O/T Add me to the list of unemployed.

The government is best that governs least- Thomas Jefferson.

 

Yeah... no one is special if everybody gets an award on field day.

~Jason

 

OK, OK, enough already....
There is enough blame to go around...............

Since this Counrty's "good old days train" has left the station many years ago, we need to maintain what we have left and then start to do the repairing to our Nation.
Fighting with eachother just accelerates the damage.
Sounds like we need a HAMB-Nation...we could call it JalopyBurg or something, but until then, we are all in this together.

We either stick together like this Nation did in World War II or we all sit around and complain and fight while we slowly raise the flag of China up our flagpoles.

The purpose of this thread was supposed to be a common ground arena where we could all express our concerns for our jobs, families and over-all financial well-being. The shaky nature of today's job market and jump in the cost of living is directly impacting our fellow HAMBers...some of them, some of them with terrible results.

Now, lets get back on topic and maybe use some positive suggestions or at least some compassion.
There are many people in the world that want to see us fail. By infighting with one-another we are doing our best to help them tear us apart, and I, for one, do not want to help them succeed.

 

Well said. The loss of jobs is real loss. Paper loss is just paper, but unfortunately we are allowing perception of loss to hoist us on our own petard. Like I said earlier about plastics, we used to lead the world, now we don't. We need to get that back. That's wealth for everyone, hitting business to "redistribute wealth" is short sighted, because they eventually move offshore. Federal Mogul moved all of their piston manufacturing to India, and the operation here was making good money. The stuff from India is so bad you can't even use it. We have to get our jobs going again. One string that runs through my life since age 14 until I had to retire early from bad health has been work. It got through the "theoretical criseses" the stock market went through, there were high unemployment levels at times, but it came back because we had options. We worked. I think the unemployment rate is alot higher and stated inflation is alot lower, because in all of my life I have never seen so many people bereft of hope. We need to get it back, and its going to have to be with local jobs, local economies, and real production, not paper wealth. How many people can still shoe a horse? I can and I'm blind. Its skills and investment in labor, and quality of life thats going to get us there. But we can't give up hope, that is what got us through the dark days of the depression and WWII. Lets all take up the rope and pull the greedy bastards back over to our side. We might get muddy doing it, but that never hurt anyone.

I am ready to dig in and do anything I can do to help. I have hired alot of people, and helped younger folks develop their competence and confidence. I'll do all I can to help. Lets do it, we're pinned down by enemy fire, and we cant stay here. Lets get a plan to not only get out of here, but secure the area. One set of eyes can't do that, we need to quit looking for a savior or a scapegoat. It takes a platoon from grunt to guns to shavetail to get it done. And we can, because we have.

 

Actually in life and health insurance they won't write you if you are over a certain weight to height ratio unless its a "rated" (read expensive) policy with restrictions that do not allow you claim if you die of complications of obesity. Orwell's 1984 is here. Also your medical records? The MIB has them for any underwriter to review, and they can declare pre-existing condition exclusions to your health policy, genarally 2 year exlusions to claims on those conditions before they start paying. I racked up some medical bills going through one of those exclusion periods. They are paid off, but man, its a killer. Its ironic, but not seeking adequate medical care because of these costs is a good part of why I am as unhealthy as I am. In those two years, my health went to total shit, I couldn't afford my medications. When I worked to try to keep going I got kicked in the head breaking up a fight in a health facility and the rest of my useable vision went. I can see shadows but thats about it.

 

I have read some posts here saying you have to be willing to take less money and do a job lower down the line to prove yourself and get into a company. The last two jobs I have had were just that, lower paid and less than I am capable of professionally, and both have ended in my position being eliminated. I worked the hell out of both jobs and tried to play the political game in the office, but it just didn't matter. At the last place they kept the younger tech who never shut up for the entire day and thought he knew everything. I guess management believed him, and there is something to learn from that.

I learned lots at both jobs and for this I am thankful. However, it feels like I have worked very hard to get nowhere fast.

I am 39 and looking to change careers completely now and take advantage of some government training packages to become a licensed electrician or HVAC or something that pays well and is fairly stable, with less of the politics and more based on your abilities and certifications.

If I sound bitter, it has been a couple of weeks since I got the news about my job and it stings a little as I thought I was doing a great job and the company was doing fine. Surprise!

