all i know
is unemployment benefits has kept food roof and clothes available for me and my children. i can not count the number of resumes i have sent and how much time i have spent looking for a job. recently ONE has come to my attention and i applied for it hoping my skills were a perfect fit but i still won't know for over a week if i get a call interview. my benefits end in sept. right after school starts and i have a senior and elementary student.
posted by kyriea on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:15 PM |
19 of 21 people liked this comment.
Good Luck
Kyriea, it's tough out there. From our family to yours, we wish you the best of luck in finding something. My family is OK for now, but very likely will be in the same place you are before much longer.
posted by joemerlot on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:21 PM |
20 of 20 people liked this comment.
Maybe
Obamy could borrow some from the $700,000,000 for wild horses or one of the many other stimulus porkers!
posted by akmscott on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:25 PM |
6 of 21 people liked this comment.
Corporate society needs a paradigm shift
It's amazing the system works at all given the counter-productive actions of banks, tax agencies, bill collectors, even child support agencies. They work so hard to block people from being able to pay by adding penalties, higher interest, and harassment it is a wonder the system works as well as it does. Look at their system for overdraft fees for example. Talk about counter-productive!! Granted it's based on greed, but it's also self-defeating in these times. They seize your bank accounts, your vehicle (preventing one from seeking or going to a job), damage your credit further undermining your ability to repay the debt in the future. Then there's the mafia mentality of intimidation, as if that will make money appear. The system should first be encouraging and assist people in meeting their obligations by working with them and giving them time in times like this, not making the slide into ruin & homelessness steeper and more slippery. While some unscrupulous or incompetent borrowers still need these actions if they are avoiding paying their debts, most do not. A helping hand should be the FIRST thing offered, NOT a loan shark's intimidation and poisonous assault on the debtor's ability to dig out of a hole they may not be completely responsible for. Granted, I have seen a very few companies, utilities and others not pursuing back debts and waiting until times get better, they are by far in the minority. The others are wanna-be mafia thugs who want only to intimidate and threaten people to satisfy their own insecurities. Corporate society needs a massive paradigm shift or we're doomed to repeat this cycle yet again.
posted by caladan on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:26 PM |
16 of 21 people liked this comment.
Take care
Kyriea and Joe hang in there, I am in the same boat with a young teenager no job in sight. Things are pretty bad.
posted by oldbiker on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:28 PM |
23 of 25 people liked this comment.
Laptops and Movies
Without unemployment benefits, they can't afford laptops or movies. Is that what unemployment is for? I realize that other situations are much worse. How can we come up with a program that truly gives people food, water, and shelter when they have nothing else without paying for movies and laptops for others? Shopping at WalMart instead of Target isn't exactly the trama that people encountered in the 1930s.
posted by SMBowner3 on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:29 PM |
16 of 25 people liked this comment.
caladan - Overdraft Fees Are Very Productive
Overdraft fees cover the bank's cost for chasing you and they are meant to prevent you from having overdraft charges in the first place. Do you realize that you don't have to use a bank? You don't have to buy a house. But of course, when you wanted a house and the bank would give you money, you loved them. Now when they expect you to live up to your side of the agreement, they are 'counter productive' and it is a 'bad system'. The system works great when you pay your bills. I absolutely don't understand where you are coming from at all. Sell what you can't afford and your life will be much easier.
posted by SMBowner3 on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:34 PM |
3 of 24 people liked this comment.
Great Conservative Values
Thank goodness billions of our tax dollars went to some high-stakes bankers and not to those that actually need it. Great conservative values.
posted by s01101111s on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:35 PM |
21 of 24 people liked this comment.
If the government only gave $ to citizens and those that needed $?
Just imagine if the stimulus $ only went to folks that were trying to start or save a small business. No government bailout for blue collar folks. How is that hope and change working for you folks now?
posted by basia2186 on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:36 PM |
7 of 15 people liked this comment.
