Kids? This man is a 23 year old software developer! At the very least, the father could have laid down some basic ground rules that needed to be followed while the son lived at home. You don't give a drunk a drink and you don't let your 23 year old grown-ass son with a video game addiction play video games all day while you enable it.
Wow, I guess someone forgot to tell them that souls do not exist. Someone should get on that ASAP. That is, unless someone has actually discovered some sort of evidence for one (not redefined to be identical to the mind).
We don't have it 1 10th as bad in the US. Now if you really want to see who has it the worst, try being an atheist in an islamic country. Many of them have atheism listed as a capital offense.
Yeah, tell that to someone who has been prescribed antibiotics or antidepressants. You want to take my coffee away because it's a luxury??? Fuck you and the Republican horse you rode in on.
Obviously, I am referring to illegal drugs. Think meth, not coffee or prescription drugs.
jesus but you fucking rich people are STUPID. Most of us can't afford a fucking financial planner, dumbass.
I am not rich or a republican as a matter of fact. Also, you do not need a financial planner. A calculator and access to the internet will do just fine.
If hobo stabs you it will be because of your condescensing attitude toward the 99%, not your wallet. You, sir, are what's wrong with the world, you self-centered, arrogant, ignorant dickweed. Fuck you and all your wall street pals, asshole. You disgust me.
I am in the 99%, a democrat, and have no connection to wall street in the slightest. Also, I am refraining from foaming at the mouth as you have. Calling someone "condescending" seems a bit disingenuous when you follow it up with disgusting insults.
There are always places better or worse than others. It completely sucks to be in a place that is pretty much scorched earth. I get it. That is pretty much an apocalyptic situation though that happens rarely and in few places. If there are absolutely zero jobs where you live, then unfortunately you have to move. If you still cannot find anything anywhere, then you probably want to tweak some things about how you are looking for jobs. This is not really a commentary on unemployment insurance (which I happen to support indefinitely, provided it is means tested and checks for attempts at employment), but just what you always have to do to get a job. If something is not working then you have to try something else. I know of no way around it, and have not heard any others proposed. I would be willing to bet that you did precisely that when you were able to find work a few years ago. You probably changed something or made some sort of sacrifice or compromise. The reason I guess that is because if you applied to 500 positions and did not get any bites, then the chances of the 501st or the 1500th are practically zero, and yet, you found something eventually. I have 100% respect for anyone is able to turn the tide like that.
You will see that "learn a completely new trade with guaranteed job prospects" in 2 months?" was actually saying 2 years.
In the US we have people who have been unemployed for 2+ years. This is ridiculous. You could easily learn a completely new trade with guaranteed job prospects in that amount of time.
What I was saying about the 2 months, is that if you do not change your situating after the two months or start applying for different types of jobs, what is the likelihood that you will actually find something in 6 more months? Probably pretty slim. I definitely do not mean to sound callous, but I do want to find a solution that will actually be effective. I have no problem with people being on unemployment INDEFINITELY, given that they are actually using best practices to find a job. If you have been unemployed for 6 months plus, then clearly what you are doing is not working. Why don't we try to help people out of that rut if they are going to be getting a check? If you are looking for jobs in an industry with 30% unemployment, then that is simply never going to work. The state should go to these people and tell them that they need to be realistic. The state can provide education programs in growing fields for free to these people and make that a requirement to keep getting unemployment. I really do not see how this sort of position could be seen as lacking compassion, but I am open to criticism and dialogue. Basic means testing and the expectation that people look for realistic employment seem pretty reasonable to me. As an aside, I do not think that people who game the system or who have unrealistic expectations are the norm, but they are the ones who tend to stay in longer, sort of by definition.
I think what people are getting at is that you should not have to pay the unemployment insurance premium. Self insurance by building a basic emergency fund would be far more cost effective. If you cannot afford an emergency fund of ~3 months of expenses then you need to increase your income, sell something, or adjust your lifestyle. Someone who cannot do this is already screwed, since they will be broke no matter how much they make. I have known plenty of people who have gone on unemployment while still driving a $20k car. Sell the damn car, buy a beater, and no unemployment would be necessary. If unemployment insurance were voluntary that would be one thing, but as it stands, I pay, but will never use it, lowering the overall premium. Sounds like at least some "free money" to me. It is not like building an emergency fund is particularly onerous either. Basically just don't buy toys or go out to eat until you have a few thousand dollars in the bank. If you have a TV, but not an emergency fund then you are not doing it right.
