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I realize this is anecdotal, but I was engaged to perform a long-term project for a housing authority. As part of the project, I was required to interview roughly 100 residents of the development. And it was eye-opening.
The respondents divided roughly evenly into two camps. The first camp was the people for whom public housing was intended. They were people who had lost jobs, lost everything in a fire, or become disabled due to illness, etc. Without exception, they were either actively working or taking advantage of the many, many programs offered to get economically disadvantaged back into the workforce.
The second bunch? Literally did nothing all day but watch TV and wait on their benefit checks. They just out and out admitted it. Several men my age simply stated that they didn't want to work and that having a job was for chumps. If they needed extra money, they could do some yard work or something for cash and never have to report it.
So, yeah, hard as it is for many of us to fathom, there are people who are perfectly content to eke out life on the largesse of the government as long as they didn't have to work in a McDonalds or on a construction site. The first bunch? I'd support giving them all the assistance they possibly needed. The second? I just couldn't care less, for they are essentially sucking at the teat of taxpayers such as you and me.
There's no way to paint "unemployed" and "jobs" with a broad brush. They are not all the same.
There are initiatives that can create low wage hourly jobs. But that will not help the ones who obtained higher education and lost their high paying jobs in the offices. For them there are very few, if not no initiatives available because of the large number of unemployed/underemployed workers in their bracket who need better jobs.
I realize this is anecdotal, but I was engaged to perform a long-term project for a housing authority. As part of the project, I was required to interview roughly 100 residents of the development. And it was eye-opening.
The respondents divided roughly evenly into two camps. The first camp was the people for whom public housing was intended. They were people who had lost jobs, lost everything in a fire, or become disabled due to illness, etc. Without exception, they were either actively working or taking advantage of the many, many programs offered to get economically disadvantaged back into the workforce.
The second bunch? Literally did nothing all day but watch TV and wait on their benefit checks. They just out and out admitted it. Several men my age simply stated that they didn't want to work and that having a job was for chumps. If they needed extra money, they could do some yard work or something for cash and never have to report it.
So, yeah, hard as it is for many of us to fathom, there are people who are perfectly content to eke out life on the largesse of the government as long as they didn't have to work in a McDonalds or on a construction site. The first bunch? I'd support giving them all the assistance they possibly needed. The second? I just couldn't care less, for they are essentially sucking at the teat of taxpayers such as you and me.
There are solutions to these problems. Those receiving benefits for a full time job could be required to work 20 hrs a week in state/community-related projects such as park maintenance, library help, food shelters, beautification projects, child care, tourism, construction projects, etc. This would not only help cash-strapped communities but it would provide experience, connections and dignity.
There are solutions to these problems. Those receiving benefits for a full time job could be required to work 20 hrs a week in state/community-related projects such as park maintenance, library help, food shelters, beautification projects, child care, tourism, construction projects, etc. This would not only help cash-strapped communities but it would provide experience, connections and dignity.
I think you missed my point. This project was literally awash with those kinds of programs already. About half just couldn't be bothered to take advantage of them. They would rather work the system than pry themselves loose from the television.
I think you missed my point. This project was literally awash with those kinds of programs already. About half just couldn't be bothered to take advantage of them. They would rather work the system than pry themselves loose from the television.
People who do nothing and ride unemployment benefits and other government transfers usually end up running out of steam somewhere. Their behavior usually indicates some other moral failure or mental health issue. One of my best friends was "mentally ill" and got $1,100 a month in disability payments. He lived with his parents, never worked, had no debt, so it was all used for drug money. Ultimately, he ended up committing suicide back in July. I'm not saying every government benefit leech does this, but there is usually more going on than pure laziness, right or wrong.
He did used to trade the food stamps (actually sold them for 50 cents on the dollar) for alcohol, but now he has to contribute them to the household or he wouldn't have anyplace to live. He was pretty much homeless before this guy took him in.
That doesn't mean the 50 year old can stop taking responsibility for his life. Again, there are many employable two-year degrees out there at affordable community colleges with financial aid. If you didn't take those opportunities and now ran out your whole 99 months of unemployment, who is to blame? The economy?
It's really easy to sit behind a computer and tap out rhetoric about how those 50+ and unemployed who can't find a job are worthless bums who deserve it. The reality for many is that their jobs were eliminated and aren't coming back. If over the age of 50 your odds of finding anything anywhere near similar are slim to none. One can find low-paying jobs which will enable one to lose their homes, cars and health insurance which for most (especially with a family) isn't a terrific option. Employers don't want experience, they want someone younger with a pulse who they can tell what to do, how to do it and at half the rate of someone experienced. There are re-education opportunities at community colleges with two year technical programs, however most have capacity for just a fraction of their applicants (thanks to educational cuts/teacher layoffs), meaning in most instances a two year degree will take four to five years to complete since the technical aspect has such limited seating. So reflect a bit on the realities perhaps.....ok??
I've had a spell of unemployment this year, as well as three jobs this calendar year with each paying less than the last, so your smug attitude doesn't go over well with someone who has also been in that boat
I also know how bad it is - I live in a VERY hard hit area of Appalachia and don't have the good fortune of being from a wealthy, economically strong New England state. Many businesses are boarded up, the job situation was worsening for years before the recession, and crime is through the roof.
What did you change up after being unemployed for thee months, six months, a year, then eighteen months? After six months, I'd begin reevaluating my whole process. Okay, so maybe there is no opening in your field where you live, then you move to a healthier area or switch fields.
I find this statement particularly disturbing.
Relocating? Get real. That'a a great option if you're 25 years old, single and own little. However, if you're 48 with a wife and kids, it ain't that simple....especially after a year's worth of rejection
Why do you have to be 25, single, and "own little" to relocate? Can't you do some research and go to where the economy is better, even if it's buying a one-way bus ticket and staying in a homeless shelter while looking for work? Are you going to let your possessions keep you somewhere that is not healthy for you and your family?
People have had to relocate to survive since time immemorial. It sucks, but what can you do? The job market here in TN is awful and I've realized that I can't stay in TN permanently, so I'm leaving as soon as I find something permanent and never coming back. If you're in CT and losing it all, but let's say you find a job in WA and your wife finds one in FL, each one of you takes each job and survives the best you can until you can get in the same area.
We all need basics like food, shelter, transportation, and clothing. Sometimes it's not about trying to save the lifestyle you had, sometimes you have to let all that go and start anew. These days it's more about survival and doing whatever it takes when your back is completely against the wall.
I think Catdancer DID make some valid points in his/her post #34....but you did also.
People blow out their retirement plans trying to save a house. These assets are protected in a bankruptcy or foreclosure, yet people try to "save face" and do as best they can to "hold it to together" when their financial situation is completely broken. What usually happens in a case like that is they end up with little to no retirement savings and are still struggling to make the bills. If they walked off, they may be foreclosed on, sued, and/or go bankrupt, but at least their retirement would be protected.
This is absolutely true and bears repeating. DO NOT RAID YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS WHEN YOU ARE UNEMPLOYED. It really is better to declare bankruptcy (if absolutely necessary) than it is to raid one's retirement savings in the vast majority of cases.
My point is that we recognize that for some people, moving is somehow gut-wrenching even if we don't feel the same way.
I think this is a valid point but here's the Reality Check: Very few of us have the luxury of being inflexible in today's world.
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