Dropouts: Discouraged Americans leave labor force

Associated Press ^ | Apr 6, 2013 12:03 PM EDT | Paul Wiseman and Jesse Washington

[jjotto]

Yes, all of Social Security is now a welfare program. SSDI is doubly damaging because there isn’t even the phony accounting entry “paid in”.

BTW, a $400k 60-year annuity at 3% will indeed yield around $1200/month, but that’s almost meaningless given the inflation coming.

[justrepublican]

AP, nuff said.

[marron]

“Leaving the labor force” is how they rig the numbers. You’re still unemployed, but now they don’t have to count you.

Also, what about new graduates from high school or college who can’t find work? You’ve never been in the work force, so again they don’t have to count you.

And if you have a trick knee, but you’ve always worked in spite of it, but now no one is hiring so you take disability (because $1200 is better than nothing) again, now they don’t have to count you.

[OneWingedShark]

Personally I did not have a choice to be in SS or not. My parents signed me into this contract and I have no way of getting out of it. talk about invalid contracts. They provide no way of people ever leaving and you can be stuck in it by someone else. If it was any other contract people would be fighting against it tooth and nail.

You bring up a good point: my Social Security card was signed by my father (I have it somewhere) -- therefore, wouldn't the SS-witholdings constitute a state of involuntary servitude?

[Secret Agent Man]

it’s not servitude as much as it is an involuntary contract. one you cannot get out of even if you never agreed to it in the first place.

if it was anything else courts would apply thousands of years of standing contract law and tens of millions of people would be free to leave social security and get what they paid in involuntarily, back.

[Pining_4_TX]

She did not prepare for a good career, however. This country is awash in counselors, and it is a non-productive job. Now, it may be important to some folks, but it does not create wealth.

[Republican Wildcat]

It isn’t supposed to be this way. After a recession, an improving economy is supposed to bring people back into the job market. Instead, the number of Americans in the labor force—those who have a job or are looking for one—fell by nearly half a million people from February to March, the government said Friday.

Well duh, AP, this has been the story of the entire "recovery" from the beginning - the drop in the unemployment rate has been almost entirely from the dramatic drop in people looking for work. Yet it has been reported by the press with great fanfare as being an a huge economic recovery from this "drop in unemployment" to help Obama get re-elected - but in doing so you sure didn't help anybody else.

[trebb]

She’d already abandoned hope of getting work in her field, counseling the disabled.

Wow - if she can't get a job counseling the disabled, there really are no jobs out there - the "disabled" list is really long and even includes those who wear eyeglasses....Maybe she should have majored in handing out freebies to the lazy and useless; I hear that is a booming industry with a lot of potential.

[EBH]

After a recession, an improving economy is supposed to bring people back into the job market. Instead, the number of Americans in the labor force—those who have a job or are looking for one—fell by nearly half a million people from February to March, the government said Friday

Ok...now that everyone is over their rant about the disabled woman, who is blind, wanting a job...getting disability...

Let's look at what is really going on here. Historically, after every recession America brings fresh and new ideas to the market place. Be it cars, computers, Internet we always recover on the back of some new or greatly improved technology or idea. It is not happening this time or hasn't revealed itself quite yet. So, once must look for the underlying reasons.

Millions have dropped out of the labor force. People who look for jobs, who want jobs, are normally the victims of the "mother of invention." So why not for this recovery?

There are a number of factors that play in to this new model. First is the education system. The push to get people into career paths be it through college or some vocational 2 year programs actually results in a diminished capacity to problem solve, daydream, and creates career ruts for what now appears to be millions of Americans. They have essentially learned to do one thing and can't do anything else. The education of several generations has failed to teach the life skills in order to survive life's ups and downs. To think critically and outside the box in order to survive in times like this and to flourish in times of prosperity.

Second, government regulations are daunting things to navigate. I believe this is the reason many people shy away from starting their own businesses vs. going on the government dole. Government regulation and enforcement has snuffed out the American Dream. So the narrowly educated person in the first consideration who would have maybe struck out on their own, finds a system in place the proves to be not only be daunting, but impossible to legally navigate. And if they do attempt it, find even at the smallest of businesses the taxes are overwhelming for the effort put forth to produce work, income, and jobs.

Lastly, while some here may not agree, in fact you may vehemently disagree. These people have essentially gone Galt to a degree. They have simply chosen to not participate in a system that fails to reward productivity. Creating work for oneself, self-employment, is never easy and it gets more difficult everyday as layer upon layer of regulation, fee, and taxes are heaped upon the heads of those who choose to be productive. The question truly becomes...'why participate?'

Lastly, as a conservative am I any different than the rest of the folks who simply have chosen to not participate in this system anymore? A few weeks ago I mentioned my taxes were done and the accountant told me to take my tax return down to the benefits office and go get some of my money back in the form of government benefits.

Who is John Galt now?

[GOPJ]

So each of these people are living like they had worked and saved $400,000? Must be nice. Guess we’re the fools...