Working in Iraq

This is more of a personal note than anything else. It comes because some of the hostages taken in recent waves are people who went to Iraq seeking work they could not find back at home.

Like some of them, I've been in terrible financial straits recently (one publisher went bankrupt just as they issued me a check I found I could not cash, while others have been very slow to pay; example: after two months of working 20 hours a day, 7 days a week, I've yet to see a penny). It's made me weigh the question of whether I would consider taking a higher-paying job in a place like Iraq or Afghanistan on the chance I could stay alive long enough to catch all my accounts up to date. I've actually looked at a number of positions posted online that were based in one of the war-ravaged countries.

It's a sad commentary on the U.S. economy for one. For another, I think most of us with a good sense of ethics get rather desperate to make sure our bills are paid and that extends to consideration of extremes like going into a war zone to work.

It also makes me think of the GIs, many of them choosing the military because there were not other decent job prospects where they came from. Sad news? A recent study shows that in 85-95% of cases, the military screws up their pay. Facing bullets on the job and a desperate family back home, these soldiers must try to find time to get the military to correct problems that may reduce or completely withhold their pay for weeks or months on end. Reservists and guardsmen, with a long history of being able to fulfill their duties on weekends and scheduled times, now find themselves plants in wars for months or years at a time, while their businesses collapse or their jobs evaporate back home.

The Bush Economy, you know.