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

Originally posted by fleabit
Just "suck it up" and go live in a horrible neighborhood, eating ramen and forgoing health insurance? Yea.. parent of the year award for you.

There are a lot of people in this situation. It's due to the absence of both government regulations and socialized health care (please, not Obamacare). A lot of people cannot keep their greed in check. A few become disproportionately wealthy. These are the people who rise to the top, the greedy. They also tend to be uncaring, because caring gets in the way of acquiring. Thus, we have a dog eat dog system with huge disparity of wealth.

I used to talk to formerly wealthy people who lost almost everything to the job shake ups. They were either angry or humbled. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

"Take up your china doll. It's only fractured and just a little nervous from the fall."
Robert Hunter

reply to post by openminded2011


Yes bi-weekly. I would say the average salary is 12-14,000, which obviously isn't a lot but most people have 2nd jobs. It sucks don't get me wrong but it's possible and many people do it.

Originally posted by openminded2011
reply to post by drock905

 

I am assuming you are talking about a biweekly paycheck. I have never heard of anyone at Kmart or starbucks making 5-700 a week other than a manager maybe. Definitely not associates.

Well $500 a week is $26000 for a year... I'm sure there are non-manager employees earning that much at Kmart or Starbucks...

I'm a industrial construction worker and on a good week I gross over $2,500 a week but in the construction business sooner or later what you're building gets finished and the contractor you're working for might not have another job lined out. In construction you're always trying to work yourself out of a job. Therefor when you're laid off and looking for the next job, you might go with a different contractor or wait a few weeks for your previous employer to hiring for a new construction project. When I get laid off I file for my unemployment only if I know I might not be receiving a payroll check anytime soon. I haven't been on unemployment for over 2 years but last time I was in the state of Texas I got $798 every 2 weeks as that was the maximum they payed at the time. I can tell you that anybody who typically makes $2,500+ a week isn't going to lack motivation to try to sustain off of $798 every 2 weeks. 8 weeks of unemployment and I looking at having utilities cut off and getting behind on major credit purchases such as autos.

The way unemployment works is you can't go years without working and then get a job for a few weeks and then draw unemployment.

When I had my job I was at for years, I was bringing home about 325 every two weeks. My part of my rent half was 340 a month and then we split the electric bill and groceries. If I had 40 to my name at the end of the month, I was thrilled.

Some min wage jobs gives employees medical. I just never had it. couldn't afford it. the ER has been my dr since i moved out of my parents in 1991. My kid and I just got by.

I had my job at Arbys for 4 years. Was a shift mgr making 8.50 an hour. this was a few years ago. lost the job when I had to force move and had no car to get to it and no other arby's were hiring in the area cuz of the economy (This was in 2009 when i lost the job). Moved to S Illinois and had a job at the local gas station for 3 months, lost it and have been fried every since. I want work so badly. I've done everything from repoing cars to seal coating etc. with no car though, and the closest town being 30 min away, well...... I had no clue that gas station job would fall through else I would have stayed up north with my sons grampa living there.

i got a substitute janitor job at the local high school when someone gets sick but that's a job I do maybe once every 3 months or so? heh.

reply to post by jhn7537


I tried starbucks back in 07. I brought home about 130 every paycheck.

they pay biweekly. it is NOT full time ever unless you're management.

Originally posted by sarra1833
reply to post by jhn7537

 

I tried starbucks back in 07. I brought home about 130 every paycheck.

they pay biweekly. it is NOT full time ever unless you're management.

Ive heard of people who are non-managers that make $12-15 per hour and have great benefits... Not sure if they get 40 hours a week, but if they do that would mean that they are making over $500 per week.. Not sure if things have changed since 2007 or if its more of a geographical thing, youre in southern IL and I live just outside Chicago...

reply to post by jhn7537


I can attest that most of the "unemployed" in Pennsylvania are people who make more on unemployment then they would with the jobs available, or at a similar job that they had but entry level pay. I would imagine that Texas is similar, but I would worry about California and North Carolina.

I used to talk to formerly wealthy people who lost almost everything to the job shake ups. They were either angry or humbled. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Yes.. but the majority of people this thread pertains to are not those CEOs, upper management types. They are your regular working stiffs. Many are professionals, who were overhead at their jobs, and deemed unneeded - when things get tough, companies don't mind making their existing employees suffer if it saves at the end of the quarter.

Professionals who have 10.. 15.. 20 or more years of experience, do not imo, need to immediately go out and work minimum wage to give a break to the government. That's a laughable load of crock. Your majority of folks do look for work, and they take a reasonable offer when it comes. I believe the average is 8 months now, for a professional to find equitable work to what they were doing before (usually at a pay loss).

