94,609,000 Not in Labor Force

a reply to: Snarl

Just saw an article on CNN about part time labor. That's at an all time high too. The funny part is that CNN links to it's own article as a source, and that article goes on to say how so many employers simply dropped part time hours to below 30 to avoid having to pay for health care. I do recall some corporations saying they would be doing this, with the inevitable public backlash... and then the obvious practice of doing it without making a public announcement. Of course, to anyone at least functionally retarded, this was obviously the way it would work out. Obama gets to sound like a hero for making you dependent on him. Unfortunately you can't subsidize all of your problems, so we're just starting to see it crash, but it was fun while it lasted! The same people who buried their heads in the sand then are the same ones clamoring for a $15/hr minimum wage now lol.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Things aren't all bad!
Taco Bell is adding 100k new jobs by 2222!

www.marketwatch.com...

When you read that story did you think of the movie that had Wesley Snipes in it where Taco Bell was a fancy restaurant that the elite ate at?

Demolition Man

I can say, truthfully, I'm in that "unemployed and not actively seeking work" group as of today.

To find work with my skill set would mean taking an approximate 50% reduction in pay- from ~$25 hourly to about $12-14. It is sad, actually. My job is not something they can outsource- construction and project management for cell sites. But, when they can get a crew of immigrants working for 12 or so each, why hire me for 25? Forget the fact I am "vendor certified" for many different types of cell site testing procedures... you'd think that a positive, right? But no... the tech doesn't require certs any more, just the company has procedures in place which "self certifies" the techs. Pick your flavor of earth-moving equipment- I can operate those too. NEC? yep. OSHA? yep... certified.

Further, no one will hire me locally 'cause I am overqualified and they can't justify paying me what I am worth... a.k.a. more than I am willing to work for. WTF kind of backwards logic is that? I'd be happy to work for 12-15... even 10 at Home Depot, but I'm overqualified. Nah, they want dumbsh*t people who can't tell the difference between a 2x4 proper and 2x4 nominal.

Making things even more odd, my wife and I can manage to get by with what she gets, part time even, and that's not on the government dole either... and in California of all places. It's tight, for sure, and maybe a lot of ramen... what with the cost of food stuffs being so high, but we do get by.


I am at a loss though, trying to grasp how 94+ million able bodied people out of work, compared to 340 million total people in the country amounts to a 5-6% unemployment rate? 94 out of 340 is over 25%... and if you factor in those unable to work due to age, too young or old, which for S&G factor let's say that eliminates half the populous.. that is pushing near 50% able to work but aren't working.


Life got hard for me under Clinton- bills, housing and most everything went up in cost when he was elected. I moved on, and up 'cause I could.
Things mostly stayed flat under Bush II, but I had some nice promotions during that period.
Under Obama, the cost of living caught up with me, and is well on its way to outpacing my ability to move up.

a reply to: DBCowboy

People would probably die for 80k a year in my area.

Making 60 and its great around here counting my blessings.

a reply to: cyberjedi

Agreed! If by "doing more of what you like in life" you mean working multiple part time jobs.

originally posted by: seeker1963

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Things aren't all bad!
Taco Bell is adding 100k new jobs by 2222!

www.marketwatch.com...

When you read that story did you think of the movie that had Wesley Snipes in it where Taco Bell was a fancy restaurant that the elite ate at?

Demolition Man

I believe that was after Taco Bell won the restaurant war....lol

Almost 100 MILLION, working age people, are doing nothing.

How bout we try Make America Work Again

a reply to: Snarl

Quick question. How many of these people are over age 65?

originally posted by: paradoxious
I can say, truthfully, I'm in that "unemployed and not actively seeking work" group as of today.

I want to add that the cost of looking for a job, like fuel in the truck to go to interviews is ridiculous too, and every 20 miles I have to drive looking for work takes $3 away from food and other things the family needs to survive.

Sure, I can go submit resume's on Monster or whatever, but I still have to do a face-to-face interview. Why bother if I am going to get turned away anyhow, because someone else will take the job for half the pay?

*edit- maybe I should have said $6 away for every 20 miles... it's a round trip.

originally posted by: MillerTribe
But with the fact that a person becomes less likely to vote democrat for every additional dollar they earn, wouldn't it be the democrats playing the role of the poor in paragraph one and republcians that of the middle class?

First off. If you are going to say things are "facts" you should post some supporting documentation. Second off, there are TONS of middle class Democrats in the country. Your entire worldview that Republicans are rich and Democrats are poor is ridiculously simplistic.

originally posted by: paradoxious

originally posted by: paradoxious
I can say, truthfully, I'm in that "unemployed and not actively seeking work" group as of today.

I want to add that the cost of looking for a job, like fuel in the truck to go to interviews is ridiculous too, and every 20 miles I have to drive looking for work takes $3 away from food and other things the family needs to survive.

