200,000 long-term jobless Americans will lose their unemployment checks this week

reply to post by hawkiye


Well hawkiye, I wish the Job Market was better,then those who want to paint it, a rosy picture.

By all means,you deserve the Benefits,you have paid into the system. You are not abusing the system.
Fact is,the system,Government has failed you. When the Job market started to crashed,right after 9/11,It took me a year and a half,to find a Job. I used ALL my benefits up,and was one step away from jail time. I had Child support payments,that needed to paid,regardless if I had a Job or not. Another failure of the system.

I'm merely 28 living in the Detroit area and up until January's cuts, was on unemployment on and off since 2009. On and off simply because the company I worked for decided it was better to have our workloads done in China than in-house thus directly resulting in me being laid-off. Happened twice and during the in-between times, I was lucky to even get interviewed after sending 20 resumes. I'm fairly skilled with a small amount of college under my belt yet currently I am relocated from my home in order to work because I could not find a job anywhere remotely close to where I live (I've never had a problem driving an hour or more to get to work every morning).

For anyone to say that people on unemployment for such a long time is just them being "bums" or "lazy", please, keep letting a few bad apples ruin it for the rest of the bunch. Those people are out there, don't get me wrong, but I've never stopped looking for work when I was unemployed, even without reliable transportation (who has that when you're biting for burger-flipping??). It's a constant up-and-down struggle when you're competing with 100s of others in the same situation you are just to attempt to get a job at Jimmy-Johns. Even when applying to a restaurant I had once worked for, left on good terms mind you so I was eligible for re-hire, my 3 years experience and awards done for them was denied simply for not being enrolled in a culinary program. An $8 per hour job I had plenty of experience doing turned me down because I didn't have their new standard of training.

This is the kind of stuff people have to deal with while unemployed. Forget attempting to maintain the same life you had, we get to flip everything upside-down on a weekly basis to live within our means on top of having to deal with the ever-depressing hunt for the same thing a boatload of people are hunting for as well.

We're not lazy and we're not bums. We're real people with some very real problems who have taken the brunt of hammer-fall created when companies stop caring about who really makes them their money. You're telling me that people laid off from jobs they were at for 5-10-15-even 20 years don't deserve to have a safety net for an extended period of time? Even though they are more than likely using no more than the money they've paid in over their years of working? Come on.

Simple explanations and anecdotes cannot solve seriously complex issues.

reply to post by jhn7537


As far as I'm concerned unemployment insurance does not pay enough to become complacant about income. At a fraction of the actual earnings it barely gets a family by so although there are some who would stay on just so they dont have to work for a living most families need a real paycheck not this make do hand out.

reply to post by RealSpoke


That might be true but can anyone explain why in the "pretty projects" as I like to call it almost every car in there are newer style nice looking cars, many with various "I'm Blingin'" type mods including rims. They even have some BMW's and Mercedes cars in there. Cadillacs, etc. Mostyly all shiny cars built after 2000. I call it the pretty projects because each dwelling sort of unit is made with 'smooth' lookin' stucco painted a different pastel color so as to make it look pretty. You almost wouldn't know its the projects unless you drove thru there a few years ago before all the pretty upgrades. Was a damn scary looking place then before. This place I speak of is 1/2 mile away I drive thru past there all the time and they cut thru my street with their cars when they come off the highway.

You can throw PRIDE out the window,when it comes to your children being hungry,and a local food pantry,not having anything,because there are so many going without. I still believe this Administration,dropped the ball. They could have had a comprehensive Jobs program,based on fixing the infrastructure,of America.

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07

Originally posted by jhn7537

Originally posted by LightWarrior11
If they truly wanted America to be number 1. All college for Americans would be free.

Why is college free for f'ing immigrants but for American citizens it's about 50k and up.

There needs to be differentiators in the world today, a college undergrad and MBA are exactly that... If everyone had a college degree they would pretty much be meaningless/pointless....Thats why college needs to cost the student money, they need to care enough to want to get one...