Stupid
Unemployment insurance is not a way of life. It is not your "right" to live in your house in your favorite town and have the government hand you paychecks when you cannot find a job. If you cannot find a job, why not move to North Dakota. Hitchhike there and apply for jobs. It's not the government's fault that you do not want to move to North Dakota. At some level, it is your fault that you are unwilling or unable to take the steps necessary to feed your kids. Also, it is important to save money so you are financially secure, even if you do lose your job. If you aren't financially secure, you should not buy a house or a fancy car. Depending on the govt is something that normal people have no excuse to do, even when the "economy is bad." The economy may be bad but we are still privileged to live in this clean and prosperous country, with a better living standard than humans have ever enjoyed before. Unemployment benefits expiring... in some cases, good! If people are truly needful of assistance, they should notify Social Security of their disability; that is just fine.
posted by bwik on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:38 PM |
SMBowner3 There is still greed and sneaky fees
The concept is sound, but too many banks use their overdraft fees to pile on and make a profit. They prefer you use a debit card for example because you are more likely to exceed your balance, especially on blocked out amounts like for a rental car or hotel room. Many banks do set their fees knowing many people unintentionally exceed their balances by not realizing these blocked out funds. Did you know gas companies block out $100 when you fill up until the funds transfer?
posted by caladan on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:42 PM |
10 of 14 people liked this comment.
s01101111s
I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. Bailing out businesses is not a conservative principle. In fact, I know many conservatives that didn't vote for McCain last year because he supported TARP.
posted by RedGuyInBlueState on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:42 PM |
11 of 17 people liked this comment.
79 weels of unemployment benefits...
... and an average payment of #300 a week??? Get a job at McDonald's at minimum wage for 40 hours a week and you could make the #300. If you think that is beneath you, just suck it up... It's beneath me to work hard at a job I don't like just to make ends meet, and have part of it go to you sucks really bad.. Get any job you can get...........
posted by avery2 on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:47 PM |
4 of 24 people liked this comment.
caladan - I'm Sorry
I'm sorry caladan, I just don't experience the issues that you are experiencing and even I'm not really concerned about them, so I guess I shouldn't have commented directly to you at all.
posted by SMBowner3 on Aug. 1, 09 at 7:52 PM |
4 of 9 people liked this comment.
SMBowner3 Consumer Reports exposed it
See this month's issue of Consumer Reports. They expose the sneaky fees very well. Merchants avoid signed VISA because of higher fees whereas debit cards are lower. But debit cards are riskier for consumers, up to $500 liability and fast accruing overdraft fees. Many banks add these fees purposely. You must be well aware of your balance if you have not experienced these fees yet. Kudos to you, but most people don't monitor their balance like you & I.
posted by caladan on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:01 PM |
9 of 10 people liked this comment.
Unemployed since Jan
My primary benifits end this week. I will have extended benifits until May...I am 62 and went from a 6 figure income to zero overnight...the unemployment cover only Mortgage and Utilities...My wife works at min wage and she cover food...I have 401k monies to pay down CC's but can not access the dollars without losing unemployment benefits...it is tough as it has ever been...please don't be a holier than now Republican and tell me to sell house (also under water) and move to ND...A recession is when the other guy is out of work...a depression is when you are out of work...the benefits are a drop in the bucket but needed saftey net...If you were told tomorrow you lost your job..and your house is worth less than your mtg...and you are 62 where would you go? To you kids???
posted by JIM_SLP on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:02 PM |
19 of 25 people liked this comment.
SMBowner
I think you misunderstood the part about the laptop and movies. That particular point was that the unemployment benefits were being used for gas and groceries, not the laptop & movies which they can't afford. To Bwik: I'm surprised that you are so hard on people who are unemployed. I'm an office worker but have, in desperation, applied to coffee shops and other retail places. Those jobs just aren't available either.
posted by bippy742 on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:06 PM |
16 of 16 people liked this comment.
Well let's just raise taxes...
So I'm supposed to feel sorry for someone who's been unemployed for a year and a half. And sucking-up tax dollars the whole time. Socialism here we come!
posted by opie12 on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:09 PM |
2 of 22 people liked this comment.
