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800,000 Jobless Americans to Lose Aid
USA Today / AP ^ | 12/28/2002 | AP Staff

Posted on 12/28/2002 11:13:08 AM PST by ex-Texan

Edited on 04/13/2004 1:40:14 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

WASHINGTON (AP)

(Excerpt) Read more at usatoday.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: dimsstupid; joblesscheckslapse
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To: Archangelsk
Unemployment is up to 6 percent and it's the highest it's been for a number of years. Therefore, I believe it's compassionate of Mr. Bush to request an extension of unemployment benefits.

That said, I also agree with the many comments about people must become more self-reliant and make do with less. That's a lesson we'll all have to learn someday, when we retire.

301 posted on 12/29/2002 8:33:11 PM PST by Ciexyz
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To: Ciexyz
The benefits have already been extended. How long is "compassionate"?
302 posted on 12/29/2002 8:35:41 PM PST by Republic of Texas
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To: Prolix
What is the difference whether or not the employee writes the check to insurance company or the employer does? Either way the cash is coming from the same pot.

Um... No, it isn't. Last time I looked, the employee's pot is different than the employer's pot.

Some is paid to insurance companies as a benefit for the employee.

'Unemployment Insurance' is an 'employee benefit'? I don't agree. For one, it's not optional... The state mandates that businesses pay 'unemployment insurance'. I've always seen it as a tax on business.

303 posted on 12/29/2002 8:36:21 PM PST by TheEngineer
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To: marajade
During the 80's the #1 piece of the GNP in Poland was Social Security Checks from "undocumented" Polish immigrants who worked in the US and then "retired" to Poland. It is said that our Social Security System financed the Polish struggle.

In contrast, relative to the amount of Social Security paid in, the amount paid back to undocumented Mexicans is minuscule. The difference is my ex-neighbor, Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, who was quite effective at getting the "undocumented" Poles to vote his way in Chicago elections. He took care of his voters by making sure his Ways and Means Committee took care of them.

304 posted on 12/29/2002 9:04:27 PM PST by spintreebob
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To: PatrioticAmerican
Bingo. I married one. But my opinion was pretty much the same long before I ever met her.
305 posted on 12/29/2002 9:05:50 PM PST by spintreebob
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To: marajade
If illegals don't get welfare then what was the point in Prop 187 which prohibited giving welfare to illegals?

The fact is Social Workers can give aid to illegals in many forms, and they can recommend welfare, which is a pencil whip approval.

306 posted on 12/29/2002 9:18:48 PM PST by PatrioticAmerican
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To: clamper1797
Agreed. The government should replace Social Security, Unempoyment, Workers Comp, Health Insurance, etc with one consolidated RAINY DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT.

The employer would include his half of Social Security, and unemployment, and workers com in the paycheck GROSS. The money would be deducted from paychecks like any DIRECT DEPOSIT in a "fund". The employee could place it in any money market, balanced or unbalanced "fund" he chose. The employee could have a debit card which he would present to health care providers, etc for direct payment.

The employee would be very conscious that it was his money that he was in control of. Any he did not spend now he would have later, maybe with interest, depending on his choice of investments.

This removes the vast overhead of current administrative systems. 90% of us would come out ahead. Yes, 10% of people would misuse their money and suffer for it. They would get what they deserve. Note that illegal aliens did not create the government created problems we have. My parents and my boomer generation of idiot citizens created this problem by electing idiots to government.

Incidentally, government entitlements for immigrants is a totally different subject than allowing immigrants to work and earn their own money.

307 posted on 12/29/2002 9:19:49 PM PST by spintreebob
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To: PatrioticAmerican
Once again... Illegals don't get TANF and FS... Again, social workers provide referrals... Welfare workers determine eligibility...
308 posted on 12/30/2002 5:41:23 AM PST by marajade
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To: spintreebob
RAINY DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT

Actually I agree with this. I don't think that the government should be in the UI business. I think that people should be able to buy their own UI policy from whatever company would offer it. A company could buy it for their employees as a perk. I think that most people who are drawing UI would not object to it being a loan to be paid back at some later date. I am sure that a lot of people that are laid off would have been happy to purchase a layoff insurance policy

BUT that is not why I am posting on this thread. I am out here because a few morons out here think that the laid high tech workers are a bunch of lazy shiftless people who are staying out of work just to get that measly $4000 in extra UI. They offer boneheaded ideas about taking "any" job when in fact those jobs ARE NOT open to the laid off high tech worker. Instead of helping with the real problem which is the importation of the H1B worker and the migration of our high tech industry to offshore sites they give out imbecilic "advice" about getting some minimum wage job at K-Mart which would pay less than what is provided by UI. They just can't get it into their heads that the high tech worker spends many many hours a week looking for a job and can't work 40 hours at Burger King and still be available for interviews, job fairs and travel (for interviews). Some of these people believe that the high tech worker has not tried to get jobs even in those low paying areas when in fact they are working many hours a day to do exactly that (I know because I did). Some say that the high tech worker should have a saving account without ever considering that most did have investments and large accounts that were wiped out after 9-12 months of mortgage payments while unemployed. A lot (including myself) lost all their savimg and investments. Some want the high tech professional to sell their homes at a major loss move the family into Aunt Marthas and move to some Podunk town to sweep floors in some perverse modern day Grapes of Wrath.

