Posted on 11/30/2010 4:44:57 PM PST by The Magical Mischief Tour
Although the deadline to file for extended unemployment insurance is officially Nov. 30, many jobless have already filed their last claim for benefits.
And since lawmakers aren't likely to extend the deadline anytime soon, many more unemployed Americans will run out of their extended federal benefits in coming weeks. About 2 million people are expected to stop receiving checks in December.
Though President Obama on Tuesday called on Congress to extend unemployment benefits, lawmakers are still fighting over the expense. Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, introduced a bill Monday night that would extend benefits through next year at a cost of $56.4 billion. But Republicans are likely to balk at the price tag.
While they debate, state unemployment agencies are very concerned about the impending end to these extended jobless payments, which they say people depend on to cover their rent and buy food.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
What? And let the eeeeeevil slime mom raise the kid in a hyperliberal household without having any moderating influence? No.
Of course it all depends on many factors. In my case I think I'd go it alone at first, live very cheaply and try to send money home every week.
In general I wouldn't say it makes sense to go from 1 job to 0 on a hunch.
Do you have any idea what the cost is of selling a home, and renting a Uhaul to pack everything across the country?
Yes, I've done it several times. It may still be your best bet. You have to be brutally honest. It would be far better for a lot of people to sell the house now, even if it's for less than they wanted, to get rid of the debt which they will be completely unable to service.
The house isn't what it used to be, especially if it's in a dying economic zone (think places that went big for Obama and are over-burdened with structural problems like California or simply crashed like Las Vegas.) Without the house you now have total mobility and the ability to live on a lot less money. I am almost done paying for my house, but if I had it to do over I'd rent. The house across the street rents for a lot less than my mortgage payment. A buddy has a nice older ranch-style and pays 1/2 what I pay in mortgage payments. Over 15 years he'd have enough money in the bank to either buy a house with cash, or live for years on those savings.
As for furniture, etc. I'd be real tempted to sell it all. Yep, it's expensive to move stuff coast to coast. You can get decent used furniture where ever you go (lots of other people doing the same thing).
In this economy, do you really believe a job even in a low unemployment state, is secure?
No. And I don't think our economy is going to recover anytime soon.
The game has changed. The old rules are not necesarily the best ones. I'm looking at everything all the time and planning escape secenarios, doing "what if" analysis and trying hard to preserve and grow my savings for when the ax falls.
Part of my experience is growing up in Detroit. When I graduated from college I made a decision to leave, based on what I perceived as the weakness of the economy. It was a good decision.
I notice you live in Pennsylvania. Do you think things will improve there? Philly, well I can't imagine wanting to stay there based on my perceptions of it, I think there are many nicer places with less crime and corruption in the USA. Pittsburg I find beautiful, but how's the economy? It strikes me as "rust belt". In between are lovely places but industry just isn't going to go back into high-cost, cold weather Union states. And therefore the service industry isn't going to be that robust either. If I owned 100 acres or more I'd stay put, but if I had a cracker-box suburban home I'd bail out and head somewhere more RED.
Socialism has always failed everywhere it's been tried. The best thing to do in the USSR was *leave*, to improve your life. The Socialist Parts of America will continue to suffer and be not-so-great to live in. If we can elect a solid Conservative Congress and President we can save the Red States, but the cake-is-baked in most of the Blues, including Blue-that-just-turned Red states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.
I am reading so many comments here in favor of never ending extended unemployment benefits, and Simply cannot believe that I am on a conservative website.
How is it that people think that borrowing the money to pay people who don’t work is a good thing? Do people understand 1.3 trillion in additional debt in one year? Do people want to stimulate the economy with borrowed money? In the long run that ends in disaster because at the very least taxes must be raised to pay for it(and that is no longer enough-as well as causing a further fall in the economy). It is a transfer of wealth. It is communal system. That is the same system that resulted in the death of over half of the pilgrims.
In this case however it is suicidal for another reason. We are so far in debt that we can never escape. It is going to swallow us up. In the long run the entire nation is going to be destitute because everyone reasons that because of hard times they are entitled to a handout at everyone else’s expense. Mortgage,Medical,Food,Cars,appliances, and a whole lot more. There is no end to the list.
We can keep borrowing, but eventually our ability to borrow is going to get cut off. And when it does there is going to be a sudden stop! We will end in a big bang. We will not even have Charity to help us then because we will be collectively broke. Even the Children not yet born.
