People are refusing to work

a reply to: Puppylove

Where are you gonna find the money to pay that bonus? Most businesses have experienced a big slowdown because everyone is stuck inside. There are a few sectors that have had big spikes in business because of this, but there are also large sectors that are languishing and just trying to make ends meet. Sure they can justify bringing in staff, but that doesn't mean they have a lots of business.

originally posted by: Cmajlz

For someone his age that is a lot of money. My 20 year old granddaughter would think she could buy a house, a new car and go to the beach with plenty left over.

My son is 20 also, but he is a 4.0 GPA in a electrical engineer program with a math minor, so he is putting his money in long term investments...lol

a reply to: ketsuko

No idea perhaps there shouldn't have been a 600 dollar bonus to unemployment in the first place. If there's gonna be one though, better make sure there aren't people still working making less as that's absurd. At minimum the difference should be paid to those still working so that at minimum they're at least making AS much as those not working. Still absurd but not AS bad.

Fortunately I have a decent roommate and he's actually been helping me out with his extra government cheese. Yes that's right as a working person throughout this epidemic who's hours have been reduced as a result have been getting my income supplemented to help me survive by my nonworking roommate who's now making more than ever as a result.

This situation is both absurd and wrong.

a reply to: Puppylove

I'm absolutely still working and making less. I'm a supplemental income to our household though.

The problem here is that even if you do that, you're looking at people getting a temp bump in income. Depending on how long that lasts, people have a way of getting accustomed to the new level of money, even if it's only temp, and then when that new line cuts off, they are in trouble budget-wise.

It's always easy to get more, but less easy to get used to less.

a reply to: ketsuko

Actually if I had that money I'd use it to catch up on the debt I gained due to trying to sustain a basic living due my reduced income. So that when things get back to normallish I'm not struggling even worse than I was before.

It's nice your job is supplemental mine isn't. You don't depend on your money for yourself or anyone else, come back to me when you've got some real understanding of the situation and aren't sitting pretty with supplemental income.

a reply to: Puppylove
Just because I said mine is supplemental doesn't mean we don't depend on it.

We absolutely do. I think you misunderstand what that means. It means that if we lose husband's job we up sh1t creek without a paddle. If we lost mine, we can stay afloat for a few months before we start to really lose it.

In other words, we can almost make it on just his income, but not quite. We do need mine, but not enough for me to feel like a serious contributor. Think of me like the permanent extra bump the government is now supplying.

So you can take your condescension and shove it.

a reply to: ketsuko

We're on the not technically making it but staying afloat barely before this crap went down.

If you like being raked over the coals and being taken advantage of, that's fine by me, but I neither need to be happy with it nor accept it just because you do.

a reply to: ketsuko

I agree it is also a give and take. In my old job I would turn up 5-10 earlier so I would be saddled up ready to work. I would not drop the pen, the second the arm on the clock would imply I can now leave. A few others ticked like that, too

Things like this are being noticed by good employees and the benefits are trust and that we could take a coffee break whenever we wanted to, break times. Others would have been fetched off the coffee table with extra work by the boss, as soon as he noticed these clock-to-clock workers would dare to burn time in the kitchen.

Because there is a difference between someone who just is present in a time frame, only does the necessary... and those that are not pretentious and see pride and value in what they do. It gives off a complete different picture.

If boss knew you would stay overtime if necessary, he would send the inner core of us home earlier on Fridays, still getting paid for the rest of the day.

Others, not. Those are the first ones to go if the company is in trouble. It is a give and take. Except you get into legal trouble, then all the above does not matter anymore.

all the best I agree with everything you wrote.

a reply to: ketsuko

In other words, we can almost make it on just his income, but not quite. We do need mine, but not enough for me to feel like a serious contributor. Think of me like the permanent extra bump the government is now supplying. 

So you can take your condescension and shove it

It's plain to see that you just assume that the way you live is just how everyone else lives, you really are just projecting your own insecurities onto others.

Perhaps you should take your own indignation and shove it where the sun don't shine...

