Life Ain’t Easy …
by Monty MolaLink to article
On April 19, 2004, with the stroke of a pen, Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger signed into law SB 899 (comprehensive reformation of Workers Compensation Law). By so doing, he condemned not only every injured worker in California from that day forward, but those that represented their interests, to a future of frustration and poverty.
I subsequently closed my practice and attempted to gain employment with any government agency. My first sojourn was with a local county as a Child Support Attorney. This was a county that had 12% of its population not paying the court ordered child support obligations. I had taken a 60% cut in pay, but was thankful that I no longer had to pay $3,000/month for health/disability/malpractice insurance. Unfortunately, I was attorney #8, in that position, in just the past 5 years. Turns out, there was a reason for that. At the time I resigned, there were two other cases in various stages of litigation by my predecessors (including the CA Ct of Appeals).
Suffice it to say, I moved on. Currently, I am working part-time, billing on an hourly basis, and sending off resumes by the bushelfuls. I have travelled all over Northern California to attend job interviews. Because of the lack of billable hours, I have had to give up my COBRA health benefits as they became unaffordable.
Due to the fact that I have 15 years of legal experience and I am a Vietnam combat veteran, by law all governemnt agencies are required to grant me an interview for virtually any job opening. When I walk in the door of the interview room and the children situated around the table see my gray hair and wrinkles, they have already made up their minds that I am not right for the position.
My wife has suggested that I dye my hair and beard. But if there is one thing, in this life, that I find most distasteful is hypocrisy. And I guess I am not very good at blowing smoke up anyone’s skirt. Yesterday, I interviewed with the local District Attorney’s office for a job that I used to do. The 3 kids that interviewed me decided that I did not score well enough to pass their initial interview, and therefore move on to the final stage of employment procurement. I guess life ain’t easy for a boy named Siouxx.
Tags: Arnold-Schwartzenegger, COBRA, SB-899, Workers-Compensation-Law
March 10th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I feel for you. I stayed in the system, and I’m trying to make a change by sponsoring an initiative intended to at least help the injured worker to get the medical treatment that is so desperately needed. If you can help, I ask you to look at my website http://www.CaliforniaInitiative.org I need about 450,000 signatures.
Yours, wsmorris
June 18th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Monty,
Sounds like the rug got pulled out from under your life and you’re feeling a bit angry and put out. That’s understandable. Starting over isn’t always easy.
You, however, are a combat veteran and bar certified lawyer and that speaks volumes towards your character. It took courage and tenacity to survive combat and the rigors of law school but survive it and succeed you did. Now life is presenting you with a new challenge and you’re either going to meet it and thrive or you’re going to let it beat you. The choice is yours.
From your letter it sounds like you have a passion for being of service but it also sounds like you’ve got a bit of a chip on your shoulder. As one might imagine that probably doesn’t bode well for you in interviews because “the kids” are probably picking up on it. You see “kids” and they see “grumpy old fart!”
The good news is that this will all change as soon as you decide to change your mind about what happened. Perhaps Arnie and the gang did you a favor by giving you this opportunity to recreate your life. It’s up to you how you want to view it but just remember this, “Your thinking now will decide the next chapters of your life.” It works like this.
If your goal is to “be right, affix blame, lament the past, feel victimized, and play the life’s unfair game,” then you’re doing a bang up job. If your goal is something else, however, like adding value, being of service, earning abundantly, growth, fulfillment, and reward then your current trajectory probably won’t take you there. You’re going to have to change your mind.
Just off the top of my head I can think of several ways you could be of great service to many and profit as you go. That’s because you have a necessary skill and years of experience. You could be a veterans advocate or provide affordable legal services to the many thousands of people who don’t understand the law or how to make their way through the legal system. It’s up to you how to put your skills in play. Your only limit is imagination.
Every year thousands and thousands of people are forced to start over. Job loss, death, divorce, illness, injury, and acts of God are just a few of the reasons why. Some lucky ones even choose to start over but whether by choice, or circumstance, the road to success is always the same. Let go of the past, take stock, identify your values, passions, and priorities, set a new trajectory, play hard and smile often. A wonderful free online course for starting over is available at http://www.thesecretsofahappyandpeacefulmind.com
Respectfully,
Bob Bloom
July 27th, 2007 at 8:59 am
I feel your pain. First and foremost, thank you for serving your country in combat. You have the right to have a gigantic chip on your shoulder. Anyone who has never worn combat boots will never understand the rigors of military life, the absolute dedication required and the sacrifices to your health and family life! I have just been medically boarded from the Army after 14 years of service and can’t find a job to save my life. I have a degree and experience, but it’s only worth $7/hr. The veteran’s hiring preference is total B.S. and disregarded wherever you go, except the low paying jobs.