Regarding the Dec. 25 story, "Employed frequently unhappy with jobs":

This has been a sad fact for a long time.

The joke goes that work is like leaving America for eight hours. Most workers have no rights in the workplace.

We owe that to the Democrats and Republicans who are in the back pockets of the people who invest in their campaigns.

The system makes people fearful. There is no job security because we live in a cruel, capitalist, dog-eat-dog society.

Between outsourcing, downsizing and talk of a future jobless society, anyone lucky enough to get 40 hours of work a week is stuck where they are in low-paying, mindless, mind-numbing jobs.

Hostile and negative work environments become the norm, because employers know they have us where they want us.

There are solutions. We can create jobs with a living wage and guaranteed worker rights. We could institute a 32-hour work week and introduce a livable, unconditional basic income for all.

I saw a sign at one of the protests of the Occupy movement saying "I lost my job and gained an occupation." People do work they are not even paid for. Ask any mother. People are creative enough to come up with their own work.

We need to create a livable future and a real alternative. It would be nice if the Occupy movement had leadership, solidarity, and a political party.

There are answers. We need the courage to pursue them.