Totally agree basia2186 - Help Small Business not Big Business
Insead of throwing money down the toilet to Citibank, GM, AIG, and Chrysler why couldn't the government put that money into programs to encourage small business? Out of the $700 billion stimulus a measley 1% went to the small business administration while GM gets tens of billions from taxpayers for what they could have done with no taxpayer money (i.e. go into bankruptcy) and the banks continue to pay billions in bonuses to the a-holes who got us in this mess. Small business employs the majority of this country yet the government continues to ignore it and focus on the big cats who have bought all of the politicians in DC. This country was built on the entreprenuer and thats what it needs to get back to.
posted by koppco1 on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:09 PM |
12 of 14 people liked this comment.
JIM_SLP
I'm sorry, but I don't feel bad for you. At 62, you're mortgage should be paid off as should your CC's. The fact that you've made bad choices and are carrying what sounds like a fair amount of debt into your 60's is a matter of bad personal choices and I don't see why I should have money taken away from me to give to you.
posted by RedGuyInBlueState on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:13 PM
Also...
Is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who is sick and tired of all this WHINING??!!
posted by opie12 on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:17 PM |
6 of 26 people liked this comment.
2 guys were in a boat
the boat springs a leak and starts taking on water. one guy says to the other, "my end of the boat is dry". we just don't seem to have any compassion for the other guy as long as our end of the boat is dry.
posted by smoper8r on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:23 PM |
21 of 25 people liked this comment.
for Jim-SLP
I see all sorts of intelligent, careful, educated people out there looking for work and not finding it. And I don't know the particulars of your mortgage and credit cards, but I can easily see how a person could plan to have it all paid off by age 66 when you get that Social Security, and now being just plain stuck! I do hope you have family to help you... because when you have to go there, they have to take you in. Good luck!
posted by Lucille41 on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:25 PM |
19 of 20 people liked this comment.
Hey opie12
You must still be living in your parent's basement...
posted by llaffer1 on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:25 PM |
13 of 16 people liked this comment.
RedGuyinBlueState
Red Guy you don't have a clue what you're talking about. Bad personal choices? My parents have spent the last 30 years + serving the church as my dad is a Lutheran pastor pushing 60. He lived in parsonages most of his career. He just recently bought a house and will most definitely have a mortgage past 62. You see, pastors don't get rich doing what they do. He should be able to keep making those mortgage payments as long as his pension holds out and doesn't get swallowed up like the pensions of so any others, but things do happen in this world. You have no right to tell others what are wise or unwise choices as you don't know the circumstances and could very easily be very wrong. If you have your house and CCs paid for in your 60s, I'm proud of you. Good for you. It isn't because of bad choices that many Americans won't get to that point so young. I hope you never end up unemployed. You need to wise up and realize that the world isn't so black and white.
posted by jpberka on Aug. 1, 09 at 9:02 PM |
15 of 16 people liked this comment.
@RedGuy
I can't understand why a red guy who's so unhappy living in a blue state bothers to stick around. Why not move to a red state? We'd all be happier. But then I don't understand having zero compassion for your fellow human beings either. The purpose of having a civil society is that we are stronger, more effective and more prosperous together than we are alone. That includes taking care of each other when times get tough. Your philosophy appears to be simple Darwinism - survival of the fittest and nothing else. In that case, why have a government at all? A life of watching your own back, because no one else is doing it, and let the strong succeed by victimizing the weak. Pretty bleak way to go through life.
posted by radagast on Aug. 1, 09 at 9:14 PM |
8 of 10 people liked this comment.
What???
If you cannot find a job, why not move to North Dakota. Hitchhike there and apply for jobs. First of all, hitchhiking is illegal in most states. And if one is unemployed, just how do you expect that person to find housing, food, and a job? With magic money? Also, it is important to save money so you are financially secure, even if you do lose your job. You expect someone who is unemployed to save money? Hello? If you aren't financially secure, you should not buy a house I remember quite well when in the 1960's and 1970's renting an apartment was much, much cheaper than buying a home. These days, renting an apartment is just as expensive. In 1974, I rented a very spacious 2-bedroom apartment on 36th and Pillsbury Avenue South in Minneapolis for $200 a month. That same apartment now rents for over $800 a month. What planet do you live on?
posted by hahaha99 on Aug. 1, 09 at 9:51 PM |
7 of 7 people liked this comment.
