Unemployment almost 10% nationally

[Dunkopf]

I'm always amazed at the lack of empathy that some people exhibit. I can understand some of this animus being directed at some of the people on Welfare. Notice I say some. But to exhibit this behavior towards good hard working Americans that have been unemployed because of something that happened 2 years ago. Well it's just heartless. I hope you never find yourself in need with nowhere to turn.

As was already pointed out. Any income paid out in unemployment goes straight back in to the economy. People on unemployment don't invest in the stock market. They're usually on the verge of starving to death.

By the way. Heard that the agricultural committee lost 14 of it's best and brightest last night. That means no farm bill for 2011. Think food prices are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. On a good note though. If you want to become a farmer. There should be plenty of farm equipment for sale real cheap pretty soon.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
Could you promise me if I up and move to your area, someone will buy my house? Will that job pay me enough to afford the move... will their be a house/apartment or living space there I can afford for what they pay? Is there a contract that assures while we settle in to a life for a year or 2 that position is guarenteed to not be ripped away from me and given to someone else.

If this went horribly/horribly wrong here... I do have the comfort (though it is not comfortable) that I may be able to move in with a friend or family member to give us a couple months to get back on our feet. If I went to ND, if something went bad, it would costs $100's of dollars to have failed and travel to where we could find shelter.

Precisely why I've been leary of moving out of state.

--Our house is paid for. We have no mortgage so in theory we could sell the house for whatever anyone could pay ... but why would I do that when I could work at a gas station or substitute teach and stay there?

--I did take a job downstate and DH stayed up north while I moved in with my mother while I worked. I got laid off. What would have happened if we had sold our house during that time?

--Friends and neighbors for helping out and barter

Now the benefits of Michigan (yes there are SOME)--Why I won't move out of state

--Water. We have a spring fed pond, river access and plenty of rain, shallow well

--No floods. Despite the abundance of water, there is minimal flooding. Our rivers are small compared to the Missouri and other big rivers of the Plains

--Wood. We have lots of wood for winter heat

--lots of wild food (not just talking about deer which could easily be overharvested) but blueberries, barberries, raspberries, wintergreen berries, thistle roots, burdock roots, cattail roots, pine nuts, walnuts, non-bitter acorns, wild apples, wild cherries, clover, plantain leaves, dandelions, chicory, the list goes on

Again, our house is paid for and no matter what, we can survive.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
Could you promise me if I up and move to your area, someone will buy my house? Will that job pay me enough to afford the move... will their be a house/apartment or living space there I can afford for what they pay? Is there a contract that assures while we settle in to a life for a year or 2 that position is guarenteed to not be ripped away from me and given to someone else.

If this went horribly/horribly wrong here... I do have the comfort (though it is not comfortable) that I may be able to move in with a friend or family member to give us a couple months to get back on our feet. If I went to ND, if something went bad, it would costs $100's of dollars to have failed and travel to where we could find shelter.

Precisely why I've been leary of moving out of state.

--Our house is paid for. We have no mortgage so in theory we could sell the house for whatever anyone could pay ... but why would I do that when I could work at a gas station or substitute teach and stay there?

--I did take a job downstate and DH stayed up north while I moved in with my mother while I worked. I got laid off. What would have happened if we had sold our house during that time?

--Friends and neighbors for helping out and barter

Now the benefits of Michigan (yes there are SOME)--Why I won't move out of state

--Water. We have a spring fed pond, river access and plenty of rain, shallow well

--No floods. Despite the abundance of water, there is minimal flooding. Our rivers are small compared to the Missouri and other big rivers of the Plains

--Wood. We have lots of wood for winter heat

--lots of wild food (not just talking about deer which could easily be overharvested) but blueberries, barberries, raspberries, wintergreen berries, thistle roots, burdock roots, cattail roots, pine nuts, walnuts, non-bitter acorns, wild apples, wild cherries, clover, plantain leaves, dandelions, chicory, the list goes on

Again, our house is paid for and no matter what, we can survive.

I think the 10% unemployment leaves out some good information. How many of those 10% are going to actually lose everything? How many are in dire need beyond mortgage payments and electric? This is just not one of those situations where you can see the root and solution to the problem being 1 thing or another.

I am glad to hear that you know to live off what you have, and aren't complaining the water isn't good enough, the food isn't good enough and that there is 'no' way to survive. You see the forest through the trees.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Thank you.

Again, kinda nice that someone sorta agrees with me on moving out of state. I've gotten a lot of flak about "Why didn't you move to Texas like your brother did? Your cousin went to Missouri, why don't you look for a job there?"

They were fresh out of college without any vested interest to stay. I do.

