Homelessness grows as more live check-to-check

USA Today ^ | 8/12/03 | Stephanie Armour

[Gothmog]

Homelessness in major cities is escalating as more laid-off workers already living paycheck-to-paycheck wind up on the streets or in shelters.

As Americans file for bankruptcy in record numbers and credit card debt explodes, more workers are a paycheck away from losing their homes. Now the frail economy is pushing them over the edge. With 9 million unemployed workers in July, the face of homelessness is changing to include more families shaken by joblessness.

[Eva]

Laid-off workers living pay-check to pay-check? I didn't think you got a pay check if you didn't work?

[samuel_adams_us]

Did you forget the gov paycheck called unemployment?

[Eva]

I don't consider an unemployment check a paycheck. It's welfare.

[samuel_adams_us]

Oh, guess you have never been unemployed then? You ever paid unemployment taxes? From someone who is unemployed, not me, it might seem like you are finally getting some of your hard earned dollars back for a good cause, otherwise the government is just going to spend on it studying how cow farts affect the ozone.

[Eva]

What line of work are you in?

[samuel_adams_us]

Real Estate and Banking.

[Eva]

I thought that real estate was booming in most of the country.

[samuel_adams_us]

Not quite, the real estate market is starting to decline also as those IT people leave their homes to the bank. Guess how office space is selling Denver these days? It's not. Rentals are just trying to find someone who will live there. Reminds me of the mid 80's around here when I used to pick up dozen 3500 square foot homes at a time at 65k a piece.

[Eva]

My daughter was in real estate in Austin until six months ago. I had to finally tell her to get a job, that I was not going to help her any more. Austin real estate market tanked with the computer industry and Dell sending all there support work to India and hiring nothing but temps for sales. The only sales people that still have jobs there are the ones who handled corporate accounts.

Houses are selling at record pace up here in WA state, average price homes are selling in less than two weeks. $500,000 ramblers are selling fast, too.

[samuel_adams_us]

Hope it remains that way! If the rest of the market other than Texas and Colorado, starts the downward trend, the economy will be in super sorry shape and it will be shanty town time again. My father used to tell me stories about sweeping the sand out of their house in bowie texas during the depression, not a place or time I would like to be involved with.

[DugwayDuke]

"Excuse me I said nothing about imposing anything on anyone."

When did you decide that imposing protective tariffs was a bad idea?

"I did not advocate the government doing anything I merely said that Boeing has an enlightened self interest in paying a good wage to its employees so that there will be a healthy American economy."

So, you believe Boeing has a social obligation beyond making a profit?

"Are you so hateful of people who work for a living that you feel there should be some mandate they get a lower wage?"

I'm not the slightest bit hateful of people who work for a living. In fact, I've been defending their interest in access to low cost, quality merchandise.

"If you are going to mandate such a system then I would suggest that that is the epitome of sociailism. acompany should be free to pay a market wager or any wage they wish over market to their employees. If they see paying more than the supply and demand figure in order to get more loyal happier employees that is their business."

Then why advocate protective tariffs?

[harpseal]

"Excuse me I said nothing about imposing anything on anyone."

The discussion at this point was focused on the decision being made by Boeing as to what wages to pay their employees. When did you decide that imposing protective tariffs was a bad idea?

I did not make this decision but I was going to the topic of the moment which was what factors should wise manangement consider in deciding what wage to offer empluyees to attract what will then be loyal employees presumin managemnet decides taht such loyalty is in their interest.

"I did not advocate the government doing anything I merely said that Boeing has an enlightened self interest in paying a good wage to its employees so that there will be a healthy American economy."

So, you believe Boeing has a social obligation beyond making a profit?

No I did not say that. Would you take the same inference had I said it is in Boeings enlightened self interest to use sound accounting principles and figure in the risk factor incalculating return on investment as part of their decision making process.

"Are you so hateful of people who work for a living that you feel there should be some mandate they get a lower wage?"

I'm not the slightest bit hateful of people who work for a living. In fact, I've been defending their interest in access to low cost, quality merchandise.Since I was advocating that Boeing act in its self interest in paying wages that are relatively lucrative for loyal employees the only inference I could draw from your statement was you were for mandating via government edict maximum wages for jobs at Boeing. Now as to your allegation that you are for people able to get low cost quality merchandise. They will be unable to do that without tariffs in place because wo many will be unemployed that taxes will have to rise to cover the benefuts that will be paid to them taht they will vote themselves.

"If you are going to mandate such a system then I would suggest that that is the epitome of sociailism. acompany should be free to pay a market wager or any wage they wish over market to their employees. If they see paying more than the supply and demand figure in order to get more loyal happier employees that is their business."

Then why advocate protective tariffs?

Because tariffs are against any socialism as anyone who has studied the history of economic knows. They predate socialist theory by many years. They work to encourage Capitalism. Are you really going to try to argue that American in the period from 1780 to 1800 was a Sociailist state? Good luck.

Now tell me again why Boeing should not be free to pay what they can freely negotiate with their workers. AT what level do the wage controls stop. Will you let the company pay more for one skill than another? can the company raise the rate paid for certain skills that they do not immediately find? You are the one who criticzed my advise to Boeing to act in their enlightened self interest.

Some other advice to Boeing in your enlightened self interest continue R&D for the future as it will pay you great future benefits. Do the R&D even though you do not see what the return on investment will be when you start the project and can not accurately predict the results.