He is not actually talking about "imagination" in the sense that you are (creative inclination, blah, blah, blah). What "lack of imagination" means in this case is an unwillingness to go out and do jobs that they could get. If the only job you can get is Urinal Scrubber, then you are going to be a Urinal Scrubber. Yeah, I am sure it sucks, but apparently scrubbing urinals for minimum wage is exactly what you are worth. If you are worth more, then go prove it by going out an doing something better. Cleaning toilets takes no "imagination" in the way that you are using the term. At the same time, since it requires no skills, it pays terribly. You know what though, I would bet it pays well enough for you to go and work your ass off to get into a career that you actually want (within reason). A toilet scrubber can go back to school and become a doctor, a lawyer, a software engineer, or anything else that is hiring. I do agree with you that it is in our best interest to keep our society from turning into mad max land, but someone who could get a job, should have to get one if they don't have the money to lay about all day. I will hapily pay the check to the person who is not qualified to be a toilet cleaner, but I think these people are few and far between in the working age population and probably already covered by other programs anyway (you pretty much have to be disabled to not be qualified for a no skills job).
Fire the private company, since they would now have people to do the job more efficiently on their own. Problem solved. If that had some other issue I am overlooking, then find something else for them to do. The point is that you are making them do SOMETHING so that they have an incentive to go do something better and get out of the system. Make them stack and unstack boxes. It really does not matter. Fill in potholes. Do jumping jacks. Take classes in a field that is hiring (nursing, welding, programming, etc.). Obviously if they can do something that directly benefits the community, that is great. However, the main point is just to keep them busy so they do not become criminals, depressed, or content with their situation (not in a cruel way, just in the sense that they would rather be flipping burgers than being on unemployment).
6 months to find a job? Anyone is going to get a job should be able to get it in 3 months. What is really happening in month 5 that could not have happened by month 2? Don't get me wrong, I support unemployment insurance. I prefer someone getting a check in the mail to having the payment "manually extracted" from my wallet at gunpoint when everything goes all mad max. At the same time, there needs to be some sort of accountability. To receive unemployment, you should be below a certain net worth, not be using drugs (I have no problem with drugs, but drugs are a luxury item that is probably not helping job prospects), and there needs to be some sort of incentive to not stay on them the maximum time. In the US we have people who have been unemployed for 2+ years. This is ridiculous. You could easily learn a completely new trade with guaranteed job prospects in that amount of time. Unemployment is basically inevitable. Most people are perfectly capable of building up a 6 month emergency fund, and any financial planner will tell you that the emergency fund is probably the most essential part of anyone's financial life. Do it and you will be self insured for 6 months of unemployment with no stress and whatever life style you are used to. If you want to dip into the safety net, that is fine, but it should be more stressful and you should have to jump through a few hoops, so that option will be disincentivised while still keeping you from being the hobo who stabs me for my wallet.
Say you have a competitor. Also say I am a thief and steal your money. That gives your competitor an unfair advantage. To have a healthy, competitive, and fair marketplace, I need to steal from BOTH of you. IP law logic 101.
And yet most still probably spend more hours gaming than working over the course of the 4 years. I probably spent two hours playing ping pong for every hour I spent sleeping in class.;)
Well that is a "No True Scottsman" if I have ever seen one. Most Christians might disagree with many of the positions of the WBC, but that does not make them non-Christian. They clearly fit into the core Christian belief system. They believe that the Abrahamic God is the one true deity and that Jesus is the son of God, blah, blah, blah. The details of theological principles and how to run the PR do not negate the fact that they are Christians. Clearly, they are extreme and not representative of the mainstream... but I would not say they are too far out on many social issues. Most Christians even agree with some of their most offensive positions. Don't believe me? Just look around. We have federal legislation (DOMA) that tells Americans who they can and cannot have a family with (and it is not even a holdover from colonial times!). We have elected officials standing against the HPV vaccines that could prevent their own fucking daughters from getting cervical cancer (which is seen as a just punishment for having sex without a preacher giving you the go ahead). We have people literally coming out from the mainstream on this very issue making the same claim as WBC; that God allowed the children to die because we do not pray enough in schools. I know there are Christians with brains, who are not hateful like the WBC... but its a tough case to make that those are actually the mainstream when you see what is going on around you. Of those 3 examples, all of them are supported by prominent national Christian politicians. Representatives, Senators, at least 2 presidential candidates, pundits, and many many americans. Christians are not like WBC? Sure, most have a bit more tact. Other than that, I fail to see much difference.
