I just find it so frustrating

I don’t know about you guys but I find it highly upsetting and frustrating to hear people complain that they can’t find work and can’t provide for their families. These two stories were almost back to back this AM.

Where is it written anywhere that the gov’t must provide work near a persons home? I don’t get why some people are willing to live in poverty, accept gov’t assistance and even complain about it. However they aren’t willing to pack a bag and go where the work is.

Excerpt from article #1: “Work was just in our blood, you know,” Nelson said. “That’s what you do, you go to work. And I would have loved to work my way out of it, but there just wasn’t work to do.”

Excerpt from article #2: “But finding workers like him is difficult. For months, the company has been advertising several job openings without much success. The company says there’s not much interest in gritty, physically demanding work.”

The Face of hunger: As Jobs Leave
Wage Rules Twise Steel Companies Expansion Plans

Yep! Pretty sad

Sign of the times–why work when you can get the cow for free.

Actual things told to me:

Why go look for a new job when they extend my unemployment benefits?
Why go look for a new job when I get more in my unemployment check than I would working?
Life will be much better once I qualify for state assistance.
Life is much better now that I am on the State Insurance Plan——-(i.e. WELFARE!)
I now qualify to go to school for free (tech programs).

Now, we that did not quit school, took any job available, put ourselves thru college at our own expense, worked our tails off, pulled ourselves out of hard times(which does happen and REASON these programs WERE developed), and now pay all the taxes that run this country….need I say more?
Over 40% of Americans do not pay Federal income taxes….

and yet people always ask for more—how much more water can come out of the rock?

As a guy in the construction industry, who is currently working 60-70 hour weeks so I can keep my few guys working, I find it very frustrating that I still struggle to find quality labor. I am more than happy to kick my own butt, put off time with the family, miss out on sleep, but I get to help my guys to pay their bills and feel that this is my responsibility to them as their employer.

I was leaving a job on the south of Rochester yesterday and laughed at two people on the same street corner (by Menards, Culvers, Shopko, and Wendys) who were begging for “help” when I know all 4 of those locations would be hiring if the person was willing to work.

I have always said I will never be unemployed. I may not be doing what I want to do, but I will always have a job.

I think it should be mandatory for anyone on Welfare or Unemployment to submit to Drug Tests. You don’t pass, no more checks. Now someone will say ” Who is going to pay for the testing?” Don’t you think that the savings would more than cover costs of testing?

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I think it should be mandatory for anyone on Welfare or Unemployment to submit to Drug Tests. You don’t pass, no more checks. Now someone will say ” Who is going to pay for the testing?” Don’t you think that the savings would more than cover costs of testing?

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I was recently working for a developer who had hired a guy to do all his building maintenance. Seemed like a great guy who had been out of work for a while and said he was ready to get back to work and start feeding his family.

Well, he failed the drug test and did not get hired. He could afford drugs, but was unable to feed his family

Dickinson, ND is hiring. The entire Western part of ND is BOOMING!!!!!!!

Even will pay to train drivers

Hmmmmm…

Dog

We have lost a driver or two that went up there to the Minot / Williston area to work in the oil fields. I have a good customer up there that fully expects the boom to last another 2-3 years. Sure wish I would have bought some cheap houses up there a year or two ago.

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I think it should be mandatory for anyone on Welfare or Unemployment to submit to Drug Tests. You don’t pass, no more checks. Now someone will say ” Who is going to pay for the testing?” Don’t you think that the savings would more than cover costs of testing?

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There are states now on board with this but who pays for there testing, rehab, and re-testing?

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I think it should be mandatory for anyone on Welfare or Unemployment to submit to Drug Tests. You don’t pass, no more checks. Now someone will say ” Who is going to pay for the testing?” Don’t you think that the savings would more than cover costs of testing?

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There are states now on board with this but who pays for there testing, rehab, and re-testing?

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I can accept my tax dollars going to restricting assistance and weeding out those that don’t deserve it.

I feel better about that than I do seeing them in line in front of me at Cub buying Fillet Mignon and crab legs with my tax dollars.

we have friends that say they are looking for jobs and times are tough. My wifes employer has 2 to 3 openings and only 1 of about 5 friends that say that have actually applied when I have told them. now when they wine abnout having it ahrd and such I tell them I do not want to hear it as I already told them of just 1 place with 3 openings.

they say “to busy or not enough time” and I say what are you doing? you are nto at work.

neeless to say not the best pay but not the worse. it is a call center that pays from 12-14 and hour. with 1 or 2 saturdays every 6 weeks.

As much as we hate to admit it, we are pretty basic animals. We need to be social and stay busy. When we dont, bad things happen.