I'm in the UK and work in an office but my employer is in a mess because we are supposed to be returning to work and the required social distancing measures have been put into place but most people have said they do not want to return to work because they are "scared". So I am currently sat at home waiting for my employer to come up with a solution because there is no point in them opening yet if most people are refusing to go back.
Personally I think most people are happy staying at home and receiving 80% of their wages from the government.
I suspect many businesses are in the same situation, it's a tricky one.

Inflation is coming. The Dow and gold are now correlated. Debt reset bc it’s all fiat anyway could happen and more inflation. Bottom line is the extra money anyone is getting now Temporarily carries a risk of being permanently replaced. Not a great future for someone entering an inflationary decade. Doing the right thing simply works out in the long run. Good Luck fighting it.

I think the roll out of a universal basic income is the sensible way out of this.
Most jobs will be redundant through automation in a few years time anyway.
Suggesting that people don't want to go to work in a potentially hostile environment because of their government cheque, as opposed to not wanting to prematurely end the lives of their loved ones, is a bit callous.

Nice. Not everyone wants to be a slave. If only majority would do the same... We're the only species paying for living on this planet.

Getting paid for refusing to work.

Maybe the Green New Deal was put into effect under the table. Anyone else noticing some of the parallels?

originally posted by: LSU2018
a reply to: Bluntone22

I disagree. I think it's lazy if you don't want to earn your money. We got a stimulus check. Live within your means and work your way up like people are supposed to do. Not "you" as in Bluntone, but "you" in general.

I think the idea sounds good, too, and my wife would make more getting $600 on top of an unemployment check but she has too much pride to sit on her ass and collect a check that she knows she'll have to pay back eventually.

I see you point, but lazy ain't the right word. Say one of those people chose to spend the day going the gym or something instead of sitting in front of a computer all day at work, how could you call them lazy?

a reply to: Bluntone22

When people claim "I'm scared" it generally because they are.

Listen to the people!

All of the above.
My 22 yr old daughter has an essential job ( its in support of other essential workers) . Her job never closed. They did get very very slow for a bit though. She took the 14 days ' safe at home' UNPAID and then went back. Since that first 14 days business has picked back up slowly and steadily to nearly pre covid times. She took some very light hours paychecks but is back up to full time now. During that time her friends are making 2 or 3 times what she is with their +$600 unemployment checks and they're just laying around playing video games all night when she has to get up before daylight to be at her job. She's a little bit salty about it but also grateful to have a job and knows that some of her friends' jobs will never come back.
Maybe she learned a little work ethic from her dad. He's very high risk with lung disease and still working daily and not wearing a mask or gloves. Maybe a bada$$, maybe a nut, maybe a little bit of both. But we are very grateful for jobs. Some people will work no matter the circumstance.

Society is better with safety nets - business people know that.

Why do you think corporations shield individual liability and businesses can declare bankruptcy?

I'm all for a basic living wage. With automation, we aren't going to need as many workers.

We kinda have one now with welfare - except there's government strings attached to it - like section 8 housing. Give people enough for decent food, housing and a small amount for things like cloths and transportation. Provide medicare for all. Then end section 8, unemployment insurance, food stamps, state run medical, free school lunches, student loans and other subsidies.

The only thing I worry about is price creep like there was with student loans. You need very strict limits on increases. No extra money for high cost areas. If someone wants to live in New York or SF, then they need to work.

originally posted by: Daughter2

I'm all for a basic living wage. With automation, we aren't going to need as many workers.

Why is it always "money for the serfs, automation for the aristocracy?"

A ton of stuff can be automated in home to meet basic needs, without this strange obsession with centralized dependency.

My concern all along has been that this virus situation will create this very issue. You make people absolutely terrified to leave their homes and give them money on top of it, and unsurprisingly, they wont leave their homes. Doesnt matter if its well-founded concern or not. Especially if it happens on a large enough scale.

I suspect it is by design, but that is perhaps a different topic.

a reply to: Bluntone22