It's winter where I'm living and we have really bad snow. And the snow plow people are really bad at their jobs probably because there aren't snow plow people who clean sidewalks. As a solution I got to thinking about how I could increase the traction on my wheels. And the most redneck thing I could think of was taking a bunch of zip ties and tying them around my wheels. They last surprisingly long, and work surprisingly well. It's basically the same premise as chains for your tires during the winter.

The propaganda for nazi camps made them sound lovely too. The reality is going to be very different. We will only know the true horror that happened in these places decades from now.

Here is an article that discusses the matter, as well as two additional bills that would push for forced labor as a result of homelessness in other states (I will add an additional reblog at a later date to add script options and more in depth information about those bills later on, if that is all right with you, otherwise I will be making a new post for those later on)

Find your Utah Legislators

Find your Congresspeople

Call Script/Email Template for Utah State Legislators:

[If calling] Hello, my name is [blank] and I am a constituent calling from [address]. [If you want to hear back from their office, you may also provide your email address. Not all offices will email you back]

I am reaching out today to demand that [Representative/Senator blank] use their position as an elected official to create and support legislation that fights against the 1,300 bed work camp that is being built in our state. This project is incredibly costly, and it serves no benefit to the economy or the people of Utah. All it does is limit the freedom and rights of the [Representative's/Senator's] constituents, put an unfair cost onto our communities, and show that our state is incapable of taking care of its own. If the [Representative/Senator] wants my vote in any future elections, they will work to protect evidence based housing first projects and the right of Utah citizens to avoid unlawful incarceration, regardless of what unenforceable Executive Orders demand.

[If calling] Thank you for your time and consideration. Have a good day.

End script.

Call Script/Email Template for contacting Federal Level Legislators:

[If calling] Hello, my name is [blank] and I am a constituent calling from [address]. [If you want to hear back from their office, you may also provide your email address. Not all offices will email you back]

I am reaching out today to demand that [Representative/Senator blank] strongly speak out against Utah's efforts to create labor camps to forcibly incarcerate the impoverished and homeless, and work to pass legislation that prevents any future camps from being created in the US. Projects like that are pricey, and they do nothing to actually address issues that contribute to housing insecurity. If you want my vote in the future, you will fight against such barbaric practices.

[If calling] Thank you for your time and consideration. Have a good day.

End script.

Me: Hey, I'm really struggling to find a job and a part of it is my resume. I was depressed & psychotic during highschool so I didn't do anything to gain skills or achievements to put on my resume. I also don't have anyone to put as a reference. What can I do?

Them: You can add your skills, hobbies, clubs you're in, and different volunteer work you've done! You can also get your teacher as a reference.

Me: I already know what to put on a resume, my issue is that I don't have things that I can use. Also, I'm in my mid 20s so I don't know if I can put my highschool teacher as a reference.

Them: Well if you're a part of a church or an activity group, you could add that. Also, think of any projects you've worked on in the past.

Me: I already know you can put these things on a resume. I'm not looking for suggests of things I've already done, I'm looking for what I can do now if I haven't done anything.

Them: There's no way you didn't do anything during highschool?? What about some odd jobs you definitely did for extra money, like babysitting or mowing the lawn?

Me: I spent all of highschool either in modified classes or in bed doing nothing - not even hobbies, what about that do you not understand?

And then you talk to someone who's also disabled and they're like "Here's a bunch of jobs you can do from home that don't pay much but look good on a resume, here's some free online courses that also look good on a resume, here's how you can be making small amounts of money in the meantime, here's some things you can put besides a professional reference, and here are your rights if your future employer tries to take advantage of your disability - which you probably shouldn't tell them about unless you need accommodations."

Freelance Jobs You Do From Home That Look Cool On A Future Resume

Please research any company before sign up with then. So many companies are scams and pay you way less than you deserve for your work. Go to r/freelancers and search to make sure nobody has had some horrid experiences. There's also usually reviews of a company on YouTube as well.

