Over A Million Families Destroyed!

[metalman]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

but...but...SS is adjusted for inflation. They would never change that would they Of course there was no adjustment for 2010, but somehow part B Medicare did go up:confused:

pce before 10 million unemployed = pce after 10 million unemployed.

huh. hmmmmm. wonder what that means. hmmmm.

$1 mcdonald's hamburger in 2018... adjusted for inflation...



'oh, that's deflation!' say sharky & cindy. :cool:

[Master Shake]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

A nice synopsis on this from Mother Jones:

GOP to the Unemployed: Drop Dead (You Bums)

Of course, let's not blame all this on the Republicans. Both parties are full of incompetent cretins. With the Democrats unable to claim the high ground since most seem hell bent on serving their Wall Street overlords, the Republicans suddenly seem to really care about deficits, but only after having doubled the national debt under Bush II. This is political grandstanding at its worst. When the people arrive in DC with the pitchforks and torches, maybe, just maybe, these people might actually get a clue. :mad:

Mother Jones, what a freaking joke. Bunning's point is well taken. Want to extend benefits yet again? Cut from somewhere else. Perhaps our foreign aid or military budget.

[Blackhawk]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

November 8, 2009. This program expired in 3 months? The Senator only blocked a 30 day extension. Seems a bit silly. Are the rest of the programs as tenuous? or do they all expire monthly?

Good question... You can bet this will wake up the unemployed masses. Even if they extend it another 30-days, the message has been sent. For the people who have lost their jobs and cannot find employment, their fate is with our politicians. Unemployment was never meant to be more than 26 weeks. The fact that we have extended it this long shows how screwed up the employment situation in the country really is. People were angry before this extension was voted down, it will be interesting to see if this is social turning point.

[stanley2008]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

Good question... You can bet this will wake up the unemployed masses. Even if they extend it another 30-days, the message has been sent. For the people who have lost their jobs and cannot find employment, their fate is with our politicians. Unemployment was never meant to be more than 26 weeks. The fact that we have extended it this long shows how screwed up the employment situation in the country really is. People were angry before this extension was voted down, it will be interesting to see if this is social turning point.

Hmm..a turning point after a 10 year, billion dollar a day war, torture of pows, invasion of cellphone and email privacy, and a trillion dollar bank bailout. My guess is the great American sheeple take it willingly up the ass yet again for Uncle Sam. We have become too ignorant, selfish and cowardly to even realize what to fight for.

[Camtender]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

100 weeks of unemployment = socialism

What did the "job banks" do for General Motors (oops, Government Motors).

"As goes General Motors, so goes the nation"............Lee Iacocca....................

[dummass]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

Hmm..a turning point after a 10 year, billion dollar a day war, torture of pows, invasion of cellphone and email privacy, and a trillion dollar bank bailout. My guess is the great American sheeple take it willingly up the ass yet again for Uncle Sam. We have become too ignorant, selfish and cowardly to even realize what to fight for.

After working the system for two years, they probably feel a little guilty.

[raja]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

The real reason these people are unemployed is . . . they themselves. They voted for the Politicians who enabled the Financial Elite who in turn crashed the system with their gambling.

Let these unemployed feel the pain.
Then, maybe they will wake up and figure out who was responsible . . . and that they have the power to change things by voting out the Political Enablers and voting in new politicians who will carry our real reforms . . . you know, represent the interests of The People

[globaleconomicollaps]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

Hard to imagine what goes through someones mind when they have been receiving benefits for so long. At what point do they decide to "settle" on something.

I find this attitude detestable. I lived through the "dot-bomb" disaster, and I was unemployed for a year. Can you imagine what it is like to be unemployed for a full year? I went from $90,000/year to zero in the blink of an eye. I was getting up at six every morning and sending emails until nine. Then I would cold call every business that might potentially need a computer guy. I put up fliers on telephone poles. I went to interminable "mixers" filled with other unemployable ex-internet losers. After thousands and thousands of calls and emails and execrable "job fares", I realized there was not going to be a job in my field. I started looking for temp jobs doing typing or what not. The agencies wouldn't even answer the phone. I was appalled to discover that I couldn't even get a job scrubbing toilets in a burger king. I was eager to "settle" as you put it. It was especially galling when when I went to the unemployment office and asked for an extension and was told "You should get off your butt and get a job" ( not word for word, but pretty close ).

[Rajiv]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

Your experience is a very common one, and it is incomprehensible to someone who has never been in that position.

