99 Weeks of Unemployment - Then what?

[TW]

I think the extension to 99 weeks of unemployment for people out of work will help some. But it isn't the real answer. The real answer is jobs, because the jobless rate keeps climbing, and that means the jobs market is drying up even more than it already has.

We need something positive coming out of Washington, not just lip service. We need jobs, and no matter what it takes, that has to be priority #1 for every elected official, and government employees as well.

We have to create American jobs, and quit handing money to companies who are using it to bolster their overseas investments. This whole thing just doesn't make sense, when Americans are losing everything.

We also have to look at something else. Instead of cutting the number of teachers, cutting services like police and fire, and municipal employees, the fed should be bolstering the money available to create these jobs. It would be money put directly into the economy, not into the hands of those with money.

With those new jobs, there would be jobs created in service markets, and even increase the amount of people needed in aspects of auto manufacturing, etc.

It's time the government work for the people, not those with deep pockets.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_go_co/us_jobless_benefits_homebuyers

[Doc]

I know some people here may not agree, but TW in my opinion you are on the right track. Giving the people money is the right answer. However how its given to the people is very important for the future.

As a country, we should be the cleanest in the world. Have people picking up our slums and roadways. Areas that have been bull-dozed or need planting, lets do it. Our roads and highways should be in excellent shape. And if you really want to go green, act like it. They could be offering attic insulation, radiant barrier and home infiltration programs that can be done by people without work.

Its easy to talk the talk, but to walk the walk is another story. Like TW stated, I'm tired of lip service. I get enough of that out of Green Bay.

Instead we give money to the people that already are making money. I'm not saying give a free handout. Those programs are plentiful enough. We need to get jobs back into America. The unfortunate part is, that we have become a lazy society. Eveyone thinks theyre worth $25/hour and they dont want to be on time for work if they do show up. As an employer, I see this EVERY DAY! Its almost laughable. I can actually tell you how long a person will take before they miss their first day of work, be late for the first time and when they start to complain about their job. The same job that they begged for just weeks previous.

Regardless its my point that they should be hiring people to be productive to improve the country itself, rather than handing the money to the select few. They dont even have to be government employee's. Just set it up so risk takers can make moves to help out the overall.

Doc

[brewerbruce]

Nov 5, 2009 9:08:55 GMT -5 Doc said:

Eveyone thinks theyre worth $25/hour and they dont want to be on time for work if they do show up.

Doc

Want to re-phrase this?

[amoeba15]

Towards the end of the Vietnam War, my Dad who was in the Air Force was in charge of getting jobs for Vets returning to the US.

Dad would put on job fairs throughout the country and would help Vets with resume's, job interview preparation... Ross Perot often attended and hired many, many Vets.

Many of these Vets were still hurting physically and mentally from their service during the Vietnam war and required lots and lots of inspiration and help. Many NFL players devoted several hours to help boost the egos of several Vets as part of an effort to encourage Vets to feel useful and continue to be a contributing force in our society, despite all of their awful Vietnam experiences.

In any case, I DO NOT understand why and how the US can not come up with some practical solutions. Unless of course, the US enjoys having Americans remaining unemployed and receiving unemployment benefits.

AND what happens when the US informs Americans that it will no longer continue such unemployment benefits?

Personally, I can only imagine how awful most Americans must truly feel for being unemployed for such a long time. Physically and mentally the unemployed Americans need a boost.

Americans who run companies MUST act, and IF NECESSARY, be given tax breaks and/or incentives to hire Americans, like Ross Perot has. Outsourcing jobs overseas must be discouraged.

However, beggars can not be choosers. Yes, in times like these, people must swallow their pride and do whatever they are capable of doing to improving the situation. Taking a lower paying job and perhaps working two jobs might be necessary for a period of time.

Currently, companies have Americans by the short hairs and are cutting jobs, salaries and benefits in the name of the almighty dollar. Shameless as that may be, that has been the way of the Bushwhackers, Republican party and the Borg.

Obama was upfront and honest when he told Americans that 'changes would not happen overnight.' Hopefully, many, many more jobs will be created ASAP and things will return to the happy PRE-BUSH days.

[TW]

Bruce,

I think what Doc is saying is that there a lot of people out there who think they are worth more to the market than their actual skills allow. My wife has seen that every day. People who walked in for their first jobs out of college, thinking they're automatically entitled to a six-digit salary just because they have that degree.

People who say that the workers over at Chrysler get $30 an hour, and they won't work at this small manufacturing company for less as a laborer, because $30 is what the market offers - they'll wait until someone offers them the $30.

