[electric_lady]

At least in Michigan, if you are lucky enough to have a job that pays decently, you can afford to live. There are many places across the country where rent and cost of living greatly surpasses the amount of money anyone makes. And don't be too fooled: Most places in the US are suffering right now. There isn't a surplus of jobs anywhere - save for working on oil fields in Wyoming and North Dakota. Personally, I'd rather tough it out at home than take a job in no man's land. At least you have friends and family.
Ditto to what people have said about getting creative. We can't depend on the gov't to fix things. The people have to band together and get through this. Things can't get much worse in MI, but the sh** is about to hit the fan in a lot of other places - especially the spots people have been flocking to for the last decade.

[Sparrow_temp]

Minimum wage jobs are throw-a-way jobs -- you dump it if anything else better comes along. It's underemployment and not meant for long-term. The people on Unemployment will scramble for these jobs though when it finally ends.

If you're unemployed and have skills -- move to where the jobs are. Don't wait for some miracle to happen in MI. I don't think the worst of this recession is behind us yet. The stock market was one of the reasons people were putting forward to us that the recession was over -- look at it now.

What the heck is the State of MI government going to do when it's time to balance the budget this next year? I'm betting a combination of tax increases and cutting some of their state workers. Every job cut will make the economy worse and more difficult to recover from.

And for those of you complaining about the cost of housing vs wages -- that's a result of Section 8. That's why the poor can continue to live in some of these high-priced areas and act as slaves to the wealthy.

And in a glutted employment market -- there is no moving up in an organization. They just simply hire the perfect candidate as if off a menu and pay them the least that they can. You might ask your local Congress critter why we're still allowing H1B visas for white-collar jobs, allowing illegal immigration to continue to take blue-collar jobs, and are not doing anything to prevent companies from off-shoring jobs when there is such high unemployment.

[LIS123]

Originally Posted by LivoniaMi

I know with the way things are now, wages will not be what they once were, or at least wont be for a long time to come. But, with the cost of living constantly going up, how is one supposed to live off of less? This country is going down the tubes so fast it's not funny. We're supposed to live off less and pay more......

I agree with you here. I was speaking to a friend earlier and challenged him to name me just one general area where this country is moving in the right direction. There were no set categories, but we meant large areas like: Economy/jobs, Education, taxes, spending/deficits/debt, regulations, energy costs, Healthcare, etc.

I don't mean to be a pessimist, but the writing is on the wall. From my experience, the pessimism is palpable. I notice it when I talk to friends, family, colleagues, business owners and down the line. It's really bad. I'm not that old but have never felt the future was this bleak.

One of the worst areas and biggest scam is higher Education. Costs are just through the roof and the return on investment is very low, in most cases. Besides the huge costs, the annual increases are insane. It's so bad that a 3-4% increase is seen as a 'good' thing and (unlike certain other costs), Educational costs never decline. The best I've seen is the occasional tuition freeze. Besides the cost, the job market is weak for graduates.

If you gave me the task of arguing that America's best days are in front of her, it would be a very difficult think for me to do.

[Baldazar]

Unfortunately the seniors who post here have self interests in mind and as seniors they shouldnt be trusted.Pathetic slores...

[LivoniaMi]

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

What the heck is the State of MI government going to do when it's time to balance the budget this next year? I'm betting a combination of tax increases and cutting some of their state workers. Every job cut will make the economy worse and more difficult to recover from.

Let's all thank Granholm. In this photo, she's apparently telling us all where Michigan is headed.

[LivoniaMi]

Originally Posted by LIS123

I don't mean to be a pessimist, but the writing is on the wall. From my experience, the pessimism is palpable. I notice it when I talk to friends, family, colleagues, business owners and down the line. It's really bad. I'm not that old but have never felt the future was this bleak.

I have a friend who owns a duct cleaning business. He's been in business since around 88. He said he's never been as slow as he is now. He says he's lucky if he sends his trucks out a couple of times a week. And the big contracts he's bidding on, they seem to end up not awarding them to anyone.

[mike0618]

I have been reading all the posts on this thread and wanted to put my 2 cents in. hope it helps. I worked a job for 14yrs, 19 in the same industry. I quit due to hostile work inviroment and was denied unemployment. I got certifed with the state to do real estate. Bad market in flint so no sales.. worked 2 to 3 jobs at a time. all part time self employed sub contractor jobs. I have a assoc. degree but did not go back to finish college. found jobs on craigslist. worked 2 plus years check to check.. lost our home and rented. owe 100k plus from lost value vs what they gave it away for. made sure I worked the hardest. more than anyone else. have a wife and 2 kids. made sure to tell one of my jobs that if a manager job opened up out of state I wanted it. now I manage in savannah, happy as you know what. I moved down here in feb. while my family stayed in flint area. now they are coming down next month. I cant wait. I make more than I ever did before. It can be done. think outside the box. know what you do best and find a job that fits that. If you need goverment assistance fine. but make sure you are working towards a solution in the process. if it means 4 jobs 1 day a week. if it means you find a job out of state and get your family down later, you do what you need to do to feed your family and find a solution to your problem. I managed for years. for every now hiring or accepting apps sign you get 100's of qualified apps. thats not how you get a job. It has always been who you know gets you a interview, what you say, look, and do gets you the job. how you perform gets you advanced. network.network.network.....we found our rental from my job. you luck into things... if you network. join groups with your kids, talk to other parents, talk with neighbors. dont ask for help finding a job.. ask what they do who they work for. mention that it sounds interesting. know them a while then ask them if they will think of you if they hear of a job coming open. most jobs are filled before they are posted. there is a reason a job gets posted.. no one wants it.. jobs get filled off referals...

[mike0618]

forgot to mention i also sold insurance and worked for post office part time..

[scolls]

Are my wife and I the only ones who were able to find good paying jobs with relative ease?

[LivoniaMi]

Originally Posted by scolls

Are my wife and I the only ones who were able to find good paying jobs with relative ease?

I'd have to say yes. I know quite a few people who are unemployed, including myself. And no luck for anyone.