The only question then is if we move into mad max or become a slave to our debtors.
Lol! Good point!
I’ll be crossing my fingers and toes that things turn around soon. :)
I detest the entire unemploymnet insurance system. I would abolish it if I had my way. It assumes people are too stupid to save for a rainy day. And — it’s a self fulfilling prophecy because people think the Government will take care of them.
I’ve paid into it for almost 40 years and never taken a cent. If I was unemployed I would feel “entitiled” to it based on my contributions. I suspect (but would need to do some math to assure myslef) that even at 99 weeks I’d be getting a lot less back than what I’d have to spend if they government hadn’t confiscated it.
If we must have Unemployment insurance it should be individual — you build up your account and when you are unemployed you get it paid back out. Maybe you can get an advance which you have to pay back at some point in the future, I’m not sure.
But right now it’s just another wealth-transfer program. My liberal buddy thinks “its just one of those things, like other insurnace programs, that every civilized nation should have”.
My counter is that it is unconstitutional and therefore illegal, and should be abolished or re-authorized by Constitutional Ammendment.
But if you accept that people need unemployment payments surpassing their own forced savings + interest then logically you should also believe in some sort of Government Health Insurance program (though maybe not the attrocity of Obamacare, but why not “Medicare for Everyone”.
My friend basically paraphrased Marx in our conversation: You know people who have more shoud pay more to take care of those who just were unlucky, or not priviliged. “From each according to his ability, to each according to their needs” is, I believe the proper formulation of Marxism in one sentence. He agreed, and agrees with that philosophy, and votes for it, and thinks unemployment is a good program.
Would they then not move?
There are 6 unemployed people for every one job opening in this country. The math is not there to fix this... once they lose this little bit of money all thats left for them to do is either starve to death or steal food etc...
I agree the debt is out of control, but unemployed in this country did not bankrupt us. You need to look elsewhere to lay that blame.
I have just one question for you...
Are you over 55?
U6, real unemployment comparable to the Great Depresssion, is close to 20%. During the Great Depresssion, it was 24%.
During the Great Depresssion they had food lines.....today we do not. Unemployment benefits are the modern day equivalent. If you take them away from millions, the least you could do is to implement soup lines.
You can get multiple trades in a year.
I know of one accelerated Phlebotomy course that takes either five days, or five weeks (if you go at one class a week). Then there are Microsoft Office courses you can take and get certified within three months and Medical Terminology that will take three months to get.
So if you took the Office and Terminology course at the same time, that’s two in three months and another within one week or five. People need ot stop hankering after executive positions and if you have a solid trade, then you are more likely to survive, even set up shop.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "When I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." Well I hope to God you never have to experience long term unemployment.
I'll agree with you that most of them are just trying to do right by their families, but I know LOTS of people on unemployment who aren't even looking for a job. They're keeping very busy being stay at home parents to their kids while their spouses continue to work. And they're absolutely counting on that check to keep their family afloat. I know two people who aged out of it and both of them had (one electrician, one carpenter) had work within a week. They spent their 99 weeks on unemployment fixing up their houses, their mothers' houses, buying the groceries, driving the kids around to school and practice, etc., all while their wives worked. In short, with a little bit of belt tightening, their families have been able to enjoy a much better quality of life than when they had two parents working full time jobs.
I wouldn't call most of the folks I know collecting unemployment deadbeats, but there's no doubt in my mind that quite a few of them have been gaming the system.
Now, I think there's a real question whether quality jobs are out there waiting for them, but in this part of the country (Philly), there can be no doubt jobs, albeit lousy low paying ones, are around. However, painting the 99 weekers as victims is just not the reality I'm observing in my neck of the woods.
People over 55 don't eat? You do what yo got to do, at 15, 35 or 55. A person at 55 :
What's your story? What are you living on?
The tyranny of the "poor" is a form of slavery to those still working. The Butcher said a lot of things, don't get me started.
I do agree that hiring illegals is a form of slavery.
Savings, home equity, credit cards, consulting gigs, roommates rent, selling stuff, loans, luck, the kindness of strangers...
If you really think unemployment is a day at the beach (and it sounds as though you do)....I will make a deal with you.
I will trade you my unemployment check for your paycheck. Deal?
So glad I stocked up Oct. 08....saw it coming.
Too bad I had that accident on Lake Mead, may they rest in peace on the bottom.
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