our Tier 5 NOW and I don't intend of giving up the fight until we have it."
Cindy represented the 99er Nation very well on the Ed Schultz Show yesterday and will be back on his show very soon to tell more about our message to Washington. Cindy appears at the end of the video clip below.
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