It should be based more on merit, then how much money or connections you have. Otherwise I agree with what you say. Still 50,000 per year for any instuttion is RIP-OFF CITY even if it is yale or harvard....Education is not everything, what is more important is what you do with it later on in life.

Not all schools are 50k per year... People need to be smart today, you can do your first 2 years at a junior college for about $3-5k per year, and then you can finish your education at a state school which is usually $15k per year.. But if you go private you will likely pay around $30-50k... I chose DePaul which is private and is $32k per year which isnt horrible compared to Northwestern, Harvard, etc... Kids just need to be smart today and need to take the more affordable path to finishing school...

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07

Originally posted by jhn7537

Originally posted by randyvs
This OP is full of the same BS, that everyone who is lucky enough to still be working is so full of, thier eyes are brown. Him ha and hough hough then when their job is gone or thier business or thier practice goes under ?
Thier always the ones who scream like lil girls at thier first pajama party. Most people who have worked enough to gain unemployment checks would rather be working. So get off your bounce pony !

Oh yea... If I lose my job, Ill be able to get another one that pays the same amount, if not more, within 1 week... I get emails from recruiters and head hunters every week offering me great opportunities out there, but you're right, I will be screaming like a lil girl... Please dont talk out of your ass, especially knowing that you dont know me...

Even if you are telling the truth in this instance, which is quite doubtful due to you're huge disconect from reality, there are LOTS of folks who are not qualified in a job that is in high demand. Yeah it is always the fault of the other guy and government has no business getting involved with anything.

I often wonder if people get paid to post nonsense. Cite one example of how success is possible then over-generalise to hell to make your point. Typical selfish, greed ridden nonsense! Learn to use common sense, it will serve you well.

yes and thats unfortunate for those people, maybe Im a unique situation because I work in the IT industry...

You also need to chill out Earth, you seem a little mad...Your anger shouldnt be directed at me becasue we dont see eye to eye on a certain topic...

Look, the government branches, state and federal, have NO problem whatsoever in raking you over the coals, to get as much out of you as possible. You are a fool if you don't take benefits to the full extent you can, while looking for viable employment - i.e. not working minimum wage at your local sub shop. My severance was hit for 40% taxes because the IRS said "Oh.. that's not wages." The state said "Oh.. you can't collect unemployment for 3 months because that severance, those are wages!" Then they missed an entire quarter from my paychecks from the previous year, forcing me to spend money to send in all my paystubs.. good things I saved them huh? Delayed it further.. how they miss one quarter in the middle of a year baffles me.

I'll also take advantage of any other benefits I can while unemployed, you better believe it. We already miss out on a LOT of benefits other countries enjoy, because their government doesn't see fit to spend 1 to 1.5 TRILLION dollars a year on "defense." Wake up.. you are already being reamed out of your wages. 25% of your pay is gone! And you think it's "wrong" to accept benefits?

Originally posted by jhn7537

yes and thats unfortunate for those people, maybe Im a unique situation because I work in the IT industry...

You also need to chill out Earth, you seem a little mad...Your anger shouldnt be directed at me becasue we dont see eye to eye on a certain topic...

edit on 12-5-2012 by jhn7537 because: (no reason given)

I don't need to chill out. When you post perposterous stuff then you should expect a violent backlash.

I could not care less what you do with you're personal life. It is none of my business, but what is my business is people like you making fun of desperate people about to lose everything they have because the government is a shill of big business.

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07

Originally posted by jhn7537

yes and thats unfortunate for those people, maybe Im a unique situation because I work in the IT industry...

You also need to chill out Earth, you seem a little mad...Your anger shouldnt be directed at me becasue we dont see eye to eye on a certain topic...

edit on 12-5-2012 by jhn7537 because: (no reason given)

I don't need to chill out. When you post perposterous stuff then you should expect a violent backlash.

I could not care less what you do with you're personal life. It is none of my business, but what is my business is people like you making fun of desperate people about to lose everything they have because the government is a shill of big business.

Please show me where I made fun of desperate people...

People like you seem to resent others who arent struggling... Heaven forbid you succeed here in America... I just dont like people who act like everything is falling apart around us, when in fact its not, most of the people i know are living comfortably... I just hate when people continue to paint such an ugly picture of this country knowing that there are MANY people out there who are living comfortably, they seem to act like this is some 3rd world country...