Sure.. those people living off unemployment because it's easier to do so need to get jobs. But most folks who lost jobs have families. They WANT jobs. They need insurance. They can't get by on insurance or pay from your minimum wage jobs, as some of you are suggesting.

"Just take any job! Have some pride! Don't be lazy!"

Yea.. ok.. whatever. How about.. live in reality.

I'm in favor of govt. helping their citizens get jobs if necessary. Some honest people who do want work don't always find jobs at once, some take weeks, even months to get one. If the person has to travel to another state to get a job provided by the govt. so be it. What's important is people are working. The govt. cannot afford to deprive worthy citizens of social benefits if such individuals cannot get a livelihood at the moment. It would create much more social ills.

Such a scheme as what the thread is about comes off to me as sheer corruption and a further diabolical effect on weakening society and the nation as a whole.

The crime rate is going to go through the roof.

I like how I spent almost half a years salary on my 3rd school still no pay raise still no acknowledgement the company thinks its great I go but they are not willing to do anything for me they probably think that I am doing this because I really want that nickel raise, I like how last night I had a molten zinc tank blew up on me and I got burned pretty good on my neck and slight burns to my face and hands. I would rather be unemployed, employers or at least mine nickel and dime everything they make millions I make under the poverty level. My mother got fired from wal mart because she didn't want to reduce her hours from 40 a week to 38 because she would lose her benefits and pay, wal mart came up with a reason to fire her she took it to court because they didn't want to pay the unemployment she beat them in court so wal mart bought another continuance now my mom is working a part time job that pays even less. The job market is skewed employers know they have serious power, they see this as an opportunity to get in the black, I see it as slave wages, at least slaves had quarters to live in at this rate my mom will be homeless and so will I if I can't find a better job. I was promised a raise after 3 months from 11 an hour to 18 an hour I've been there a year and I still only get 11 an hour and I hound them about this I do a lot of chemical metal testing, welding, drafting, fitting, and heavy machine operations and by asking when I get this raise I always feel like they are looking for a reason to fire me.

reply to post by Wolfenz


I could agree with about 70%. However, the same can now be said for Target, Sears, Kmart, The Dollar store, and even many of your mom and pop stores. At least in this area and the surrounding areas this is true. I have been in a lot of different stores looking for bargins.

Also one other thing about the local Walmart here (yep it is a Super Center), I can get some of the exact same foods I can get at the local natural healthfood store. They have some of the exact same organic brands that store does. Well actually I have to shop both because some they each carry different kinds from the same brand.


I never recall saying Walmart was perfect. It is a great stepping stone place to work for anyone that is out of a job though. It can help you get started and paying bills. It can get a person off unemployment until they find something different. I worked there less than a year some 14 years ago, until I found a better place.

The amount of products they have that are made in China is not that different from most any store any more (at least in this area anyway). I never would have thought that I would have seen Craftsman products made in China, I know for fact that my air compressor was. The finger should not just be pointed at Walmart for this, again the iStuff could just as easily be build here yet is is built in China so the company that sells the product can make huge profits off the hipsters that have to have their newest gadget.


Edit to add: The real problem here is not the companies but the politicians that sold out to the companies. Now it seems like the companies are in charge when really it is the politicians that just look the other way and stuff their pockets.


Raist

reply to post by Germanicus


I have to say that no I don't care. I say this because and ENORMOUS percentage of these people are taking these benefits for the free ride. I am tired of paying for them. I don't mind working 5 jobs to support my family, and to allow my wife to be a stay at home mother for my son, but I have a problem with the fact that my hard work is going to support those that want the free ride.

I'm sick of talking to those that are receiving this unemployment and laughing about it, because they are using it for an extended vacation. It is time for you to get off your dead a$$ and get back to work. Don't give me that crap that there isnt any work. Work is available everywhere. You just don't want to do it.

End of Rant

Originally posted by jhn7537
My question to ATS is, do all citizens here in the United States deserve a basic financial protection?

No only the people who work It's upto individual to secure a future for themselves based on their capability No one should get free handouts from the govt, It all boils down to an individual capability If they are not capable enough to secure a good future for themselves they should face the consequences for their actions.

People screaming "where are the jobs" must eventullay accept the fact that there are no jobs because technology has essentially replaced the human worker. Yes. That is the pink elephant in the room.

So guess what? Its time to go back to school and acquire new and updated skills.