Sounds like you do to (at least for your own neck of the woods)

 

[LivinNewDreamInND]

Like I said I know it is not for everyone, but if you are losing your house and you have not worked in a year and feel like you have exploited every other option, is moving really that bad? I guess, I am a tumble weed and do not feel the need to put down permanent roots anywhere. As long as my family is together and we can pay our debts without being hassled by anyone, I am happy. If we had invested a lot of time and money into a property, had no mortgage and we could invest in our future as well as live off of the pay from a gas station. I would be all for it. I definitely don't look my nose down on jobs like that. We choose to have a mortgage because we are fully aware that we will still be working in 20 years when it is scheduled to be paid off. Hopefully our first home will sell and we can pay off a mortgage even sooner than that. Until then I guess my husband will just keep going to work and picking up the slack from the lack of workers in this horrible economy where no one can find a job.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
I do completely agree if your roots have been cut, then moving should be an option... but its like a tree... what branch are you on now? Or are you a stump at this point and have completely expelled all other options.

Your first comment I read came across as "if you are complaining there is no work, then come move and work here where there is work". I just missed the 'if you tried EVERY other option first' part. But yes, I do agree, if you've tried everything else you should get up and go. I just don't think the numbers right now say what percent are at that point? How many really are at the bottom of the bucket.

My mom made a valid point... what if 10% is too low actually? What if its MORE!? Like my neighbor was 1099 subcontracted and can't get unemployment at all. Is he being counted? Do they know he works 2 days a week if he's lucky? Do they count all the people who've exhausted their unemployment? Do they count the people who had some money saved and never claimed unemployment?

I really think we're honestly in depression numbers by now!

Here it is after election and I have unanswered questions still... what a downer.

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
Income disparity Q9... The top 20% have 90% of the financial wealth in this country... I see nothing silly about having higher taxes on the wealthiest 20%, and reinvesting that money right back into the economy. It works very well in Scandinavian countries, where folks are well educated, and healthy...
Yet small and big business thrive, and people are still motivated to work and excel.

ON

Well I worked 2 jobs or 70 hr or more a week...to get what I have, then the government wants to tax me higher ,and give it out to those that don't even work or pay for their health care. Have no problem helping the needed...........but why should I have to pay for the unemployed for 2 yrs ,because they don't want to work a lower paying job....ever hear those people say "I can made more than that on unemployment" when offer a job making 10.00 an hour. I have.


fair tax everyone the same ...flat tax % for everyone, the more u make ,still more you pay.....like that crazy earn income credit crap. people getting more of a refund than was with held....

anyway sure happy the way Ohio election came out....lot of other people like me sick and tired of all this tax and spend...

So your life is miserable and every other low class persons should be to.? Stab them in the back take what is left when they are dead in the street?
Fight over the crumbs tossed down by the elite?
A 15% tax does NOT have the same impact on someone making 50K a year as it does on some one making 500K a year.... THIS is a fact...

The government should not be taxing folks at $10 an hour, matter of fact I do not think they do? (If you do your taxes correctly!) The hard cold fact is the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer... (Keep in mind it is the majority of us that are getting poorer.)

We sit here bickering about the tiny amount of money involved in unemployment, while billions and trillions are given to defunct auto manufactures such as GM, fat bankers, and the top tier elite, and the cost of the "bush" wars on sadam...

This is deeply disturbing to me, we do not want to support our own kind but would rather work our tails of for the elite..

I feel I have some merit to speak from, I used to make 100 to 300K per year. Know I make 10K a year self employed.. I found it funny when I was in the money.. That SS taxes were capped and I had to pay no more.. It was like winning the lotto and then getting a bonus on top of that... Also I paid no more percent tax than someone making way less than half what I did.. IMO this country is severely skewed twords rewarding the wealthy and punishing the working class... Being a rich DINK was great with all you red voting "working class": working 70 hours a week for $10 an hour and voting to support us high living DINKS... (Just to be sure one of your kind does not get anything you don't?...

)

Having come from a poor working class background, then hitting it "big" and then being back to a poor working person... Gives me a perspective, one which makes it extreamly difficult for me to understand the motives of those working class folks that are against things such as unemployement bennifits or investing in retraining workers.

Sorry, it must have been working for a Finnish company for some 17years has turned me into a Socialist... (Yes me and my Finnish coworkers compared all the numbers in details for well over a decade.) Fact is we in the USA are getting duped. Our country is failing, we are loosing technology and manufacturing jobs, our education system is lacking. we are sick, we have high health care costs, and low life span averages.

Sorry I am ranting...

ON

 

[Mac in Wisco]

fair tax everyone the same ...flat tax % for everyone, the more u make ,still more you pay.....like that crazy earn income credit crap. people getting more of a refund than was with held....

Be careful what you wish for. Most folks don't pay anywhere near the effective income tax rate that they think they do.


If my math is correct, for a family of four with two children:

4 x 3650 = $14,600 in personal exemptions

standard deduction = $11,400

Two child tax credits of $1000 = somewhere around $19,000 above the $26,000 that is already exempt.

A family of four with two children making less than $45,000 isn't paying any federal income tax. That number raises if they have mortgage interest and property taxes exceeding the $11,400 standard deduction.​

 

[newfoundland]

That level of income tax seems very low to me. In all European countries income tax is on a sliding scale. There is an upper limit but it is much higher, maybe as high as 70% in some cases for the very top wage earners. Also the starting threshold is low at about 7000$. Can't get something for nothing, but those who have fallen on hard times must be protected in any civilised society surely!

 

[domino7]

To me there is something fundamentally wrong with paying someone not to work.