The sad truth is that life isnt always fair, and everyone isnt always going to be given the same opportunites to succeed today... I guess it is what it is... Do we really want USA to turn into a place where everyone is paid the same, treated the same, etc?

In all true reality, this is just another way for Obama to buy off your vote.

I can see Obama campaigning right now…

(Obama) “The republicans want to take away your unemployment benefits”! What do you have to say about that”?
(Audience screams) “Booooooohoooooooo”!
(Obama) I’m putting together a 2 trillion dollar stimulus package that will help Americans get back on their feet”!
(Audience screams) “Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
(Obama) “America, you need money?
(The audience) “Oh yes, oh yes”!
(Obama) “Who is going to show you the money”?
(Everyone in the audience screams)…”You are”!
(Obama) “So America, what do you want”?
(The audience) “Mo Money”!
(Obama yells) “Who is going to show you that money”?
(Audience screams) “Obama”!
(Obama Yells) “I didn’t hear you”!
(Audience screams) “OBAMA”!
(Obama) “You want change”? Blah Blah Blah!

Obama+your vote= Mo money in your pocket! All you have to do is give up your soul and sign on the dotted line!

How could a person pass up such a sweet opportunity? Money has always had a way of taking over logic. Now I’m not saying there are people who are not in need those monies to get back on their feet again. BUT TWO YEARS? That ridiculous! It’s like a drug habit people can’t seem to kick. Mo money isn’t any different!

If you are over 50 and lose your job these days, you have a pitiful chance of ever working again. Companies are hiring twenty somethings, and immigrants from 3rd world countries who are cheap. The older tenured workers are being pushed out in a lot of places to take advantage of this. It seems like there is a lot of hostility towards the American workers but they welcome the foreign workers (these are American CEOs and Managers)When those people lose their jobs they are having an extremely hard time finding work again.I have seen this happen, they hire an a noticeably younger "assistant" for an older worker, and as soon as the new hire is up to speed the older worker is let go. Its BLATANT age discrimination. But employers don't worry much. 30 plus years of attacks on labor laws have made workers pretty much powerless against this kind of abuse. I have a feeling that they are a big segment of the unemployed right now. Also I cannot believe the level of meanspiritedness and callousness of some posters towards people who have been thrown away by corporate America. I hope it never happens to you, but then maybe then you will understand its not laziness, its the fact that there are no living wage jobs.

reply to post by jhn7537


And I resent having to talk to some indian idiot about microsoft problems, who barely understands a word I tell him, because microsoft is too damm cheap to hire americans for technical support. Since are employed in the IT field you probably know this??

I also resent a government that allows illegal mexicans to cross the border TO STEAL american jobs that won't even pay the minimum $7.25 per hour to some AMERICAN high school drop-out.

I also resent a government that goes out of its way to bail-out undeserving mega-corps and then says "oops, you're 18 months of unemployment are over, go compete with the mexicans for a job at mcdonalds." Corporations that are taking advantage of NO TARIFFS for imports/exports and have government kiss their ass for campaign donations.

Do the math. It is not rocket science my friend! I am not against globalisation as vile as my comments seem, I simply saying corporations and EVERYONE needs to be held accountable by government. It is time to implement a vote tax and ban donations as freedom of speech. Otherwise I see a new hitler or stalin taking over and millions of greedy pigs dying. Isn't this what happened in germany, russia and france? History repeats itself because some people never learn!

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


On a positive note, a lot of those technical support jobs will be coming back to the US within the next 3-5 years. For that exact reason you stressed, if 2 people cant understand one another they likely wont solve the probem. And these companies are figuring out that they are losing customers over issues like this...

reply to post by jhn7537


Good. I gave you a star!

See I am a very reasonable person.

Its funny how conservatives don't bat an eye about rampant corporate welfare, but when it comes to helping human beings, that's not acceptable. We gave 700 billion to the banks, the same banks who rip people off with overdraft fees, ATM fees, etc, but we cant ever let the common working man or woman cut a break. There is something really wrong with that double standard.

