[GeorgiaMa'am]

My niece lives in a small city in Georgia and has been looking for a job. Many of her friends have also been looking. She was applying to lots of jobs online, and almost immediately after applying, she would receive a "thanks, but no thanks" email.

She decided online was not working out, so she took a stack of resumes and began going around town, applying in person. This did not pay off either, even in an interview. Eventually, she applied at a Longhorn Steakhouse, a business in which she has a lot of experience. The manager told her to "go home and don't leave".

Upon further discussion with the manager, he admitted to her that the reason all those businesses had posted job ads but nobody was hiring was because "the government pays businesses to post help wanted ads". Apparently, the businesses receive checks for this. The supposed purpose is for the government to be able to claim that "lots of jobs are available but nobody wants them", so the unemployment situation is "fine".

I have to wonder how long this has been going on. I'll bet I know, but I could be wrong. Have any of you ever heard of this happening?