I don't see how that is relevant. There are COBOL programmers out there with 40 years of experience who cannot get hired as a junior programmer these days. Clearly you can get screwed in any career. Her issue was not that she has a degree in English, but that she got burned by a dysfunctional workplace. Since we are talking about degrees though, we are really talking about people closer to the beginning of their careers anyway. Someone with an English degree has loads of possible routes, if they are proactive about it.
I did this, and graduated a semester early with a double major and a minor. This is very doable. Many tech schools even have partnerships with universities in the area called "2 and 2" programs, where you can knock out all the prereqs in the first two years at the tech school almost for free, then transfer for your major classes at the higher rate.
Who says you have to make minimum wage? Get a job as an RA. Free rent and several dollars above minimum wage. Hall Directors often get free rent, ok pay, AND free/reduced tuition. If you are capable of succeeding in school, but not capable of earning above minimum wage, then you need to find a good book on negotiation and/or marketing yourself, because that is a problem that will not go away upon graduation. Also, there are loads of other jobs above minimum wage open in every single college town I can think of. Coffee shops are always above minimum wage (employers are required to pay at least that much, plus you get tips). Colleges have book stores, convenience stores, and alumni call centers. I would hope someone in school could get through an interview at a grocery store. Even the baggers make over min wage. Most people should even be able to land some sort of management role, which could be double or triple min wage. Every college has bars nearby and they typically have loads of business. Bartenders can make well more than many full time office workers. Mow 10 lawns a week. The going rate in my area is $60 per lawn. That is $2400/month. Pick up web design freelance work. The going rate here for a noob is ~$60/hr. Do an internship in your field of interest. If that does not pay above min wage, you might want to consider something else. I did an internship one summer, then asked if I could continue through the school year at 20 hours/week. They were happy to have an enthusiastic and cheap software engineer, and I was happy to make more money than any of my friends.
Sure, getting through on 7k per year is going to be impossible. Getting through on 20k though? You should be able to make that work pretty easily.
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How much training does a software engineer need to be able to run a cash register?
Yeah, I'm sure his shift manager at the gas station will be furious when he finds out. /sarcasm
Kids? This man is a 23 year old software developer! At the very least, the father could have laid down some basic ground rules that needed to be followed while the son lived at home. You don't give a drunk a drink and you don't let your 23 year old grown-ass son with a video game addiction play video games all day while you enable it.
And even if there were more choices, /. would complain all the same. We could elect Linus Torvalds and everyone on /. would complain.
How's Obama working out for you now...
Eh, not too bad actually. Has the US become some sort of Mad Max apocalyptic wasteland since my last smoke break?
Damage to the soul is forever.
Wow, I guess someone forgot to tell them that souls do not exist. Someone should get on that ASAP. That is, unless someone has actually discovered some sort of evidence for one (not redefined to be identical to the mind).
We don't have it 1 10th as bad in the US. Now if you really want to see who has it the worst, try being an atheist in an islamic country. Many of them have atheism listed as a capital offense.
Yeah, tell that to someone who has been prescribed antibiotics or antidepressants. You want to take my coffee away because it's a luxury??? Fuck you and the Republican horse you rode in on.
Obviously, I am referring to illegal drugs. Think meth, not coffee or prescription drugs.
jesus but you fucking rich people are STUPID. Most of us can't afford a fucking financial planner, dumbass.
I am not rich or a republican as a matter of fact. Also, you do not need a financial planner. A calculator and access to the internet will do just fine.
If hobo stabs you it will be because of your condescensing attitude toward the 99%, not your wallet. You, sir, are what's wrong with the world, you self-centered, arrogant, ignorant dickweed. Fuck you and all your wall street pals, asshole. You disgust me.
I am in the 99%, a democrat, and have no connection to wall street in the slightest. Also, I am refraining from foaming at the mouth as you have. Calling someone "condescending" seems a bit disingenuous when you follow it up with disgusting insults.
There are always places better or worse than others. It completely sucks to be in a place that is pretty much scorched earth. I get it. That is pretty much an apocalyptic situation though that happens rarely and in few places. If there are absolutely zero jobs where you live, then unfortunately you have to move. If you still cannot find anything anywhere, then you probably want to tweak some things about how you are looking for jobs. This is not really a commentary on unemployment insurance (which I happen to support indefinitely, provided it is means tested and checks for attempts at employment), but just what you always have to do to get a job. If something is not working then you have to try something else. I know of no way around it, and have not heard any others proposed. I would be willing to bet that you did precisely that when you were able to find work a few years ago. You probably changed something or made some sort of sacrifice or compromise. The reason I guess that is because if you applied to 500 positions and did not get any bites, then the chances of the 501st or the 1500th are practically zero, and yet, you found something eventually. I have 100% respect for anyone is able to turn the tide like that.
