Originally posted by Constitutional Scholar

If the market for my business were to dry up tomorrow, I would have no problem finding a job. It may not be a job I like, but there are always construction sites that need to be cleaned up, burgers to be flipped, etc etc.

No one is overqualified to push a broom, or push some computer buttons.

Remember that if you find yourself without a job and you are told that you can't be hired because you don't meet the criteria or you're over qualified.

You make it sound so easy....when in fact, it isn't for the average person. Obviously, you are above the average person and the average person is lower than you. I wish I had all the answers because it doesn't seem like it is your "point of view" as much as you are downing the average person that struggles.

Well, why is the government "entitled" to all of our money and also "entitled" to set rules for us? Considering their recent lack of propensity for proper feduciary responsability and intelligent foreign and domestic policy I'd say mine is the better question.
They're funded by taxes paid on every purchase you make, piece of property you own and income you receive. So if we're paying them for a service (governing) and they're not performing that service (they're not) it's not really a sense of entitlement that demands a refund but a sense of justice and fairness.
Why do you feel an innate sense that you must be taxed and receive nothing for it? Programming?
None of the people working in our government today are personally responsible for the greatness of this nation so I feel no guilt in not giving them my loyalty. Faith in bad government is not what this country was founded on, some of you are confused. America was the original consumer advocate.

Originally posted by Constitutional Scholar
I'm 30 years old, and have had somewhere around 40 or 50 jobs in my lifetime. My willingness to say "F this" has resulted in me having more than my fair share of jobs.

Thanks for you answer. My first job was at 14 (farm), I worked construction in late teens but I still haven't racked up as many jobs as you did.

You are looking at the situation from your particular angle. However, there are cases (like when you took out a college loan and need to repay) when you can't afford to take just any job. Secondly, finding a professional position takes a lot of research and actual interviews, and you need to be available on a moment's notice becase if you are not, they aren't going to talk to you again.

Originally posted by hammanderr
Well, why is the government "entitled" to all of our money and also "entitled" to set rules for us?

Don't you know ? To keep us safe from all those terrorists of course

I can't speak for other people. I'm not them.

That said, I don't expect something for nothing. However, it enrages me that productivity has increased astronomically in the past century yet we work longer and for less pay. There is no excuse for that whatsoever.

At a dinner party I overheard a pin-brain employer loudmouthing as he stuffed grease into his ignorant face.

He said: ' People don't want to work these days. That's the problem. I'm always looking for workers. Can't get anyone. And when I do, they quit. They just don't want to work.' Ended with self-satisfied gloating grin as if expecting applause.

The other numb-nuts sat there, big adult-bibs tied around their necks, stuffing their faces, already at least half drunk. They nodded to the loud-mouth with equally self-satisfied smirks. They were his mother, his wife, one of his sons and his wife and assorted small-businessmen and women.

I'd been listening to this sort of garbage for years. I owned and operated a couple of businesses. My staff, in the majority of cases, had been with me for years. I'd had NO problem gaining applicants. More than I could handle. They'd all wanted a job.

So, I'd had enough of the ' back in MY day' bores and said to the loud-mouth: ' What qualifications do you have, Glenn ?'

He said he was a qualified electrician.

' When and how did you gain your qualifications, Glenn ? '

He smirked (maybe he just has a punchable face ?) .. ' Left school at 15 and went straight into an apprenticeship for my dad. Took over the business from him.'

I nodded. ' Uh huh. Dad gave you an apprenticeship. Taught you all he knew. Then handed you his business. Not bad. Since then, you've moved into an electrical retail business, selling washing machines, fridges, teevees. Well .. your employees work your business and you sit in your little office all day, reading the paper and playing big-shot. That's more the truth, isn't it ? Because you could no more climb in a roof space or under a house or wire up a new house these days than you could run 50 yards .. right ? '

It was right and we all knew it.

' And what do you pay your workers ? ' I asked him .. ' Award wage ? Contract ? And for that, they have to work weekends and public holidays. And you treat them like garbage to their faces and humiliate them in front of customers. YOU .. YOU do that. YOU, who have never SEEN a resume or CV, let alone know how to compile one or even spell it.
YOU, with your basic education and average-at-best IQ. YOU .. who was handed an apprenticeship 'back in the day' when average-IQ types were taught a trade.'

' Do you see many apprenticeships on offer these days?' I asked him.
' When was the last time YOU put on an apprentice ? Do you know how much the world has changed since your day ? Back in YOUR day, you could quit a job at 11 am and have another by 1pm. Full employment back in YOUR day. Not any more. Look around. If jobs were so easy to get ... WHY did you pay so your own children could have a university education ? And yet two of your children STILL aren't working ! Why IS that, Glenn ? Is it because they 'don't want to work ' ? Is it because they're finding a lot of employers are just like good old Dad and pay peanuts .. and abuse their staff and threaten them with the sack at least once a week ? Old power-freaks like you ? '

Then I dumped my napkin on the table and walked away.

