A large majority of the people who have been out of work longer than six months are over fifty years of age. Sad fact is that employers will avoid older workers if given an alternative. The large number of manufacturing jobs that have been lost had a lot of unskilled older workers just hoping to make it to retirement age. They will never work again- or if they do it will be low wage service jobs.
How long would it take for a 55 year old former factory worker with a GED to retrain & join a Start up dealing with International Freight and Global Trade? LOL- THAT is who is unemployed right now- low skilled older workers who had their job off shored or just eliminated. Some may never work again. In my area there have been over a dozen big manufacturing plants that have ceased operations in the past year. They will never reopen. There are some cities that lost over half of their manufacturing jobs- Look at Dayton, Ohio for instance. The people that used to work at all the firms that shut down there won't be working anytime soon. We are screwed as a nation- people seem to be in denial of reality. It isn't typically the college educated that is unemployed, if you look at the rate by education levels it is lower skilled people who are most apt to be unemployed.
So pretty soon we should have alot of people willing to be leaf blowers now that we have Obamacare. I think we will start to see boarding houses popping up again one day. Cram 5 or 6 bunk beds in 1 room and charge $150 per month per bed and it works out financially for everyone. $150 x 10 people (or 12) and you get $1500-$1800 per room which more than pays for electricity, water and all that. Just because we live in america doesnt mean everyone has the right to their own house/apartment. If you cant afford it financially, you need to room with others like they do in other major non-western cities in the world.
I could find millions willing to work for that. Of course, most do not live in this country... There are some American citizens willing to work for $2.13 per hour as waiters & waitresses though. But the truth is you are right. Nobody is going to work for $2.50 per hour when unemployment pays $450 per week. Food stamps give them another couple of hundred per month. Section 8 pays something like 80% of their rent. Take all that away, and people will work for $1 per hour. But trust me...you dont want to see an america that looks like that. A 3rd worlder that has earned $2 per day all his life can be a nice person. A 1st worlder american that used to make $20 per hour and now makes $5 per day will be a grumpy mean backstabbing bastard who will cut your throat for a $100 bill.
Better to live in an old camper van. Home and transportation all in one. Shower and clean up at 24-hour Fitness or some other communal bathroom or shower. http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/