What they thinly veil is their envy of the well educated highly skilled highly motivated high tech worker for their education and the success they used to enjoy. They refuse to believe that these people have worked very hard all their lives to build a lifelong career and are doing EVERYTHING they can to save it. They don't understand it because they themselves really haven't worked all that hard to get where they are at and have no clue what it takes to dedicate one's life to a career including many years of higher education and hard work gaining the skills necessary to build a viable career. In their little inexperienced clueless minds they think that a 25 year engineering career has as much value as their little "throw away" job and does not merit saving.

They also relish the pain the high tech workers are going thru because in their minds it validates their own inane decision to forgo higher education and take their little "throw away" job. They offer assinine suggestions to "take any job" at the first sign of trouble because thats the only jobs these idiots can get.

What these fools don't realize is that these people are the backbone of Americas' technology and without them and the industry that is quickly being moved offshore this country will no longer be the technical giant it used to be. Without our high tech our country is not going to be a super power for long and these idiots had better learn to speak Arabic of Chinese very quickly.

So that is why I am on this thread

309 posted on 12/30/2002 7:44:42 AM PST by clamper1797
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To: Publius6961
And I bet that you are steadfastly insisting on considering only jobs that pay you your former salary... Nothing for less, not even temporarily.

Funny you should say that. I was layed off in NYC right after Sept. 11. It was Oct 5th 2001 to be exact. And I immediately went on Unemployment because I had no income coming in and was out of work for 8 months pounding the pavement every day. Finally I was able to get a job at $13,000 less a year than what I was previously making. I took it because I knew I needed money and would probably still be out if I didn't. The whole time I was out there I knew and the employment agencies told me that I would NOT get the same salary I was making. Believe me when I got the job I was so happy to have work that I didn't care and I still don't. I look at it this way - when the job market picks up again (and it will) I can always look for another job making more money.

310 posted on 12/30/2002 1:38:10 PM PST by areafiftyone
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To: spintreebob
We already have Rainy Day Savings Accounts. Just go down to your local bank, and open one. Then put money in. Pretty simple.
311 posted on 12/30/2002 4:00:39 PM PST by Republic of Texas
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To: clamper1797
They offer assinine suggestions to "take any job" at the first sign of trouble because thats the only jobs these idiots can get.
I was looking for words to describe what I feel when people on here say "Start working at Burger King then!" when they talk about laid off high tech workers.
And dittos to your bringing up the H1b and total migration of jobs to cheaper, socialistic, countries. Its now in the corporation's best interests to keep the foreign governments less-free as it keeps wages down and to do have some sort of rigged system where people can make $5/hr and live like kings as the government picks up the tab, to be paid 50 years down the road after our economy is wrecked.
I think the way out of this is to disband most of the H1b program and to tax exported services done in countries that have absurdly low cost of living rates.
312 posted on 12/30/2002 9:58:03 PM PST by lelio
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To: Republic of Texas
Some say that the high tech worker should have a saving account without ever considering that most did have investments and large accounts that were wiped out after 9-12 months of mortgage payments while unemployed. A lot (including myself) lost all their savimg and investments.

Pretty simple

and so are you ....

313 posted on 12/31/2002 7:10:27 AM PST by clamper1797
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To: lelio
I think the way out of this is to disband most of the H1b program and to tax exported services done in countries that have absurdly low cost of living rates.

And severly cut corporate taxes here in the good ol USA

314 posted on 12/31/2002 7:24:26 AM PST by clamper1797
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To: clamper1797
" A lot (including myself) lost all their savimg and investments. "

You lost that money because you didn't invest soundly, got greedy and didn't sell in time. I did too, the only difference is I'm not on here whining about it asking everyone else (who lost as well) to bail me out.

315 posted on 12/31/2002 7:30:02 AM PST by Republic of Texas
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To: Republic of Texas
How would you know what I invested in ... moron
316 posted on 12/31/2002 7:30:57 AM PST by clamper1797
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To: clamper1797
We do agree on disbanding H1b and cutting taxes. But with tax cuts come service (see: wealth transfer) cuts. I'm ok with that, are you?
317 posted on 12/31/2002 7:32:18 AM PST by Republic of Texas
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To: Republic of Texas
Again you did not read what I wrote ... so one LAST time ...

Actually I agree with this. I don't think that the government should be in the UI business. I think that people should be able to buy their own UI policy from whatever company would offer it. A company could buy it for their employees as a perk. I think that most people who are drawing UI would not object to it being a loan to be paid back at some later date. I am sure that a lot of people that are laid off would have been happy to purchase a layoff insurance policy

318 posted on 12/31/2002 7:35:33 AM PST by clamper1797
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To: clamper1797
" How would you know what I invested in ... moron "

" A lot (including myself) lost all their savimg and investments. "

Simply, your own words. WHAT, specifically you invested in in unimportant, the results speak for themselves. Successful investing means that you end up with more than you started with. You didn't. You were unsuccessful. People that got out in time, WERE successful. There weren't many, but it happened. You, like myself and many others went along with the masses. That group rarely scores big in any market. Learn from it and quit bitching.

319 posted on 12/31/2002 7:37:16 AM PST by Republic of Texas
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To: clamper1797
If you think the government should NOT be in charge of UI, why do you advocate the government extending it? Like SS, if we are going to get gov't out of that business, ANYTIME you do it will be painful for someone. If you wait for a time when no one is affected, it will never happen.

BTW, on this thread, you've claimed UI is a gov't program and that it isn't. Which is it? (kind of a trick question, granted)

320 posted on 12/31/2002 7:41:10 AM PST by Republic of Texas
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