Unemployment benefits extension nixed for nearly 1 million

[rich_t]

Dude.  I have so been there myself.  Got laid off 9/7/01, and it took almost a year to get a job after that.  I did some side jobs, for temp agencies, and even cleaned houses.  I know your frustration, esp about the overqualified bits.  People don't want to hire you because they know the second there is a better oppty, you are out the door.   Hang in there. 

I'm hanging in there as best I can.  I am probably better off than a lot of folks on unemployment, at least from a financial POV.  I saw the writing on the wall a few years ago about what was coming in my industry, so I made a concentrated effort to become debt free.  The only consumer debt I have is my home mortgage, and I was able to put a fair amount aside for the rainy day fund (boy is it ever raining right now).

So I can financially afford to work for significantly less than what I was making when I 1st got laid of in Jan 09.  I was making over $31 an hour and I would gladly take a job paying $11-$12 an hour right now.  Hell, I'd be glad to work more than one job at less than that per hour if I could find jobs that offered enough combined hours.

I just get tired of the assumption that some folks make that if you are unemployed for an extended period it is because you are lazy and milking the gov't tit.  I am sure that there are a bunch of folks out there that do just that, but it is hardly everyone.

[rich_t]

chuckle....

On a side note, prior to my layoff in 09, I was one of those that might have made such an assumption, especially when the economy was good and national unemployment was averaging about 5% or so.  I'll never make that sort of assumption again.

 

[Eupher]

Rich, it may sound like everybody's railing against those who are on unemployment, but I can't think of a single person on CC who is fervently against somebody who has busted his ass to find work yet, through circumstances, hasn't yet found it.

It's the "Aw, hell, as long as I'm collecting unemployment and they keep giving it to me, I ain't lifting a finger to find a job" thing that I'm reading on these pages that has everybody tied up in knots.

A sincere prayer upstairs that something surfaces for you QUICK. 

[rich_t]

Rich, it may sound like everybody's railing against those who are on unemployment, but I can't think of a single person on CC who is fervently against somebody who has busted his ass to find work yet, through circumstances, hasn't yet found it.

It's the "Aw, hell, as long as I'm collecting unemployment and they keep giving it to me, I ain't lifting a finger to find a job" thing that I'm reading on these pages that has everybody tied up in knots.

A sincere prayer upstairs that something surfaces for you QUICK. 

Thanks Eupher.  I am grateful for all the prayers I can get.  I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude through all this, but damn if it ain't hard to some days.

[seabelle]

Thanks Eupher.  I am grateful for all the prayers I can get.  I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude through all this, but damn if it ain't hard to some days.

 

[RobJohnson]

Okay, what of the policemen with (maybe) two-year degrees who make over 100K on OT, or pile up the sick time and sell it back to the city so their last year pay (and subsequent retirement) is pushing 200K?

Someone mentioned unfunded liability--since when are you supposed to make MORE in retirement at age 55 than you did when you were working?

Greece, here we come.

Schools are getting huge budget and salary cuts in Las Vegas while there are fire fighters that make over 200k a year. The city would like to put them (fire fighters) on 10 hour shifts, like the police work, and eliminate the sleep overs at the fire stations..

[RobJohnson]

Then again, which one will be voting for Barry in 2012? 

True.

[rich_t]

 

[Pat]

hum....PA is an open carry state IIRC.

[NHSparky]

Do you two need to go to FC or something?

[rich_t]

Do you two need to go to FC or something?

Not as far as I know.

[PatriotGame]

Not all state employees are in critical positions.  In fact, most are NOT.

Yet when funding tanks, the police, fire, education, and infrastructure maintenance jobs are the very first to be cut by the politicians.

[bkg]

Yet when funding tanks, the police, fire, education, and infrastructure maintenance jobs are the very first to be cut by the politicians.

And that's nothing more than political maneuvering that should be punishable w/ jailtime, IMHO... It's extortion.

When we shut down the MN state gov't, everything ran just fine. If we don't need the "essential services," then why the fawk do we have them? I long for another MTC strike - the roads were so much nicer when the buses were clogging things up... even the news reported the reductoin in overall commute times... lol

[Crazy Horse]

I just get tired of the assumption that some folks make that if you are unemployed for an extended period it is because you are lazy and milking the gov't tit.  I am sure that there are a bunch of folks out there that do just that, but it is hardly everyone.

Kinda like people that always call Federal employees worthless, lazy, should be the first to loose their jobs....etc??

Yeah

[rich_t]

Kinda like people that always call Federal employees worthless, lazy, should be the first to loose their jobs....etc??

Yeah

I don't believe that you've ever seen me say that.  But when Federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in more than eight out of 10 occupations, I'd say it's time to take a closer look at federal salaries, especially when we are running the type of deficit that currently exists.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm#chart

[bkg]

I don't believe that you've ever seen me say that.  But when Federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in more than eight out of 10 occupations, I'd say it's time to take a closer look at federal salaries, especially when we are running the type of deficit that currently exists.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm#chart

I've asked a number of times (here) how many private workers it takes to pay the salary single gov't worker.

yet I never get a number.

[Carl]

I've asked a number of times (here) how many private workers it takes to pay the salary single gov't worker.

yet I never get a number.

I don`t know it can be nailed down to a specific number but did find once where it was offered as a workable ratio of 8 to 1.
Going to see if I can find it again,it was in relation to the ratio NY has.

On edit found it quicker then I thought I would,the numbers were there and stuck in my head but were applied incorrectly.

Public employee union membership in New York has reached an all-time high of more than 1 million. One out of every eight New York workers is a unionized government employee; the ratio averages one out of 19 in the rest of the country.

http://www.empirecenter.org/pb/2006/09/government_work.cfm

Not sure this answers the question and given the variances in public employed wages as well as in privately employed ones and the differences in tax rates state to state it may be impossible to set a number of how many does it take to pay for one.

[bkg]

I don`t know it can be nailed down to a specific number but did find once where it was offered as a workable ratio of 8 to 1.
Going to see if I can find it again,it was in relation to the ratio NY has.

On edit found it quicker then I thought I would,the numbers were there and stuck in my head but were applied incorrectly.

Not sure this answers the question and given the variances in public employed wages as well as in privately employed ones and the differences in tax rates state to state it may be impossible to set a number of how many does it take to pay for one.

Close - but not really.

if the average person makes (say) $50/ year...
And the average gov't employe makes (say) $50/year
And the average person is paying (after deductions) 10% in fed taxes...
It would take 10-14 people to pay that one federal employee (when accounting for benefits...) I think...

[Carl]

Close - but not really.

if the average person makes (say) $50/ year...
And the average gov't employe makes (say) $50/year
And the average person is paying (after deductions) 10% in fed taxes...
It would take 10-14 people to pay that one federal employee (when accounting for benefits...) I think...

That is pretty close to what they say the average is at 19 private for every 1 public.

[bkg]

That is pretty close to what they say the average is at 19 private for every 1 public.

kind of... but I think that's just an average of employee type, not of how many private workers it takes to collect enough revenue to pay the public worker... I suspect the numbers are quite different.