Sure, I can go submit resume's on Monster or whatever, but I still have to do a face-to-face interview. Why bother if I am going to get turned away anyhow, because someone else will take the job for half the pay?

There is obviously going to be some one offs and obstacles for people such as yourself but 94Million means a huge number making a choice to check out.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Snarl

Quick question. How many of these people are over age 65?

There are 46 million Americans over the age of 65.

www.prb.org...

The current unemployment rate is 4.9 percent.

US unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent in October 2016 from 5 percent in the previous month and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons was almost unchanged at 7.9 million while the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 62.8 percent. Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.81 percent from 1948 until 2016, reaching an all time high of 10.80 percent in November of 1982 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. Unemployment Rate in the United States is reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

www.tradingeconomics.com...

originally posted by: MillerTribe
Trying be sincere as this is one of my biggest issues with politics. I believe that we can all agree on this OP, that there's a lot of people not working. As another poster pointed out there is a different minority' supporting these poor people, the middle class. The above we can all agree on.

Now when it comes to doing something about it that's when this whole exercise goes downhilll.

But with the fact that a person becomes less likely to vote democrat for every additional dollar they earn, wouldn't it be the democrats playing the role of the poor in paragraph one and republcians that of the middle class?

So essentially democrats are the poor of our society, they consist of those who can't find gainful employment. Figure that, in an open society race to the top democrats fall short.

Yet democrats want us to follow their lead politically. They want us to believe that it is the poor people that have failed society's test who have the answers.

That is crazy. I will never follow the democrats unless my goal is to be more poor.

It's like listening to the real estate advice of the guy living on the street. It makes zero sense.

Slight Correction.

Democrats / Progressives really consist of two groups. The poor / victim class and the ultra wealthy.

Basically, Democrats appeal to the poor / victim class with promises of free stuff. Look at any Democrat party platform, it is basically about how much they are going to give away. The ultra wealthy support liberal policies as they like to virtue signal. This is why all the rich on the left are typically Hollywood types. Nothing like a brainless actor making $50 million a year telling poor people they feel their pain OR chiding the middle class because they think taxes are too high. The other thing you have to know is that rich liberals support all these policies because they won't actually apply to them.

For example, Democrats will fight school choice and charter schools. Rich Democrats don't care because they don't send their kids to public schools. So they prevent YOU from having a say in where your kid goes to school, but they can afford to opt out by sending their kid to elite private schools.

This is why they also don't care about illegal immigration. It isn't their jobs being lost. Illegal Immigrants aren't moving to their rich enclaves. Going to their schools.

a reply to: Edumakated

Totally an opinion piece. But as they say, everybody's got one.

originally posted by: Bluntone22

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Snarl

Quick question. How many of these people are over age 65?

There are 46 million Americans over the age of 65.

www.prb.org...

Ok. So that's around half of the number in the OP. Now how many people in America are on some sort of disability? In this case 100% disability? Also, kids are staying full time students later and later into their 20's, how many kids over age 16 are full time students living with their parents?

originally posted by: angeldoll
The current unemployment rate is 4.9 percent.

US unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent in October 2016 from 5 percent in the previous month and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons was almost unchanged at 7.9 million while the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 62.8 percent. Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.81 percent from 1948 until 2016, reaching an all time high of 10.80 percent in November of 1982 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. Unemployment Rate in the United States is reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

www.tradingeconomics.com...

Hmmm....

How do they come up with those numbers?

originally posted by: angeldoll
The current unemployment rate is 4.9 percent.

US unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent in October 2016 from 5 percent in the previous month and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons was almost unchanged at 7.9 million while the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 62.8 percent. Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.81 percent from 1948 until 2016, reaching an all time high of 10.80 percent in November of 1982 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. Unemployment Rate in the United States is reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

www.tradingeconomics.com...

And you believe everything the government tells you.

originally posted by: Edumakated
For example, Democrats will fight school choice and charter schools. Rich Democrats don't care because they don't send their kids to public schools. So they prevent YOU from having a say in where your kid goes to school, but they can afford to opt out by sending their kid to elite private schools.

This is why they also don't care about illegal immigration. It isn't their jobs being lost. Illegal Immigrants aren't moving to their rich enclaves. Going to their schools.

Spoken like someone who hasn't even TALKED to a Democrat let alone knows any. I feel like you totally built that opinion from conservative news sites. You do realize that the majority of Democrats live in the cities (rich and poor) which is where most of the illegals are? Thus they'd have just as much exposure to them as the next person.

If hillary wins, expect this number to continue rising.

I'm not supporting any of these clowns, but I am interested to see if trump really can bring jobs back to america. If america is able to bring back manufacturing jobs, and de-regulate enough, it's possible.

Also if the federal reserve would quit devaluing the dollar so # much, then people could afford to pay a little extra for goods produced and sold in america. But, I'm just joe citizen, I don't know # I guess.