Anyway, good luck to all, especially my american brothers and sisters and it seems to be even worse down there. Let's get back to a place where we can jump in the hot rod and burn some rubber just for the hell of it.

Peace.

Andrew

 

ajmopar, you don't sound bitter, it's hard, those of us who've done it and are doing it know what you're going through.

Retrain. Retrain. Retrain. Just because what you did isn't available doesn't mean that you're done, learn something new, like you are thinking about. Electrician is a wonderful career, with branches that can take you just about anywhere doing just about anything you can imagine.

I have a personal mantra, I started telling it to myself when I went back to school. I had a heck of a time with relearning math all over again, and I felt like I couldn't compete with the younger guys. I just kept telling myself, "IT'S NOT HARD, IT'S JUST NEW".

What I found out, going back to school, is that those young guys may have youth and exuberance on their side, but I had experience on mine, and boy, did that experience pay off. I studied hard, gave the best effort I could, and ended up graduating at the top of my class. I'm not the smartest person you'll ever meet, but I was the most determined of those I went to school with. It payed off too, because I was one of three interviewed for my current job, that effort I put out was reflected in my grades and attitude, something my instructors let employers know too...

 

For the MILLIONS of unemployed or UNDER employed..tax cuts will not do much. If your taxable income is unemployment..the tax cut is of little consequence.
Jobs..work..income.

consumer confidence ? getting a tax cut to be able to eat..just not going to help us suceed. Survive a month or two..maybe.

People need jobs to have confidence..need work to feel worthwhile..and income to spend for more than food..in order for us to suceed as a country.

I have been in a lot of countries..I don't compare our great land to 5th world un developed societies. I don't see the scare of pretending the US will deterorate to Afganistan..
I do see us the risk of regressing to a less sucessful..less confident..less virle society.

That is not OUR America..

 

Thanks for the encouragement man. I do worry about looking like a dummy in the classroom, but I do have lots of life experience and I am very willing to learn.

IT'S NOT HARD, IT'S JUST NEW" - I like it.

 

Hey guys, I'm guilty of it too, but let's get this thread back on track, a place for people to write down their experiences and for others to hopefully look for people to put to work...no more political stuff, it's not gonna help those out on their asses looking for work.

That's just my worthless opinion...

 

Well I had a very good phone interview on Friday for nearly 45 minutes. The position is a clone of my previous job. CAD designer in medical/surgical products. Downside is it is about a 1-1/2 hour commute on a good day. Okay 3 hours out of my day to have a good job I am willing to do but if fuel goes back up it will probably eat me alive. Okay willing to deal with that too. At the end of the interview to sum things up you are exactly the person we are looking for exept..... We think you are over qualified with 32 years of experience. We are hoping for someone with about 3 years experience. I think they really mean we do not want to pay for someone with 32 years experience 27 of them in our business. They told me there are a couple of more candidates to look at before they would consider bringing me in for a onsite personnal interview. My respond to them was the same as a car salesmen, make me an offer you won't insult me". This is not the first time this has happened. I don't even get a chance to turn down an offer because of the assumption of being too low I would not accept the offer. I did get an offer last December that was the same as I was earning in 1978 and is less take home than I bring home on unemployment. I did turn that one down.

 

HJmaniac---I hear ya talkin' brother!!! I operate as an independent design engineering consultant here in ontario, for the last 8 years--- www.rupnowdesign.com (44 years experience). I am still charging the same rate as I did 8 years ago when I started my business. This shitty economy is eating me alive. I have work, but its all dribs and drabs---5 or 6 day micro contracts. People are terrified right now to spend any money on new machine development or automation.---Brian

 

Well i,m out of the job mkt now I,m retired [and old] but just thinking of whats happening now, It seems those of us who are not far from the bottom of the food chain,have to start movin around its hard to get a job that you can stay and raise a family. This trickle down economy now wants trickle up money! And the way they have 'contracted' out all our jobs makes that difficult. In my area of work [electrical maint.] it would mean joining the international IBEW and start traveling, cause staying in one place isnt getting the jobs that are available.

 

Docc, I read a lot of commentary on a lot of different national websites and this is the most coherent statement I have read on the last decade that is not remanufactured from the talking heads of talk radio whose interests don't actually represent their listeners, but their masters. Wake up people!

