do you have sympathy for unemployed people

[SampSon]

Absolutely not. I feel like companies should be required to show proof of offers to the government for anyone on unemployment who applies, and if it's shown that someone qualified for a job but refused it, their unemployment should end immediately for a period of no less than one year. Virtually every friend I have has abused the unemployment system we have in place. I was unemployed for over a year and I never applied for a fucking thing; no unemployment, no food stamps, NOTHING. I was responsible for my unemployment, and I treated it appropriately. It sickens me when I watch people game the system and then complain when it runs out on them; the whole point of "unemployment insurance" is so you can continue to survive while you find a new job, not so that you can have the taxpayer buy you new videogames and a six pack every night. Fuck you, you worthless sack of fuck. Get a job, hate it, and contribute to the general welfare like every other fucking person who hates their job.

You were responsible for your unemployment? Do you mean you got fired? That seems the most likely scenario.

Not taking the most simple of social assistance provided to working/tax paying citizens while you get things in order is little more than exercise stroking your ego. In your mind did you feel superior to those millions of people that had to resort to taking unemployment to make ends meet, while you rolled along for a year without a dime of assistance? I'm not really sure what you're getting at here.

As far as I know in most states the vast majority of unemployment benefits are paid for by the former employer, with the employee covering a very small amount via some payroll tax included with the employer. The governments really only start footing the bill when the extended unemployment benefits become necessary. Although that is beside the fact. The argument of who pays UI benefits has been debated endlessly on this forum.

It seems that during this recent, and on going, economic collapse you were quite the fool for not taking UI benefits for that year. That is of course if you were even eligible to receive them. But hey, I guess you were badass enough to make it through that year. Kudos

 

[Atomic Playboy]

You were responsible for your unemployment? Do you mean you got fired? That seems the most likely scenario.

It seems that during this recent, and on going, economic collapse you were quite the fool for not taking UI benefits for that year. That is of course if you were even eligible to receive them. But hey, I guess you were badass enough to make it through that year. Kudos

No, I meant that I was unemployed because I quit my job. I understand that there are people who are unemployed because they legitimately lost their job through no fault of their own, but of the people I know who took unemployment in the last couple years (lost their job through layoffs, lost their job because the company shut down, lost their job because their time of military service was over), not a single one of them pursued work before their unemployment ran out, and that is fucking sickening. What a disgusting, entitled mindset it is that other people should pay so that you can fuck around. I mean, I don't get that. I saved up some money for a safety net so I could leave my job and pursue better options. I didn't find any, and I put myself in a rotten situation, but I never put that on anyone but myself. It sickens me when people get on unemployment and decide they don't want to bother with looking for work because, fuck it, Skyrim won't play itself, and they spend the next 18 months living off of the backs of people who don't have the luxury to "not work." It's disgusting, and it makes even the most dyed-in-the-wool liberal like me think that we should completely discontinue welfare because it's being abused more often than not.

We need some pretty serious reform to the system. I don't know what that entails, but as it's structured now, it's better for a lot of people to "not work," and that doesn't help a single person in this country.

 

[dawp]

you have to live off what you earn and if the offer is not enough to do that, then I don't blame her one bit for not taking it. if the pay isn't enough to live on after expenses then I wouldn't do it. This from past experience of having done just that.

 

[Rage187]

You should get kicked off unemployment if you turn down a reasonable job.

 

[Gibson486]

I've got news for you youngsters...the job market doesn't treat older people very well either...especially once you hit 45 or so.
Lots of us older folks worked in one trade/profession most of our lives. Transitioning that experience into something completely different is difficult at best...or impossible.

I worked as a crane and heavy equipment operator for over 30 years. After getting hurt on the job, I was retrained as a bookkeeper/accounting clerk. Try tying those together on a resume...

That is not what I meant. If you get laid off after only having one job after college (say 2 years experience), it's not exactly easy to find another when people who have had 6-8 years experience after college are in the job hunt with you looking at the same exact job. I am not really talking about trades people who want to enter a work force that is strongly biased towards a college degree. To you guys, I am not really sure what to tell you.

