Posted on 10/25/2009 7:04:25 AM PDT by Flavius
It is well known that during the nation’s gale-force recession, many older Americans who dreamed of retirement continued to work, often because their 401(k)’s had plunged in value.
In fact, there are more Americans 65 and older in the job market today than at any time in history, 6.6 million, compared with 4.1 million in 2001
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
One of my older brothers has been a manager of a Shop Rite supermarket for years. He says older folks and retirees are the dependable, hard-working employees he’s ever had. He’s told me lots of times the younger crowd thinks their doing you a favor by just showing up.
One of my older brothers has been a manager of a Shop Rite supermarket for years. He says older folks and retirees are the dependable, hard-working employees he’s ever had. He’s told me lots of times the younger crowd thinks their doing you a favor by just showing up.
I wonder how many are trying to support their lazy assed off spring, who are too lazy to take any job, that will help support them, while riding out the recession? sarc/
Oh man, you better believe it! All during my 30s I worked in Telecommunications at a local hospital. Whenever I was looking for a new switchboard operator, I always tried to hire 50+. Totally reliable, on time, no fussing and drama, no silliness, no complaining. They caught on quick and were good at what they did. I loved it when I had a batch of them to hire. Tried very hard not to hire 20 somethings although we did have a few really good ones. Give me a seasoned worker any day.
“Instead, the level of indebtedness among older Americans has risen faster than in any other age group, partly because so many obtained second mortgages to take money out of their homes.”
.....during the housing boom I knew a guy in his 50s that did a cash-out re-fi on his home....he used the money to take his family on a European vacation....he was bragging about what a great low interest rate deal he got...meanwhile, I’m thinking the guy will be in his 80s before the mortgage is paid off...if he lives so long.
“Once again, cheap stuff, isn’t”, but overpriced is always overpriced.
I think you have too much union thought in blaming Walmart. If businesses were interested in competition rather than protectionism; Walmart would have been just another competitor. Funny, in an apples to apples comparison, union made crap costs 3 times as much and is of the same or lesser quality. Perhaps had the unions been less powerful GM wouldn’t mean Government Motors.
The one additional thought, the collapse of the dollar may well help with the importation of goods we can no longer afford them and the few producers left in America, will be stronger through export. The American worker could become the new sweat shop of the world thanks to Unions and their Marxist Brethren in Washington.
I was visiting friends who had a recent HS grad - she (the daughter) was snickering about one of her friends who had a summer job and was trying to dictate that the employer work around HER schedule. Good grief. Give me an AARP member.
I have a friend whose brother is 59. He had worked for the same company his whole life. The division of the company for which he worked was shut down, so now he has a midnight shift position in another factory.
The guy has been told he has no hope of rising up the ladder, unless he goes back to school and completes his GED. He and his wife will put their home on the market soon.
He and his wife are decent, working-class folks and he’s worked hard all of his life.
Work your fingers to the bone. What do you get?
Boney fingers.
In today’s job market, you take what you can to hold you over. There are jobs out there, if you are a worker you will find one. My daughter found 3 in a week. She will do what she has to, rather than spend the week sitting on her but in front of a computer, or watching Maury or Oprah and collect un employment. When I was out of work, I started my own business and tripled my previous salary. I didn’t make it sitting at home feeling sorry for myself.(That was during the Bush Recession of the early 90’s.) Cheap crap? We priced ourselves out of the market. Remember when a new 57 Chev. only cost about $2000.00? a new 68 Mustang was only $2400? A new 3br home was $14,990? Candy bars were still a nickle? What Happen???? Geeee, Doctors even made house calls, a tooth filling was $15. I think Greed killed us more than anything else. We became spoiled, and lost all sense of values. The 65+ generation are the sons and daughters of the greatest generation. For the most part, they probably worked all their lives with very few complaints. It wasn’t total “give me”.
A couple observations/IMO’s:
1. We have an “aging population.” Common sense tell us with more people over 65, any other number will be larger, including employment.
2. This article focuses on the huge manatee aspects and I wonder if that is the bigger picture. Thinking of relatives, friends, and aquaintances between 65-80, a lot of them do have jobs. I have a 75 year old cousin who works a Saturday night job he has had for probably 30 years. I know of several retirees who have kept the side job and retired from the main job. Others have found odd jobs that get them around people and doing something they enjoy.
Studies have shown that proper stimulation in elderly leads to better health and longer life and this is probably helping.
I buy Walmart starting with Pet food which is much cheaper then the groceries or the pet stores. I buy a lot of items at Walmart today in the grocery section as they come from the surrounding states as well as my own.
I am saving money and if Walmart gives me the best buy on an item that is where I am going to purchase the item.
Also why I bought a new Toyota when looking for a car. Cost less for what I got and reliability has been great. I go out of my way not to buy an item made by the union after the last Chrysler product.
No one buys this BS...
I've personally had directors of human resources tell me off the record, for the most part, if you're over 50 in today's American and out of work, your done!
They see a liability, not an employee...They see someone they can't con, or pull around by nose, or pay 1990s wages to...
Unfortunatly hard work is not an end in itself.
Its true, alot of what you say however the evidence of older employees is there. The HR managers will come to the realization soon enough that if there is no one willing to do the job, even twenty-something slackers, there won’t be a need for a whole lot of HR managers.
OSHA is an acronym for Government intervention gone mad. In a free market, we can choose which company we will work for and live where we can afford to live. Sometimes we do take jobs that are less than ideal or safe but, in a free market we can look for that new job to get us out of there. Perhaps, if the government tried keeping our borders secure, there would be enough work to enhance the value of our work. That would improve our conditions without artificial regulation designed to enrich trial attorneys. If we can’t be more efficient than slave labor, then perhaps we deserve to be challenged.
If you want to use China as the whipping boy; note that China has over-subsidized it manufacturers and is suffering from an 8.5% annual industrial growth rate. This does not bode well for their continued expansion. Not to mention, their shrinking world market. Economic balance is never static and there are many changes coming in spite of governmental interventions attempt to make it worse.
Clearly, I don’t drink the Kool-Aid that government is any kind of panacea for workers.
The sticker price of a 1957 Bel Air hardtop was $2,299. That equals $17,669.49 in today’s dollars. Many cars are available for that sticker price...................................... Yeah, like a Chevy Cobalt? A 67 Mustang was $2400, where can I find that new Mustang for about $17000? I bet that 67 Mustang in mint shape isn’t around for 17,000 either.
Not a huge difference. ................. Only a mere 20%. If it was sales tax, 20% is no big deal. The Mustang was a Sprint Model w/ a 6cyl..
And there is a reason why he not going back to complete his GED?
I know people who worked two jobs and went to night school. It can be done.
Whe hubby’s company hired the last 10 people they hired a few months back all of them are over the age of 40 and one is close to 60. The HR dept said they were getting tired of having to hire 20 of the under 35 crowd and only have 2 left after 60 days. Many are working much later than they did a decade ago. I’m sure we will be working much longer than the at 55 he is eligible for, he is 52 now with 32 years in at his job.The cost of living keeps rising we can’t afford to have a fixed income yet when we could live to be 100.
Workers check in, but they don't check out.
They had best be careful to kill the boomers quick because killing us slowly with neglect through the denial of health care, will surely be very unhealthy for them. We might be the generation to handle the Marxists/Fascists once and for all.
>And there is a reason why he not going back to complete his GED?<
I didn’t ask. Perhaps, once he adapts to working the midnight shift (a jolt to someone who has worked days his entire life) he may attempt it.
I’ve known folks who have gone back for their GEDs and found it to be a valuable experience in many ways, not just economic. I think a lot of it can be done by home-study.
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