As My Household Goes into its 2nd Yr. of NO Income, a Reminder:

[snot]

[Egnever]

1. I like it

Not that you aren't working. The sign of course.

[snot]

41. Thx.

[russspeakeasy]

2. + 1

[reformist2]

3. For many middle-class Americans for many generations now, GOVERNMENT has been the real job creator.

Pro-business types can go suck an egg.

[handmade34]

5. and why shouldn't it be...

government of and by the people supporting each other (providing work) making the world a better place to live

[hfojvt]

4. employment often is NOT tied to somebody's profits

many people work for cities, counties, school districts, states and the federal government - not of which are profit-making. Many work for water departments and libraries (in my town those are separate from the city and the county governments). Heck, some work for townships.

Some work for credit unions and co-ops and some work for businesses that get some money from the government. At my city job, I just ordered 40 cases of toilet paper from a local business.

But that need comes. from demand too, since we have customers who use our community center and our parks.

In theory, much of that work is decided by the local voters.

[snot]

7. Exactly.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. If work provided by the government is so bad,....

.....than why do rich corporations compete with each other to get the contract?

[snot]

8. +++!

Last edited Sat May 10, 2014, 07:42 AM - Edit history (1)

[oneofthe99]

34. Because the government pays them ridiculous prices for their services and goods

That's why firearm manufactures compete so zealously when the government
announces they want a new sniper rifle weapon system.

They sell them 500% more to the government than what they would be able to sell them in the retail market.



Case in point...............

Just look at the company that got the contract to build the affordable care network

[Spitfire of ATJ]

35. Too many of these companies treat the government like an ATM.

[WillyT]

9. + 1,000,000,000... What You Said !!! - K & R !!!

[MindMover]

10. RIGHT ON ... and right on ..... kr & nt ...

[Demeter]

11. Ain't it the truth!

[airplaneman]

12. If it were up to me there would be a guaranteed government job for everyone.

The government should provide tons of jobs for infrastructure.
I am also a big fan of government jobs as advocates for the disadvantaged.
Advocate jobs would include - helping the elderly so they can stay in their homes instead of nursing care, helping the homeless get to a better place, helping ex-convicts and veterans to re-adjust and re-integrate back into society, helping youth stay out of trouble. When you think about it governments job is to help solve our most intimate and complex problems.
-Airplane

[JDPriestly]

13. K&R.

Nothing wrong with making a profit, but those who make the profits have to understand that a good portion of their profit has to go to providing an infrastructure that works for all and to making sure that all who want to work have jobs.

[Android3.14]

14. There's inbetween-jobs work

Won't pay much, but I brought income in through this group, and I was able to work from home. I did some editing, SEO writing, presentation creation, that sort of thing. From the sign, it looks like you know how to use Publisher.
Freelance market eLance
It was a great help at times, and it kept me going.

[roguevalley]

37. i am dazed that this can happen to people. two years. our country sucks.i dont know how you make it.

All my best wishes go to you and yours

[snot]

42. I & my spouse know a lot.

But little work for the last 2 yrs. We're draining our savings.

[Android3.14]

47. Like I said, hang out a shingle

Sorry to hear about your savings. My last employer laid me off four years ago when unemployment was much worse, and I live in a region with unemployment far worse than the national average (northern Maine). I found work doing freelance jobs, writing SEO articles, that sort of thing. Started my own business, and my savings dried up too, but it lasted longer and we are finally make some moves at saving again.
My business isn't booming, but it is paying for itself and it is more satisfying than what I'd been doing by a long shot.
There is work out there, training and certifications, internships, career programs and such. People need someone to accomplish projects and will pay. I know the benefits are less than what we want, but there is work. It's better than nothing and keeps your professional network robust.

[JJChambers]

15. Hand written or font? What font, if so?

[McCamy Taylor]

16. So true

[woo me with science]

17. K&R

[livingonearth]

18. Unfortunately, profits have become more important than people.

Making a profit is not inherently bad. However, when you do it by removing all the jobs and sending them to another country just for cheap labor it creates an imbalance that destroys the economy.

I was listening to some right wing- radio show the other day and the host was bemoaning the fact that China's economy was out performing ours. Well duh! American businesses have been moving their operations over to China for years, and then shipping their crap back here. Of course on right-wing radio they never blame businesses for doing anything wrong, so they blame it on Obama.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

21. ++++ n/t

[truedelphi]

19. You made my day with the reminder.

My rural community had 18% unemployment a few years ago. The percentage level of unemployment may have decreased, but many people's "new jobs" are not paying what the old jobs paid.

To get a job as your basic, blue collar grunt worker over at the local hydro plant, where you'd have a shot at making $ 15 an hour or more, you have to have a four year college degree, or else have survived a stint in today's army. (Translation: gone off to Iraq or Afghanistan and gotten through your tours of duty without being too physically or emotionally damaged, and able to hold down a job.)

[snot]

43. Wow.

[Initech]

20. People want to work. Employers don't want to pay.

I seriously wonder how bad it's going to get before the revolution happens.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

23. "As long as employment IS TIED TO SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROFITS"

OH MY GOD, that is such an important phrase! Thank you for posting it. Your whole post is so awesome.

[snot]

44. Thanks!

Can't take credit; someone else made the sign; and someone else took the photo.

[samplegirl]

24. Great post

2 years for us as well and both of us found jobs.................just settling for low wages for the rest of our lives!

[niyad]

30. enjoy what will, no doubt, be a short stay.

are you certain you are on the correct board?

[harun]

31. I've been unemployed since last year.

It is actually very difficult to get lesser paying jobs. When you apply for a job you list your previous employers. It is easy for them to call your previous employers and verify what you were making. If you were making more than what they want to pay you they figure you will not be happy there and quit. So it would be a waste of their time.

I'd happily take a big pay cut for a job. Tricky to get them to believe you will stick around though.

[niyad]

32. you might try reading this for some obviously-needed information

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. ...

[n2doc]

26. It may not have been built by huge corporations

But it sure as shit is owned by them, nowadays.

[rudolph the red]

27. Two years!

[snot]

39. And no unemployment benefits.

I'd already retired when the economy tanked (taking 1/4 of our retirement savings with it), and I and my spouse have been freelance (so no unemployment benefits). My spouse's income held up for a while after the crash, but during the last 2 years, we've found only odd jobs here and there that don't add up to much. We've essentially been living off our savings.

We have tons of skills, and we're both trying new things; but there's a lot of competition from youngsters.

Thankfully, we've both worked all our lives and did manage to stay out of debt and save; but I'm not quite yet at, and my spouse is 10 years from a normal retirement age; and our lifestyle is MUCH reduced from what we expected, after 40 years of hard work, and would work/earn longer if we could . . . .

[trublu992]

28. Bring on the worker cooperative revolution baby!

[snot]

46. Check!

[niyad]

29. k and r

[4dsc]

36. Des Moines IA has plenty of jobs

just saying. I don't know what you line of work is but this town is hopping right now.

[indepat]

38. Hear, hear! The rush to unearned corporate riches has been responsible for probably a few dozen

million lost jobs or so: just think of all the mergers and acquisitions, and the countless downsizing that inevitably follows. After all, the bidness of America, some plutocrat said, is bidness

[Octafish]

40. K&R.

Lots of work to be done.

[sendero]

45. Sorry....

..... we had 700 billion dollars to bail out criminals, but we don't have jack squat to put Americans to work.

Maybe you could move to India and get an H1-B to work here.