People like JIM_SLP..
just seem to piss me off. Why? When you say you had a 6 figure job and can't afford your house or CC's it just says you are spending way too much. I am about to lose my job(company is moving all of there jobs in my department(IT) to the central office) in a couple weeks. I have made maybe 6 figures combined in the last 3 years. My wife works part time while raising our 4 children. If I had ONE year making 6 figures I would have almost every bill paid off except my house. That is in one year. To say you need more when you have had years living like the grasshopper just makes you sound like a moron. After I am laid off and hopefully, before I use all my severance, I will be trying hard as I can to find a job. I have already spoke with someone I know who is a manager at a McDonalds and made sure I can get a job there if needed. This doesn't make me a better person but I will NOT be complaining about having to work to support my family. We have dropped any extra bills(like cell phones) and have been stocking up on non perishables when they are at a great deal so that when the time comes, we are ready. That is just what you do. Oh, and before anyone starts saying I am a typical conservative republican, know that both my wife and I are registered Democrats. We have been either low or middle class(meanig 50k or less) our whole lives. We just try to live within our means and are so sick of the rich, and if you make over 6 figures, you are top 10%, complaining when they can't have their SUV's and 6000sq ft houses and a bunch of extra money sitting around.
posted by Alrhliki on Aug. 1, 09 at 9:52 PM |
4 of 11 people liked this comment.
Victims
"It isn't because of bad choices that many Americans won't get to that point so young." Sure it is. This is all about adult responsibility for adult choices. And whether one person's money should be utilized as a paycheck for another person, who does not work because he or she has discovered a new means of survival, without working at all. Disability insurance is great. But unemployment insurance is not an eternal obligation of the state. North Dakota has 10,000s of open jobs just waiting for a Minnesota applicant. Or, if you can't find a job in the USA, why not find a job overseas. These should all come first before prolonged "lifestyle support payments" from the state. It is amazing how people believe they are owed something, and rather than making a life change, they expect others to bend over backwards to satisfy their wishes. Of course everybody deserves a home, good food and fun times. But sometimes you need to leave town or take responsibility to get it. This isn't sub-Saharan Africa. This is the land of opportunity. Most people would dearly love to experience what we call "bad times" in Minnesota. Yet somehow it is unjust to limit unemployment payments? This is news? What planet are we on again?
posted by bwik on Aug. 1, 09 at 9:54 PM |
1 of 7 people liked this comment.
Get a job at McDonald's at minimum wage for 40 hours a week and you could make the #300.
Huh? First, most employees at these fast food joints are hired for part time, few, other than "managers", are full time employees. And, let's see..$300 a week is roughly $1300 a month. Now, deduct taxes and tell me how that person is supposed to survive.
posted by hahaha99 on Aug. 1, 09 at 9:55 PM |
Magic
"And if one is unemployed, just how do you expect that person to find housing, food, and a job? With magic money? " Magic money? I call it a savings account. Maybe that person should investigate a homeless shelter or sell plasma to buy a bus ticket. This would all teach them a powerful lesson about adult responsibility. One of those responsibilities is you never, ever want to go broke. OK sometimes people have medical bills. But losing your job is something that can happen to anyone. If that puts you on the street, it means you have not arranged your affairs very well. People like that don't do well in life. It's sad for them. I am very careful because I hate sleeping outside during the winter. So I have a savings account and people to rely on. I also don't have more kids than I can support. Not trying to toot my own horn, but it's pretty basic stuff. And I will add, I have been lucky with my health. Just my 2 cents.
posted by bwik on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:01 PM |
2 of 7 people liked this comment.
Oh...brother...