 

[JulesMaximus]

specifically, unemployed people who turn down jobs because the salary the new jobs are offering is lower than what they're "earning" on unemployment (or comparable, with the added benefit of not having to spend time/money commuting while unemployed)?

I wouldn't take a job paying less than unemployment. What kind of fool would do this?

In fact, I did turn down jobs paying less or comparable to what I was getting on unemployment.

 

[dmcowen674]

Wow, the hate for Americans is so thick in here.

 

[BoomerD]

Wow, the hate for Americans is so thick in here.

Not nearly as thick as it is in P&N.

 

[Patranus]

Why do you think this current generation is calling it "funemployment".

 

[Patranus]

Wow, the hate for Americans is so thick in here.

Jealousy.

Not everyone can live in the greatest society the earth has ever known. I would be jealous of Americans if I was forced to live in a 2nd/3rd world shit hole.

 

[KillerCharlie]

I had a girlfriend that was unemployed, it was terrible.

What's also terrible is the unemployment system. She was an engineer making decent money. Unemployment paid her more than non-engineering jobs so she didn't even bother looking for non-engineering work. They need to limit unemployment compensation.

 

[Patranus]

I had a girlfriend that was unemployed, it was terrible.

What's also terrible is the unemployment system. She was an engineer making decent money. Unemployment paid her more than non-engineering jobs so she didn't even bother looking for non-engineering work. They need to limit unemployment compensation.

And yet certain politicians want to blame other politicians for "hating the middle class" if they even suggest a reduction even though some of the people have been on unemployment for 2 fucking years.

Gotta keep all these entitled feeling young people on "free money" through the next election. How else is a certain politician suppose to buy votes?

 

[nageov3t]

I wouldn't take a job paying less than unemployment. What kind of fool would do this?

In fact, I did turn down jobs paying less or comparable to what I was getting on unemployment.

I blame her a little given that she's 30, lives in her mom's house, and has no expenses other than gas and her cellphone bill, but I wouldn't blame a regular Joe for taking advantage of the system... it just seems like there might be something wrong with a system that encourages staying on unemployment like that.

 

[Modelworks]

Unemployment rules make it harder for people to get back on their feet . I have seen people that are not eligible for unemployment benefits actually do better than those waiting to find that better job on unemployment. These are not lazy people though as one person I know does anything and everything to earn money for his family, he collects aluminum cans when not working, rakes yards, washes cars , whatever will earn him money. When everyone else was without money and jobs he went door to door with a box of trash bags and a rake offering to rake yards for $20, some of his friends laughed at him because he was working all those hours for just $20, but it was money that he wouldn't have had if he just sat at home.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have sympathy for people who lose their jobs if it was not their fault. (ex: mass layoffs and stuff).

I however do not have sympathy for people who are unemployed and stay unemployed and hardly even try to get a job or make money on their own. If I was unemployed I'd do something with all that time, something that can make me money. Start a business of some sort. when you have all the time in the world, anything is possible.

 

[Doppel]

specifically, unemployed people who turn down jobs because the salary the new jobs are offering is lower than what they're "earning" on unemployment (or comparable, with the added benefit of not having to spend time/money commuting while unemployed)?

my best friend is driving me insane... she's been unemployed since July. while being unemployed, though, she's also ridiculously bored, so she's texting me nonstop and expecting me to hang out with her on my days off when I'm not otherwise engaged.

and I love her, but Loki needs his occasional day off to just sit in my apartment by myself playing video games in my underwear and being completely antisocial for the day. if my boyfriend can respect that, I'd think a friend should too.

I used to have sympathy for her, because I'm sure it sucks being unemployed and having nothing to do all day but endlessly apply for jobs, but my sympathy went out the window when I learned that she turned down at least one job offer because it didn't pay enough over what she's making from unemployment to offset gas costs and the general sucktitude of having to work.

I wouldn't work under such a condition, either. Why bother?

 

[JimmiG]

I have sympathy for unemployed people who are trying hard to find work.

Even if the job doesn't pay that much, it looks much better on your resume if you took a crappy job for 18 months than it does if you did nothing during that time. Obviously the job has to pay enough to cover all your expenses, but anything else would be illegal here so it's not really an issue.