Then there's the people like Doc sees. Guys that call themselves carpenters, and are nothing more than wood butchers. Guys who say they are HVAC technicians, and they can't even install a system on their own, let alone handle all the nuances of the job. Guys who claim to be roofers, and when you tell them the jobs they'll be working on total 200 squares, they thing it's a 10x20 roof.

It's not everyone, but the work force has been deteriorating. People thinking they have the skills to do anything... and they don't, and can't.

The pride in the job is what's disappearing. But we can't blame that all on the worker themselves. A share of the blame has to fall on the employers who treat the workers so poorly.

What happens when you have a crew of three people working for you as a contractor's team, and the one who knows a specific skill decides they don't want to work, but you have the two unskilled people there and have to pay them? How about if that guy is an hour late, and you're paying the laborers by the hour?

There are too many people who don't respect their jobs, and cause problems for employers because of their tardiness, or taking off work when they shouldn't. A large part of what people pay to contractors for jobs that are done for them is due to these dead beats who abuse their jobs.

Anyhow, there's a lot to what he says. But not everyone is that way. But there are some. Probably too many of them, and in some areas, it's worse than others.

Here's an interesting fact. Roughly 1 out of 3 people calls in sick over the period of a year, and aren't sick. How long they miss varies.

As for lateness, I read an article a few years back where the incident rate is nearly 10% of the workers on a daily basis. That's a pretty high figure.

[amoeba15]

"Here's an interesting fact. Roughly 1 out of 3 people calls in sick over the period of a year, and aren't sick."

I admit, I am guilty. I am good for ONE sick day per season re the Packers.

Yup, my office can count on me calling in sick once a year when the Packers lose. I called in sick after the Packers got whooped by...the Bengals.

In any case, what TW is saying is true. Many Americans have inflated ego's regarding their worth and I have seen my share of people who will call in sick/take leave SEVENTY freakin days per year for 5 years in a row.

Such employees make it bad on everybody.

[amoeba15]

Obama Faces Political Concern on Jobs After Election Setbacks

Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Voters delivered the unmistakable message two days ago that they are worried about the U.S. economy, and tomorrow they could have even more reason to fret.

The unemployment rate for October is expected to notch up to 9.9 percent on its way to punching through the 10 percent mark early next year, according to the median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg survey.

A 10 percent jobless rate would be the highest in 26 years, ensuring that the economy remains a top issue in the midterm Congressional elections next November, and a political headache for President Barack Obama.

“The number one goal every day, the president walks in every meeting and it’s all about the economy and jobs,” said Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said in a telephone interview.

The Democratically controlled Congress could hand the president a well-timed legislative gift as early as today by approving a $45 billion plan to extend jobless benefits for millions of unemployed through the winter holiday season, expand a tax credit for homebuyers and provide tax refunds to money- losing companies.

The president’s advisers are casting about for additional ideas to spur job creation without increasing the deficit. Obama convened a public meeting about the economy on Nov. 2 and pledged “bold, innovative action.”

Infrastructure Bonds

Under consideration is creation of a government-backed bond program to encourage infrastructure projects, government support for weatherizing and retrofitting buildings, and trade policies that would encourage manufacturing. The White House already announced plans to open up credit for small businesses.

Obama and his economic advisers in February pushed for approval of a $787 billion economic stimulus package, which they said would hold the unemployment rate below 8 percent. The rate reached 9.8 percent in September, bringing total job losses since the recession began in December 2007 to 7.2 million.

The administration, not wanting to look like it’s downplaying joblessness, has been predicting for months that unemployment will worsen. Obama said in a June interview with Bloomberg News that it could hit 10 percent by yearend.

‘Overriding Focus’

“This is my administration’s overriding focus,” Obama said at the Nov. 2 meeting. “Having brought the economy back from the brink, the question is how are we going to make sure that people are getting back to work and able to support their families.”

The day after Obama spoke, Republicans swept governors’ races in New Jersey and Virginia as Democrats were rejected by voters concerned with high unemployment.

In last year’s presidential elections, Obama carried both states, New Jersey by 15 points and Virginia by five -- the first Democrat to do so since 1964.

Unless the jobless rate begins to come down by next November, when the entire House of Representatives, 34 Senators and 37 governors will be elected, Democrats may face political fallout, said Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster.

“While the Obama administration has a thousand different things on their radar, unless they get jobs under control, they’re going to end up paying a price in 2010,” Hart said. “If you want to know how the 2010 election will turn out, all you have to do is look at the unemployment numbers. If it’s over 10 percent, it’s going to be a huge loss.”