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07
reply to post by jhn7537

 

Good. I gave you a star!

See I am a very reasonable person.

We all are, its just such a tough topic to discuss.. People arent always going to see eye to eye on things... At times I may be a little harsh, but I do care about everyone who is struggling to make ends meet out there... I just dont know how we (the country) can fix the issues out there today. Like I stated earlier, its a multitude of things, one of the biggest areas I constantly harp on is the defense budget, if we scaled it back from the $700+ billion a year we spend, we probably could fix a lot of the issues we see here state side...

I appreciate the star! I got you back...

Can we be friends now? haha

Originally posted by openminded2011
Its funny how conservatives don't bat an eye about rampant corporate welfare, but when it comes to helping human beings, that's not acceptable. We gave 700 billion to the banks, the same banks who rip people off with overdraft fees, ATM fees, etc, but we cant ever let the common working man or woman cut a break. There is something really wrong with that double standard.

And Obama gave 3 trillion more after Bush's tenure as president. In fact it happened so quickly I cannot help to think of CONSPIRACY! Or the 2.3 trillion the pentagon is missing?

A war with iraq, libya, afghanistan and now maybe even iran. Supposedly to get cheap oil and to punish alqueda. I don't know man but some REAL EVIL lurks on this planet.

Originally posted by Propulsion
The bum hanging out on the street corner bagging for money isn’t any different than the people trying to get unemployment after two years. It’s pure laziness! The jobs ARE out there. People are too proud to take them.

Oh yeah, there are jobs out there all right. Jobs that pay minimum wage. Jobs that people cant live on. I tell you what, here is an experiment you can do, try to live on minimum wage for a month. Try to pay your utilities, car insurance, gas, food and healthcare and whatever healthcare your kids need on a minimum wage paycheck. Then get back to me. Oh, and that is assuming you can even GET a minimum wage job, most of them are being taken by illegal immigrants now. Go into any McDonalds and you will see what I am talking about.

Originally posted by fleabit

Since then, I have worked miscellaneous temporary/part time jobs. Some of those employment opportunities included delivering pizza and warehouse dock work.

Ok.. so you choose to leave your vocation to deliver pizzas. I've been in IT for 25 years, and I'll be damned if I am going to lose all that experience because I don't want to be a "burden" to unemployment. Are you kidding me? All the 10's of thousands of dollars of taxes and fees and a lot of other crap I never wanted to partake in, and you are telling me I should feel GUILTY for accepting it?

I've not taken a dime of unemployment yet. But when I do, I won't feel an ounce of remorse.

If you stay out of a job for an extended period, especially IT, you lose your edge. It's a quickly changing field. I choose not to become a permanent factory worker, because I am too "proud" to accept unemployment. Not that unemployment would even begin to cover what I was making before. The max you can make is 500 bucks a week in Colorado, as you must know. The most you will be paid is 13k if you use it up. Guilty? No.. I don't think so. You have a lot of gall telling people they are lazy because they don't choose to work a minimum wage job, instead of spending all their time trying to find an equitable position doing what they were doing previously.

It's funny how people in this country are conditioned to feel horrible if accepting help from the government. In many countries, they offer a LOT more aid - in health, education, you name it. More time off, they let their families come first. No.. here in the States, work 80 hour weeks, and feel guilty if you are daring to take a dime from the government.

edit on 12-5-2012 by fleabit because: (no reason given)

I didn’t leave my job. I was laid off. I did receive unemployment for a short period of time, but I thought it important to get back out there and start working again. Of course it’s not what I’m used to, but either way, it is still work. You have to start somewhere.

Working IT, I know how important it is to keep up on things. It has been proven that employers are denying employment to those who have been on unemployment benefits for long periods of time. I don’t know that stats per say, but I have friends who do own their own business’s that would rather hire someone who took the initiative to find and obtain employment in other areas, other than sitting on their azzes for a long period of time waiting for the perfect job. Employers want employees who are willing to go the extra mile to get somewhere. Sitting on ones azz for two years says a lot about how ambitious that person is.