I hate how the current system is taking away people’s basic need to work.

Hell, just look at how happy dogs are when they have something to do!

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I think it should be mandatory for anyone on Welfare or Unemployment to submit to Drug Tests. You don’t pass, no more checks. Now someone will say ” Who is going to pay for the testing?” Don’t you think that the savings would more than cover costs of testing?

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There are states now on board with this but who pays for there testing, rehab, and re-testing?

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I can accept my tax dollars going to restricting assistance and weeding out those that don’t deserve it.

I feel better about that than I do seeing them in line in front of me at Cub buying Fillet Mignon and crab legs with my tax dollars.

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X2!
Should be if you fail a drug test then “better luck next year and have a nice day!”

Just look on Craigs list. There are jobs to be had all over the place. My employer can’t fine anyone that’s willing to work a full time job.

Funny topic… I’ve got a cousin on Facebook crying a river about how our country turns it’s collective back on the poor and needy. He claims Jesus wasn’t prejudice about which poor/needy he helped. Him and his fellow “preachers” are of course blaming a certain political party. It’s all I can do not to post on the topic.

Ironically, he lives a very good life with a pool in the backyard being supported by his partner. He’s constantly posting about all the fancy places he’s eating out at all over the country. Somehow he has found time and money to travel and treat himself to the finer things, yet he wants us to continue to pay his unemployment.

You know that old saying, you can pick your friends….

kooty,

walk up say “hey I know how you feel about the unemployment and such. here’s my thoughts on it.” take a step back and kick as hard as you can in the nuggies and say “that is how I feel paying your unemployment while you travel and eat out and everything while I bust my butt and stretch money to enjoy life.” and I am in no ways say you are struggling to make ends meet Kooty.

Broncs

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He claims Jesus wasn’t prejudice about which poor/needy he helped. Him and his fellow “preachers” are of course blaming a certain political party.

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Ask him if Jesus went to the government to redistribute the wealth or if he preached and took it upon himself to help the poor and needy. Sorry, no matter how many bumper stickers you put on your car, it does not make Jesus a liberal.

Also ask him to kindly stop exploiting my God for his ideology or I will come over and kick him in the vag. And stop praying to the false idol known as the government.

Glad to see I could fire you guys up as much as I am. That is a great response Pug!!

Taking advantage of “the system” is nothing new…. but let’s be careful about lumping everyone together… put yourself in these shoes… and see what you would do. Let’s say, you have a good job, making $100K a year… you had this job for over 15 years and lived with-in your means. All of a sudden, you lose said job, because the employer went out of business, due to lack of customers. Now stay with me… you look for other work and in the meantime, you apply and receive unemployment. This UE check is enough to cover your current mortgage costs and a weinies & weinie water soup diet, for you and your family. Your neighbor tells you about the “job” assembling widgets, which will pay you 1/2 of what your old salary was, and 3/4 of what your UE check is…. would it be wise to give up your UE check and take the lesser job, only to default on your mortgage in 6 months, making your family now homeless too ??? WWYD ??? There are all kinds of cases and scenarios out there… we need to be careful about lumping the less fortunate in with the chronic lazy….

I gotta agree with G on this one. Not fair to lump every case into one “judgment” If a guy is receiving unemployment, that means he had a job and paid into the system at one point. There is a reason they call it insurance. If you want to rip on the extensions paid for by the government, rip on the politicians who voted to spend your money on it. Not the guy on the receiving end!

As for the others on wellfair, different story. There should be limits on how long a person can stay on the program. And we should not “award” single mothers with more money when they decide to have more kids and so on. Drug tests? Dang right!

I held off on my thoughts about this until big G’s comment.

I was one of those who would have been crazy to take any “job” just to not receive unemployment. I made more money with UE than most jobs were offering. Did it suck? You are damn right it did considering I was raised working a cattle ranch where work was all I knew. But, I was NOT going to take a minimum wage job and end up losing my home, vehicles, and putting food on the table.

I also was one of those that went to school while looking for work. It wasn’t free by any means, I still will have loans to pay.

In reality, getting laid off from the manufacturing industry was one of the better things that has happened in my life. I am working in a field I enjoy and I make decent money. I wont be rich doing this, but I wont hate going to work for the next 30 years like I did as a laborer.

If we’re going to spend so much on these programs anyway, I’d love to see a system where people had to do something to receive the maximum amounts. I know there would be costs in setting up “free” classes, but I’d love for somebody to have to sit through a few financial management courses for a few hours to receive the next level of assistance.