If all a person knows how to do is say, "Would you like to add fries to that?", a robot/ machine can do that now...

call center "What information can I give you about your account?" / People can go online or ask the automated system for this information

Warehouse/ factory? Robots and machine can do it for free

Check-out clerk? They have self-scan checkouts

This is why I returned back to school. For years, I worked in call centers and ignored the fact that one day I would need a degree. I didn't take heed to management requiring us to always remind the customers that they could go to the automated system or online for the information that they were looking for...we were being replaced by the machine.

Basically, as technology advances, humans are literally going to have to become more efficient. The customer service industry, banking, and warehouse/factory jobs ARE going overseas, because they don't have to pay them as much....then that particular job will leave forever.

If a robot can do it, you better learn a new skill.

reply to post by ButterCookie

Teachers? Believe it or not, but there's software to teach you a new language. Etc.

Pilots? Unmanned aircraft are slowly becoming available. Even autonomous aircraft.

Drivers? They're making autonomous drivers too, slowly, but steadily.

There're many other examples of this trend either towards more desperate people (overseas poor populations, taking advantage of laws in other countries) or machines/software/etc.

It's a race against man and machine and integrated circuits.

You're right.

We either become more desperate in the US or we gain skills that're less common and/or simple.

Bottom line, it's a dog eats dog world. You have to look out for yourself and have good friends. The moment we come into this world we struggle to survive. All the way from a few cells on up.

Money makes the world go round. Money is just another word for work. Work can be anything so long as others want it. Things aren't free, so we have to work. Things are getting cheaper though. But we're always adding more complexity to keep costs level. For example, it used to be that people didn't need computers. But nowadays we need em. It used to be that a variety of mundane illnesses would kill you or permanently disable you. Now they don't. It used to be that we needed 1000 men to produce X product. Now we only need 5 men and some machines that in their lifespan will produce 100 times more value (profit) when compared to the 1000 men from past years. Fact is, we can produce magnitudes more product than we could historically. If men and woman were content to have what they had 100 years ago, we would barely have to lift a finger in our day to get by. But we strive to move forward and progress to a brighter more developed future. We will never be happy in repose. And if we did happen to only work for 2 hours in a day, we would probably become extinct.

Most of the productivity improvements over the past 50 years are reinvested in further improvements. We're a future thinking people. We will probably always be this way.

Those old science fiction stories where machines run everything and men and woman sit all day and play were actually realistic portrayals IF men and woman were content to sit all day AND we were to live as we did then. In their time, it would have been acceptable to live as they did but work far less. So they would naturally assume it would destroy everything because people would stop learning and society would stop evolving and then write a book about it. What they got wrong was that people want to progress themselves and their society. These were their own fears being expressed in a story. That people would just shut off and stop progressing. Fortunately, they were just fears.

People want computers. They want to live long lives. They want to travel into space. They want to wear fancy clothes. They want to have the best things. They want to run around. They want to experience things with each other. They want to dream beautiful things into being. They want too much. This is why we will always progress and move forward and be future thinking.

If we were happy JUST existing then we could accept living with minimal computer access and minimal heating/air-conditioning and minimal healthcare and mass transit only and stained patched-up clothes and minimal electrical consumption and small apartments and so on and so forth. IF we were willing to live that way then we wouldn't have to work so much. But we WANT more than that! And surviving on our past accomplishments as a species will only get us so far too. There's a limit to it. If we were to suddenly live minimal lives so that we only had to work 2 hour days and we spent a good bit of that time not being productive then where will new technologies and progression come from? What happens when a new epidemic arises or a asteroid impacts earth or something similar?

We need to spread our species off planet to ensure survival. We need to progress.

Originally posted by Nightwalk
I'm in favor of govt. helping their citizens get jobs

I'm in favor of government creating jobs. I'd like to see a benevolent government of, by, and for the people (like that's going to happen) create as many jobs as needed. The wages would be so fair, the government would win over the workers, and the greedy capitalists would rot without their minions. We government employees would work on automation in manufacturing, free energy, and efficient farming in addition to the usual work like street repair and medicine. With all those employees, automation, coordination, and fair wages, I see the work week being cut in half. Yes, greedy and inefficient employer, I want a socialist utopia. I want to be free from you. I don't care if you don't want to come with me. You can rot.

Originally posted by Ek Bharatiya
No one should get free handouts from the govt, It all boils down to an individual capability If they are not capable enough to secure a good future for themselves they should face the consequences for their actions.

Are you saying that a person's physical or mental limitations are their fault and they should suffer? Are you also saying that someone who is adversely effected by this system is the one to blame?