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I guess this means the misfits in the military
who were killing and torturing brown skinned folks in Iraq
and Afghanistan for the American Empire
will now be terrorizing Americans in Maricopa County for Sheriff Joe.
'Arpaio disclosed that veterans will "get first shot" at any jobs that become available in the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office' Source Push is on to create jobs for veterans by JJ Hensley, Dianna M. Náñez - Nov. 10, 2011 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic The need to create jobs for veterans is an issue even politicians like President Barack Obama and Sheriff Joe Arpaio can agree on, but the practice of putting vets to work has been a challenge as America's wars wind down and the recession drags on. Obama this week unveiled another effort to connect employers with returning servicemen and -women through online tools and a personalized job-search program. Obama's announcement came one week after Arpaio disclosed that veterans will "get first shot" at any jobs that become available in the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. The need to connect vets and employers is acute, with more than 12 percent of combat veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan unemployed. It is a need politicians have been publicizing for the last several years with little or no change in the outcome, said Stephen Peck, president and CEO of U.S. Vets, an organization that opened 75 new apartments for homeless veterans in south Phoenix on Monday. The ongoing economic recession is certainly to blame, Peck said, but the public's perception of young veterans can also play a role, he said. "There are a number of young veterans I talk to who feel their experience in combat actually works against them," Peck said, noting employers' fear they may be hiring workers with post-traumatic stress disorder or problems of addiction and violence that accompany the condition. As many as 25 percent of veterans with significant combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD, Peck said. "They're wary about hiring young vets," he said. And it shows in the data, Peck said, with some studies estimating that 30 percent of vets under age 25 are unemployed. Programs like those announced in the last two weeks by Arpaio and Obama are unlikely to make a significant dent in the numbers anytime soon. Obama's initiative, Veterans Gold Card, offers vets up to 6 months of personalized job-search services at career centers throughout the country. It was unveiled along with a pair of online tools that allow veterans and employers to enter specific job skills and seek each other out. Arpaio's plan was more straightforward: he promised to move veterans' applications to the front of the line for any open positions in the Sheriff's Office, provided they meet the other qualifications for the job next time the office is hiring. The agency had more than 1,100 people apply for 100 detention officer positions that are currently open. It hopes to receive funding for 175 additional detention officers after the start of the new year. The sheriff's plan is similar to other programs in state and local government that place a higher value on job candidates with military experience by adding points to their applications, potentially moving them toward the front of clogged application pipelines. More public agencies and private businesses are likely to initiate similar programs as awareness about veteran unemployment increases, experts said, which is perfectly legal so long as those policies do not result in discrimination against other prospective employees. "I would expect to see more legislation giving more preference to veterans. They are laying their lives on the line. It's not unreasonable that we as a society should make accommodations for them," said Dan Barr, a Phoenix attorney. "But approximately 85 percent of returning vets are men. If you have an instance where you have all veteran applications put to the front of the line for MCSO jobs, the argument could be made that it was having an adverse affect on women applicants." But getting an application moved to the top of the stack might not be the only hurdle to overcome in reducing unemployment among veterans. A mid-range sergeant with a high-school diploma and specialized training could make $19 an hour with medical expenses and housing paid for while in the service, said Jesus Arrieta, state veterans manager with the Arizona Department of Economic Security. "You get out in this economy you're not going to find those kinds of jobs," Arrieta said. "I talk to a lot of veterans and I ask them to promote to businesses that they are veterans. If they're a Supply Sergeant, the military spent $10,000 to train them. So they're trained up, I'm not sure they're getting that word out." |