I’d love to see courses for affordable/healthy cooking at home. I can’t stand seeing somebody using food stamps at the grocery store, then going across the street to Taco bell with their 9 kids. Would the classes make the worst of the worst more responsible? Probably not, but there are plenty of people who are flat out too lazy to even take a few hours a few times to receive more assistance. I can only imagine the amount of money saved by people not being willing to put forth the effort to attend the “free” classes would pay for the ones that did.

At a minimum, I’d like to reward those who are on these programs and want to get off them by helping them build the skills needed to do so. I would think that the $350-$400 a week that people are getting right now would be hard for them to beat by time they pay daycare etc….

If we don’t come up with a way to penalize the abusers and reward the people doing things the right way, I fear we will see much more of the same over the next few years.

The talking heads can talk all they want, but this money has to come from somewhere and we’re the easiest target. You think your’e mad now, wait until there’s a tax increase.

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Drug tests? Dang right!

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Just another Government Mess to deal with, I can’t imagine how bad they would mess that up.

The rest of it I am all in with Jon and G

Someone correct me if I am wrong on my understanding of unemployment.
The way I interpreted unemployment is that it is basically a fixed number of months at about 60% of past salary that equates to a final sum of $$. If you get another job that paid less than the old salary, you could still collect unemployment but the unemplyment check would be less. However, the combination of new job and unemployment check would still end up being about 60% of the old salary but you qualify for unemployment for a longer period of time because it takes longer for that lump sum figure to be used up.
Now my understanding of unemployment is from before govt extended the unemployment terms, so not sure what it is now or ever really has been. But if my understanding is correct, it would seem as common sense to be taking any job out there while looking for another comparable job as the old one.

Wats,

IMHO these programs are set up for people like you. Guys who want to work, make the best of a bad situation, go to school to make themselves more marketable and get a job that they enjoy. I have absolutely no problem with a guy doing what you had to do, and would be the first person to step up and help them to better themselves.

If everyone on these programs were doing what you have done, there would be no a lot less B & M about paying the bills.

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Drug tests? Dang right!

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Just another Government Mess to deal with, I can’t imagine how bad they would mess that up.

The rest of it I am all in with Jon and G

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No, not really. Welfare program can just require proof that you passed. Its up to you to get the test. The gov does not need to run the program. No different that getting a drug test for your guide license. Just a step you need to complete to be in the program.

By the way, just the threat of not getting or losing the benefits should be enough to deter most useage. If not, oh well. You made your bed…..

-J.

In just about every heated conversation you always have to be careful of generalities and lumping. There is a lot of rhetoric out there that fires people up, but it is a sweeping generalization.

a few weeks back there were people removing sand bags from around a truck stop, McDonalds, and a DQ down in Onawa IA, The owners/mgrs were paying $10/hr cash for anyone willing to help. When I pulled out from McDonalds saw a guy with a cardboard sign asking for money and handouts, told him to walk up and work for a few hours and he just shook his head and gave me a one toothed smile!

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Taking advantage of “the system” is nothing new…. but let’s be careful about lumping everyone together… put yourself in these shoes… and see what you would do. Let’s say, you have a good job, making $100K a year… you had this job for over 15 years and lived with-in your means. All of a sudden, you lose said job, because the employer went out of business, due to lack of customers. Now stay with me… you look for other work and in the meantime, you apply and receive unemployment. This UE check is enough to cover your current mortgage costs and a weinies & weinie water soup diet, for you and your family. Your neighbor tells you about the “job” assembling widgets, which will pay you 1/2 of what your old salary was, and 3/4 of what your UE check is…. would it be wise to give up your UE check and take the lesser job, only to default on your mortgage in 6 months, making your family now homeless too ??? WWYD ??? There are all kinds of cases and scenarios out there… we need to be careful about lumping the less fortunate in with the chronic lazy….

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No doubt I agree there is a difference between less fortunate and lazy. However, I feel our government fosters the growth from less fortunate into becoming lazy. Hey, I have friends and neighbors who are and have been on UE for a while. I feel really bad for them and I would imagine they have paid into UE most of their lives and are entitled to utilize that program. BUT, for how long?

If I lose my job, I fully expect to lose my house and most any extra curricular items I have today. My kids won’t go to daycare, I won’t go on hunting and fishing trips. My wife won’t be buying new clothes for the kids each time she sees a cute outfit. I’ll probably have to take a shift job so my wife can keep the good job and I’ll work nights and weekends so we can make ends meet. Life sucks and it’s simply not fair.

I realize when you pencil out the numbers of UE vs. McDonalds/Home Depot/Holiday paychecks, it’s an easy decision. I know which I’d make. My concern is just how big is this piggy bank that almost 10% of our population is living off? How long will it last? Why do we continue to drive more and more jobs out of this country? Why does everyone believe they are entitled to something in this country?

Off soapbox.