North Dakota has 10,000s of open jobs just waiting for a Minnesota applicant. First, where is your proof of 10,000's of available jobs? What salary do they pay? Minimum wage? And just how many of those open jobs is that person actually qualified for? And if someone is unemployed, how does that person afford to move, find housing, have transporation, and look for job? Or, if you can't find a job in the USA, why not find a job overseas. This state is beyond ridiculous. YOU try applyimg for an immigration visa to another country, stating that you are unemployed and want to move there to "find a job". You odds of being allowed entry into that country are somewhere between zero and none.
posted by hahaha99 on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:10 PM |
5 of 5 people liked this comment.
hahaha99
You've been around here long enough to know better than to feed the beasts, haven't you? Facts means nothing to them, and the more you try to explain, the more their tiny little brains hurt. And they're very happy in their little red-state paradigms; as they say, "ignorance is bliss," so let them pretend that they're happy in their la-la lands. And hope that their dads don't find them using the family computer - I find them to be very entertaining.
posted by a6699f on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:18 PM |
4 of 5 people liked this comment.
This economy is the result of relying on the service economy and NAFTA.
NAFTA, which the Clintons whole heartly supported, sent manufacturing jobs to Mexico so Wall St. could line their pockets with the labor cost savings. It happened again when China opened up and they sent those same jobs to Asia for even more cheap labor! WAKE UP PEOPLE! CHINA IS STEALING OUR ECONOMY!
posted by nojustice on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:22 PM |
4 of 6 people liked this comment.
Joe the Plumber in MN
Well let's just raise taxes... So I'm supposed to feel sorry for someone who's been unemployed for a year and a half. And sucking-up tax dollars the whole time. Socialism here we come! ===================================== Of course not you ignorant, under-educated con. Feel sorry for yourself, as this country moves away from "principles" that will bail out billion dollar investment firms but not a blue-collar family with more formal education than you. What I find most disturbing about critics like this, is that there is a predisposition for them to be under-educated themselves. They too are a pink slip away from being in the same economic boat. So why would they advocate a position against their own self interests? In many cases it is a matter of race. It has been passed down for generations.
posted by mpls3467 on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:28 PM |
0 of 5 people liked this comment.
Malignant
I'm sorry, but I don't feel bad for you. At 62, you're mortgage should be paid off as should your CC's. The fact that you've made bad choices and are carrying what sounds like a fair amount of debt into your 60's is a matter of bad personal choices and I don't see why I should have money taken away from me to give to you. posted by RedGuyInBlueState on Aug. 1, 09 at 8:13 PM | ======================================== If you were an employee of mine with your attitude, you'd be one of the first let go. Cancers spread.
posted by mpls3467 on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:34 PM |
0 of 1 people liked this comment.
Let's get real
Companies are driving unemployment by going with the cheapest labor. Don't expect them to create jobs, they are just trying to keep the stock price up by cutting costs to keep earnings up. Good jobs will be hard to find for a long time. Fed needs to start creating surival jobs. At least people will eat. Rebuild roads, bridges, power, etc.
posted by rayk1800 on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:34 PM |
2 of 2 people liked this comment.
There is a lot to say on this subject
but I will try to be brief. For those of you who have written about your unemployed situation I can only offer my condolences and hope that you will find better times. For the rest I have no words to describe the contempt that I feel. You may or may not have the intellectual capacity to understand another persons pain but it is obvious that you just don't give a damn. I don't care if you respond by telling me how much you do for society already. No, I don't want you to pay another cent in taxes and it means less to me than zero if you contribute to various charities. What I would have you do is become a Mench. We already have enough fools in this world who believe that their success is due solely to their own efforts.
posted by montaguezx on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:41 PM |
Choices not Circumstances
Choices dictate your personal situation not circumstances. Guilt makes us think that others hardship is only brought on by events out of their control. Stop being such a rotter and start understanding that the choices we make impact out lives and unforeseen circumstances will always occur. If layoffs are a reality, start saving for emergencies. If your industry is struggling, change industries. If your city is at 20% unemployment, move. If your home is too big, sell it or rent it and move. If not, go in to foreclosure and let your credit recover in five years.
posted by patrickbecke on Aug. 1, 09 at 10:41 PM |
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