Default Notices

The Tuesday elections came as 937,840 U.S. homeowners received a default or auction notice or were repossessed by banks in the third quarter, a 23 percent increase from a year earlier, RealtyTrac Inc. said Oct. 15. The U.S. dollar has dropped 10 percent in the last year against a basket of six major currencies, even as stocks in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index have rallied 55 percent from a 12-year low in March.

The political landscape for next year’s elections has already shifted, according to the non-partisan Cook Political Report, which handicaps congressional races. It says Democrats are now less likely to hold onto three Senate seats, those of Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, Michael Bennet in Colorado and Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas.

Even some Democrats agree that this week’s results could make it harder for Obama to win passage of parts of his agenda, with Congress already showing signs of concern.

“The recession has made it more difficult to move ahead,” said Senator Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat. “The recession has turned out to be a deeper, more protracted recession than anyone predicted.”

Deficit Concerns

Democrat Ben Nelson, a Senator from Nebraska, said the slumping economy and rising joblessness will be factors as Congress considers climate change and health care legislation. They are also driving concerns about the budget deficit, which widened to a record $1.42 trillion in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, he said.

“When the economy’s not strong there’s a lot of interest in controlling spending,” Nelson said.

At his economic meeting on Nov. 2, Obama said the U.S. must “get serious” about reducing the deficit. The next day, White House budget director Peter Orszag called the deficit “unsustainable” and projected $9 trillion in accumulated deficits over the next 10 years.

Those concerns will temper any attempts to tackle unemployment by spending more taxpayer money, no matter how worried Democrats are about their own job prospects next year.

www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHoskJcrIjb0&pos=9

[packerconvert]

I wish we could listen to someone else when it comes to job creation instead of Obama. I am tired of his talk.

[TW]

Throwing money at small businesses won't create too many jobs. It will just allow those businesses to buy more "foreign made products" for their sale.

What we need to do is help America's "small industry," by helping them retool, refit their buildings, and find ways to make money against the glut of imports.

I'm talking about the small industries that will employ up to 200 people. The kind that can flourish almost everywhere, including small towns, where unemployment is high, and by setting that company up to be profitable, they change the direction of the community and the surrounding area as well, since the hiring of 200 people in one small industry can have a large residual effect in the area, creating even more jobs in the smaller service businesses.

We've abandoned small town America. We've even abandoned the mid-sized cities under a half million people. We've let them deteriorate. We've let their infrastructure fall apart.

At one time, less than 30 years ago, Rockford was called the "machine tool capital of the US." It was true. There were top rated machine shops and manufacturers here.

Now there's only a handful of machine tool facilities left, and I read where two of those are about to close before the end of the year.

On Monday, I talked to a guy who started in the machine tool area nearly 40 years ago. He was a fantastic machinist. One of the best. In fact, he won awards for his work.

One job after another dried up on him. Now there aren't any machine tool jobs here. He's sixty years old. He's too old to start over somewhere else. Nobody wants him anyway. He's 60 years old. He's watched to pensions that were supposed to be his at companies he worked, disappear. All he has left is Social Security, and because of how bad work has been for him over the last five years, that's dropping like a rock. You don't do too well when you only get part-time work at a Department store, unloading trucks.

He's risking it when he's doing the unloading. He now has a heart condition brought on by stress. He can't get disabled. It's not bad enough. But he's not supposed to do any heavy lifting, or exert himself. Still he does, when he unloads trucks, and he doesn't have insurance.

If anyone wants to know what's wrong with this country, start there. His isn't a unique story. It's one that can be repeated by millions of Americans. This isn't the America they promised us when I was a kid, or when I served my nation in the military. I want what they promised us back.

[packerconvert]

I don't disagree one bit.

[amoeba15]

"I'm talking about the small industries that will employ up to 200 people. The kind that can flourish almost everywhere, including small towns, where unemployment is high, and by setting that company up to be profitable, they change the direction of the community and the surrounding area as well, since the hiring of 200 people in one small industry can have a large residual effect in the area, creating even more jobs in the smaller service businesses."

Finally, somebody agrees with me on PROSTITUTION and just think, in time for national healthcare.

Woooooo Hooooooo!!!

[TW]

I don't think that's what I meant.

[sharpefan]

When they do make jobs for the unemployed the 1 thing is pay a fare price for a fare days work.

[packerconvert]

Prostitution should be legalized. What two consenting adults do between each other is not the government's business.