Long Term Unemployment and the 'American Dream'

The relentless 8.2 percent unemployment rate dominates coverage of the presidential campaign, but it's much more than a political story. It's a measure of human misery. Some 5.4 million Americans have been out of work for more than six months, and that's being called "a national emergency playing out in slow motion." As the Middle Class is being "hollowed out," companies say they can't find qualified workers. Is there a "skills gap?" Are employers too picky? Is long-term unemployment making a myth of the promise that willing work is the key to upward mobility?