It is the path of least resistance to "blame the victim." The problem has been caused by "systemic flaws," aided and abetted by those who have won big in this episode -- the politicians, and the upper echelons of FIRE -- but that is not how most view it.

To me it is surprising that in spite of the education offered on this site by EJ and others, people still insist on holding on desperately to their own ideological baggage.

[Camtender]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

I find this attitude detestable. I lived through the "dot-bomb" disaster, and I was unemployed for a year. Can you imagine what it is like to be unemployed for a full year? I went from $90,000/year to zero in the blink of an eye.

This begs several questions, 1) where does it say in the Constitution or anywhere else that you are entitled to a job and unemployment benefits and 2) you say you were on unemployment, but went from making $90k to zero? Please provide more details on these two areas.

Therefore, unemployment pays zero? I assume that you were in California during the downturn, and I would imagine that weekly unemployment back then (still assuming you were in California) was $300 plus a week (I bet more), correct? I suspect that you were so grateful to have this social program that you later consider the amount you received as "zero".

Where does this entitlement mentality come from?

What would you have done before the 1930's when there was no unemployment program like we have today? Have you ever heard of the Civilian Conservation Corps, where people did manual labor and got paid for actually working?

Your experience is a very common one, and it is incomprehensible to someone who has never been in that position.

I disagree.

To me it is surprising that in spite of the education offered on this site by EJ and others, people still insist on holding on desperately to their own ideological baggage.

That is nice, you name drop EJ (and "others") to give the perception that EJ "educates" on such maters and therefore agrees with your opinion on unemployment social programs. Right?

Let your argument stand on its own, if it can.

But this sense of entitlement............................just be glad you are health, able and willing to work.

[Shakespear]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

little matter of the $25 trillion in bailouts and backstops to the Wall Street crowd so they can have another blowout year in bonuses (> $100 billion in 2009 thanks to your tax dollars), "Lord" Blankfein can continue doing God's work, and a disgraced Ken Lewis can retire with a paltry $73M payout.

Ahh, these are the hard working trolls who will not be needing any additional "help" after successfully bankrupted the US. They are too big to allow to fail.

Create jobs, bring back the industries to the US and tighten the chains on the corporations. People would rather work than be begging under highway bridges or at stoplights.

[bcassill]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

Mother Jones, what a freaking joke. Bunning's point is well taken. Want to extend benefits yet again? Cut from somewhere else. Perhaps our foreign aid or military budget.

Couldn't agree with you more. How about asking for some of the $24 trillion back from the banksters?:rolleyes:

[Master Shake]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

Couldn't agree with you more. How about asking for some of the $24 trillion back from the banksters?:rolleyes:

Some? How about all?

[cjppjc]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

I find this attitude detestable. I lived through the "dot-bomb" disaster, and I was unemployed for a year. Can you imagine what it is like to be unemployed for a full year? I went from $90,000/year to zero in the blink of an eye. I was getting up at six every morning and sending emails until nine. Then I would cold call every business that might potentially need a computer guy. I put up fliers on telephone poles. I went to interminable "mixers" filled with other unemployable ex-internet losers. After thousands and thousands of calls and emails and execrable "job fares", I realized there was not going to be a job in my field. I started looking for temp jobs doing typing or what not. The agencies wouldn't even answer the phone. I was appalled to discover that I couldn't even get a job scrubbing toilets in a burger king. I was eager to "settle" as you put it. It was especially galling when when I went to the unemployment office and asked for an extension and was told "You should get off your butt and get a job" ( not word for word, but pretty close ).

I'm sorry if you find this attitude destestable. My point was at what moment does someone "settle" for whatever job they can find. Your story of being unable to find a job at Burger King or scrubbing toilets sounds untrue. I'm truly sorry if that is sounds detestable, it just doesn't ring true. I know plenty of people who find available low paying jobs easily. Myself included. I have two of them. Maybe you did have a hard time. Nothing personal, but it's not that hard to find the job. It's hard to settle for the job.

[cjppjc]

Re: Over A Million Families Destroyed!

Your experience is a very common one, and it is incomprehensible to someone who has never been in that position.

It is the path of least resistance to "blame the victim." The problem has been caused by "systemic flaws," aided and abetted by those who have won big in this episode -- the politicians, and the upper echelons of FIRE -- but that is not how most view it.

To me it is surprising that in spite of the education offered on this site by EJ and others, people still insist on holding on desperately to their own ideological baggage.

I hope you were not thinking of me when you wrote that. I'm not blaming anyone. The simple fact is sometimes you have to realize that what you want, and what you have to take are two different things.

And while the system may be flawed, it is the system. You have to live in it.