Employment used to be taken for granted, most often. Ok .. people were guilty of assuming that if they were prepared to work hard and be honest, then they could earn their daily bread. So sorry. It's just that back then, most of what a nation consumed was produced BY that nation's population.
So their bad, huh, for believing there were jobs out there .. for never expecting they'd ever have to join the dole queue .. for expecting they could marry, have children, pay their mortgage and have a bit left over for their retirement.

It's been my experience that most people DO want to work and earn their own living .. even those in their 60s. Given the opportunity AND a job, most people WOULD work to at least retirement age.

Now all we need are the jobs, huh ?

Think Obama or McCain will put an end to all that lucrative oursourcing ?
Think they'll have the guts to buck Big Business ?
Think they'll take care of their voters instead of their Big Business buddies ?

Let's see

OP I agree with you on many points you've made and I agree with your philosophy myself.

I'm about your age and have done alot of things over the years from sales, IT, Data input, labouring, back to college and university, then back to IT and now finally working as a builder.

I have debts to pay from university etc.

It's always gonna be better to work a crappy job and earn £50 a day than to sit in the house earning nothing, regardless of how professional a position you think you should be in.

And there are ALWAYS jobs available, just because you dont wanna do any of them, doesnt mean they are not available.

I am entitled to what I have worked for.
As was mentioned earlier, I know for a fact that some of my taxes are paying for other's misdeeds and that bothers me because while some of us try and do rather well at living withing their means, others are simply freeloaders or outright criminals.
Hoarding, I think, is somewhat boarderline in my opinion, but I just think of it as another take on saving for a rainy day which can be a good thing if managed well and righteously distributed in times of need.

Originally posted by Constitutional Scholar

Sure crappy jobs suck, but I equate them to ugly girls: They are just practice for the pretty ones.

Nope, not disabled, but I suffer from a few afflictions

I think I'll just keep my mouth shut.

Should we just be grateful and pay our taxes and expect nothing?

[edit on 12-10-2008 by whaaa]

I pay income tax, council tax, roadtax, and then tax on every single thing i purchase and inevitably i'll pay inheritance tax, in return the government sold all the national assets to private companies which we now have to pay extortionate prices for things like water, gas, electricity. If im made unemployed for whatever reason you are damn right im gonna be claiming whatever i need to because im entitled to it. You see if i fail to pay my bank my mortgage payments i become homeless, if the bank fails to cover its costs it gets bailed out.

The government as it exists now in the western world is there to protect the wealthy and keep everyone else in check, its a sad state of affairs we give our government too much power and shock horror they abuse it. At the very least we are all entitled to a roof over our heads and the means to survive, and protecting those who struggle to protect themselves is what makes us human or have we become that bitter its a case of screw everyone im alright jack.

Originally posted by asmeone2
I would agree that we think we are over-entitled.

Somewhere along the line we perverted "land of the free" into "we get everything for free."

Good post I've often thought the same thing

As Americans, we MUST, COMPLETELY, AVOID foreign influence in our markets, stop sending our jobs overseas, by supporting only "Made in the U.S.A." products.

Listen up, you lost your job, because you shopped at WalMart!

Turn things around and get a job, and buy into the American dream, yourself... I support the OP.

Originally posted by RockCore
As Americans, we MUST, COMPLETELY, AVOID foreign influence in our markets, stop sending our jobs overseas, by supporting only "Made in the U.S.A." products.

Listen up, you lost your job, because you shopped at WalMart!

Turn things around and get a job, and buy into the American dream, yourself... I support the OP.

very succinctly put , RockCore!

Funny how people can be disabled, yet still manage to sit in a chair all day posting senseless topics about how they are owed something because they are disabled. Their disability obviously doesnt prevent them from sitting and typing, yet when a data entry type job is mentioned, more excuses always follow.

My husband is disabled. Can he sit at computer in his wheelchair? Yes. Can he type? Sure. Do you want to hear his screams of agony all day as pain shoots down his legs, eating away at his muscles that is caused by his Muscular Dystrophy. Oh, and every employer gives nap time, I forgot about that. That will give him the relief he needs from his back pain caused by sitting in the wheelchair.

Choose your words wisely when it comes to disabled people. My husband woud ten times rather be working than be disabled. It's not an option for him. And the pay sucks. I make more in one week than he does all month.