And this business of more tax cuts doesn't benefit those of you that are in the lower half of the income ladder, it benefits your masters. The orchestrated division with the labels "Liberal" or "Conservative" divides the populace and allows control of them.

And as to the 34 year runup to the home mortgage disaster, be real. It is the last decade of relaxed regulation that gave us the liar loans, 125% mortgages, phony valuations, bogus bond rating companies, and on and on. Uncontrolled, unmitigated greed got us to where we are now.

Hambers, do whats good for yourself, your family and your economic interests. Listen to yourself first. You are on this board because you have the ability to do things that most other people can't or are afraid or too lazy to try. That ability will pull you guys through this and we will be the ones that start pulling this country out of the hole that its in. Americans have led the way in the invention and the ability to make them work in the modern world. That won't change unless we give up and surrender to greed, get rich quick schemes and false promises of others.

 

I've read through this thread since it started.
Obama is following a well worn path.
That path is one where the spector of inflation ( caused by the already mentioned greed ,plus other factors) was made out to be the worst thing imaginable.
To reduce inflation you reduce employment.
It's been done before many times, but to have a look at the 'other' factors involved here;
What is known but not fully understood by the general public is a document called a credit defualt swap.CDS in money person talk.
These CDS's are what is causing all the real pain in the economy. Not greed,not factories closing,not grubby speculators driving up oil prices .
A credit default swap in laymans terms is an insurance policy a lender takes out against money he has lent to someone.
But,these insurance policies are not governed so they can be traded and money can be made by trading amongst other owners of loans etc.
The big problem is...KNOWONE KNOWS HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS ARE OUT THERE!
Estimates mostly agree on a figure of 67 trillion US dollars.
Thats more money than is actually in the economy of the entire world.
A paper mountain right?
Now,we get to the point .
If there are so many of these CDS's out there and you have have few billion to invest you will not want to lend money in case someone approaches you and demands you make good on the policy they hold against the money you just lent.
You have no control over who exactly can take out a CDS against your money.
Result? today no one is lending money to anyone. No money in the credit market means the economies of the US etc are going down hill fast and you are losing your jobs because NO CREDIT IS AVAILABLE.

We are now heading into a really bad period,it's called DEFLATION. It's one where basic costs are dropping because no one has money.
It's all credit based.
How many on here actually handle CASH?
it's not as common as you think. it's all debit and credit cards today. your pay is in autocredit,your bills are paid on line and so it goes.
So with dropping prices,maunfacturers are losing money so they lay off staff. The (former) staff have no money because they have no cash, their ACCESS to credit has gone.
IT WILL BE BAD AND IT WILL BE WORSE THAN ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE. BE PREPARED .

 

I have been there, all they are really saying is 'we want sombody cheap that we can teach to do it our way." It sucks, I hope you find something, unfortunately, the CAD world doesn't pay what it used to. Good Luck.

 

This is the best OT thread ever......I too will be out on the street after 20 years with the same company,,,bottom line my employer has shut 80 plants last few years.. and moved to off shore and China /India

 

Agreed, and the trickle down effect of moving jobs out of country has been decimating. Less people in country being employed, which in turn lets them spend to keep others employed, which keeps others employed etc... Meanwhile the owners make the same big money, retire with off shore accounts and retire in luxury, patting themselves on the back on what a fine job they did. Bring back the greatest generation!

 

well ol docc, is right on the money I think, but you won,t hear them words from washinton. pretty much says it the way i see it. Mebbe i,m wrong but it makes sense to me.

 

My wife got laid off last week. Start-up animation company she worked for laid off 20 out of 24 people . I've worked at my sales job for 17yrs, and 2008 was the worst one yet. I wish everybody well. Now is the time to use your skills and entrepreneurial (sp?) spirit to make some dough. I hope everybody lands on their feet without having to get rid of their cars.

Scott

 

here's your song about woodie,steve earle is still doing it the same way johnny did, he doesn't give a shit if he offends anyone. he did a great speech about how our finest men and women are dying right now in a war they didn't choose, yet they still go and do their jobs. how many people do you know who would go to work every day and risk dying for you? god bless those who do. some people don't like him for that, but he really doesn't care. this song is so true right now about whats going on it's scary. pick up his greatest hits,great stuff for these troubled times. he speaks the truth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvdzhGyUk_U&feature=related