I commute, and I'm overqualified and underpaid at my current job, but it's a job and it pays my bills. It also increases my chances of finding a much better job a few years from now.

Trying to start your own business is a waste of time, though. If even large corporations with massive resources are folding or cutting back, there's no chance for one unemployed person to succeed alone without capital. It's the worst time for such experiments. It would only put you in debt.

 

[notposting]

Here in MI they have chopped the state UI to 20 weeks. Will also be implementing something where after 10 weeks you lose it if you could take a job that pays within a certain amount of the UI max.

Not sure how much it will impact me being in electrical...part of the problem for me getting a job is the fact I'm laid off and in a union hiring hall. Look, when I get a job call I'm gone. That being said, despite living in the Detroit area in a construction trade during the last few years, I still have yet to burn through the first unemployment extension tier.

My brother on the other hand. He's one of those people who forced the drastic changes in welfare in MI this year (think they capped it at 48 months lifetime). Fucking leech. He also went through the 99 weeks...playing XBox the whole time. Course, they will just keep popping kids out. His wife was blathering on about them getting approved for some government loan/aid programs for rural housing. Meanwhile even with me only working half a year at best lately and having our first kid we have built our savings, credit scores, all debt paid off...we don't get shit though because we are too wealthy

As far as the payment levels...UI don't pay shit, at least not compared to a real job. For example if I were to go work at McDonald's and start paying for travel and full time babysitting on top of it, that would be a money loser for me versus collecting UI and watching the kid every day now.

So...sure, I have sympathy when it's deserved. If they took away unemployment right now, I would get my ass to work, or we would survive on my wife's wages. You do what you gotta do.

 

[DaWhim]

I was just throwing out generic numbers to make a point

I don't know how much exactly she's making on unemployment, I just got the story that the latest job offer she got wasn't enough of an upgrade to make it worth her while to go back to work.

I see you are in NJ, so I guess that's NJ. the max out she can get is 600 bucks a week. NJ is the 2nd highest after MA which is like 800ish a week.

600 bucks is equivalent to 15 bucks an hour on 40 hours a week! she will need to have a job that pay like $20 an hour.

 

[KillerCharlie]

And yet certain politicians want to blame other politicians for "hating the middle class" if they even suggest a reduction even though some of the people have been on unemployment for 2 fucking years.

Gotta keep all these entitled feeling young people on "free money" through the next election. How else is a certain politician suppose to buy votes?

The more time goes on the more I hate the unemployment system. Why should person A who's unemployed get paid more than person B who's unemployed because they had different jobs? Part of that is because you had to pay more (through your employer) into the unemployment system. The burden on employers for unemployment is huge.

It just seems like it would be better if the employer didn't have to pay so much and less tax money was spent on people who refuse to work at Starbucks because they make more money cashing in checks from the government.

 

[Chaotic42]

$50K/yr on unemployment?
Where do I sign up?

By the time you factor in commute costs, the "loss" due to payroll taxes, etc., it would take $70K/year to equal $50K in unemployment benefits. (of course, unemployment is generally taxable income, so some allowance for that has to be included in the calculation)

No kidding. I think unemployment is ~$225/wk here.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Unemployment shouldn't be so high that people would turn down jobs in favor of it.

 

[SZLiao214]

we need mandatory work camps for people on unemployment.

I can't stand the amount of assistance that healthy people can get.

 

[Gibson486]

I see you are in NJ, so I guess that's NJ. the max out she can get is 600 bucks a week. NJ is the 2nd highest after MA which is like 800ish a week.

600 bucks is equivalent to 15 bucks an hour on 40 hours a week! she will need to have a job that pay like $20 an hour.

highest in MA is 652 a week....

 

[notposting]

I see you are in NJ, so I guess that's NJ. the max out she can get is 600 bucks a week. NJ is the 2nd highest after MA which is like 800ish a week.

600 bucks is equivalent to 15 bucks an hour on 40 hours a week! she will need to have a job that pay like $20 an hour.

At least here in MI, you have to make way more than the max to get it. Think we are capped at $362 here...you need to be making more like $25/hr here to max out the UI.