Transcribing - adding subtitles to videos for deaf and other hard of hearing people. You usually read a big instruction manual, do two or three tests to see how well you can follow the instruction manual, and then get an e-mail if you can work with them or not. Depending on where you sign up, you can also fill out which topics you're knowledable on and less likely to make mistakes on when transcribing.

Translating - same as transcribing, but now you're translating one language into another. I have not done this before, so I'd suggest talking to people who have.

Article Writing - there are different websites you can sign up to work for where someone sends in a request for an article about a certain topic, you can write that article, and if they like it they can purchase it from you. Some websites have a ranking system where the more good reviews your article gets, the more money you'll get paid.

Article Editing - you can also get payed to fix typos and reorganize an article (or list) if writing isn't your thing.

Top 10 Lists - There are different sites that will pay you to write 10 ten lists. They usually require a specific amount of words and have an author's guide on their site.

Graphic Designer - if you go to different generic freelance websites, you can often find people who are searching for someone to design logos for their company or banners for their websites. It helps if you have a portfolio as well.

Virtual Assistent - scheduling appointments, answering calls, and managing email accounts from your own home. I haven't done this one so again, do more research.

Small Amounts Of Money

Qmee - I've been using this app for awhile called qmee where you do surveys for money. Surveys usually pay anywhere in between 30 cents and 2 dollars, and they have a feature where if the survey asks you anything sketchy then you can report them. You can also cash out whenever, like you don't have to build up a certain amount. (If you aren't American, you may only get a couple surveys per day.) An extra 20 dollars a month isn't much but it's nice.

Fiverr - A website where you state your talents and you can take on other people's smaller projects for small amounts of money. A funny example is this YouTube skit where someone paid some people on fiverr to come up with a break-up letter. I believe you can also keep a portfolio for any projects you make during your freelance jobs on fiverr too.

Redbubble - this is where you can put different designs onto different types of clothing, notebooks, mugs, hats, etc. It helps if you have a design that's from a fandom, references a meme, or fufills a niche. You can also go to TeeSpring if you want to put multiple designs on one item, but you'd have to promote your items yourself as TeeSpring has this issue where you can't search for new stores who aren't already popular.

Test Products - once again, please research any company you're going to do this for. There are companies that will send you products for a week or two and ask for a report on how well it works, what you like/dislike, etc.

If You Don't Have Anyone To Put On Your Resume As References

Volunteer Somewhere - animal shelters, tutoring, soup kitchens, summer programs, public libraries, etc. If you're able to volunteer somewhere, you can ask the people there if you can use them as a reference.

Volunteer Online - you can also do online volunteer work if you're unable to do physical volunteer work. Here's a list of examples of online volunteer work which includes things like creating a large amount of thank-you cards, transcribing books into digital form, or answer texts or calls on a crisis line. This may be a better option due to covid.

Add Personal References - friends and family members do work (just don't list them as professional references). It's especially helpful if you've done a project for/with them as well.

Or don't add references at all - references look good on a resume, but unless you're writing a federal resume you kind of don't need them? If someone is interested in hiring you, they may ask if you have any references. You can just say "no, this is my first job" (if it is). They might ask why you haven't worked before, but you can just say that it's personal or private information. Or you can give a vague answer like dealing with family matters.

Once you have some, this is how you would format your references.

"Donating $5 to a food bank feeds 15 people, this is the best bang for your buck if you are broke but want to engage in mutual aid/charity."

Listen if the US government doesn't get its shit figured out by Nov 1 there's not going to be food stamp benefits for November and food banks are going to be overrun. People are really going to need this help. So if you have $5 to spare, please consider donating it to your local food bank.

Also donating to the food bank is a GREAT way to stave off existential dread about *gestures vaguely* because sure you can't fix The Government or The Laws or any of that BUT you can feed 15 people. That's a tangible difference you can make. If you donate $10 you've fed one person every day for the entire month. That's wild! That's a whole crowd of people!! So donate $5 or $10 to your local food bank and let it be enough.