In the US we have people who have been unemployed for 2+ years. This is ridiculous. You could easily learn a completely new trade with guaranteed job prospects in that amount of time.
What I was saying about the 2 months, is that if you do not change your situating after the two months or start applying for different types of jobs, what is the likelihood that you will actually find something in 6 more months? Probably pretty slim. I definitely do not mean to sound callous, but I do want to find a solution that will actually be effective. I have no problem with people being on unemployment INDEFINITELY, given that they are actually using best practices to find a job. If you have been unemployed for 6 months plus, then clearly what you are doing is not working. Why don't we try to help people out of that rut if they are going to be getting a check? If you are looking for jobs in an industry with 30% unemployment, then that is simply never going to work. The state should go to these people and tell them that they need to be realistic. The state can provide education programs in growing fields for free to these people and make that a requirement to keep getting unemployment. I really do not see how this sort of position could be seen as lacking compassion, but I am open to criticism and dialogue. Basic means testing and the expectation that people look for realistic employment seem pretty reasonable to me. As an aside, I do not think that people who game the system or who have unrealistic expectations are the norm, but they are the ones who tend to stay in longer, sort of by definition.
I think what people are getting at is that you should not have to pay the unemployment insurance premium. Self insurance by building a basic emergency fund would be far more cost effective. If you cannot afford an emergency fund of ~3 months of expenses then you need to increase your income, sell something, or adjust your lifestyle. Someone who cannot do this is already screwed, since they will be broke no matter how much they make. I have known plenty of people who have gone on unemployment while still driving a $20k car. Sell the damn car, buy a beater, and no unemployment would be necessary. If unemployment insurance were voluntary that would be one thing, but as it stands, I pay, but will never use it, lowering the overall premium. Sounds like at least some "free money" to me. It is not like building an emergency fund is particularly onerous either. Basically just don't buy toys or go out to eat until you have a few thousand dollars in the bank. If you have a TV, but not an emergency fund then you are not doing it right.
He is not actually talking about "imagination" in the sense that you are (creative inclination, blah, blah, blah). What "lack of imagination" means in this case is an unwillingness to go out and do jobs that they could get. If the only job you can get is Urinal Scrubber, then you are going to be a Urinal Scrubber. Yeah, I am sure it sucks, but apparently scrubbing urinals for minimum wage is exactly what you are worth. If you are worth more, then go prove it by going out an doing something better. Cleaning toilets takes no "imagination" in the way that you are using the term. At the same time, since it requires no skills, it pays terribly. You know what though, I would bet it pays well enough for you to go and work your ass off to get into a career that you actually want (within reason). A toilet scrubber can go back to school and become a doctor, a lawyer, a software engineer, or anything else that is hiring. I do agree with you that it is in our best interest to keep our society from turning into mad max land, but someone who could get a job, should have to get one if they don't have the money to lay about all day. I will hapily pay the check to the person who is not qualified to be a toilet cleaner, but I think these people are few and far between in the working age population and probably already covered by other programs anyway (you pretty much have to be disabled to not be qualified for a no skills job).
Fire the private company, since they would now have people to do the job more efficiently on their own. Problem solved. If that had some other issue I am overlooking, then find something else for them to do. The point is that you are making them do SOMETHING so that they have an incentive to go do something better and get out of the system. Make them stack and unstack boxes. It really does not matter. Fill in potholes. Do jumping jacks. Take classes in a field that is hiring (nursing, welding, programming, etc.). Obviously if they can do something that directly benefits the community, that is great. However, the main point is just to keep them busy so they do not become criminals, depressed, or content with their situation (not in a cruel way, just in the sense that they would rather be flipping burgers than being on unemployment).
6 months to find a job? Anyone is going to get a job should be able to get it in 3 months. What is really happening in month 5 that could not have happened by month 2? Don't get me wrong, I support unemployment insurance. I prefer someone getting a check in the mail to having the payment "manually extracted" from my wallet at gunpoint when everything goes all mad max. At the same time, there needs to be some sort of accountability. To receive unemployment, you should be below a certain net worth, not be using drugs (I have no problem with drugs, but drugs are a luxury item that is probably not helping job prospects), and there needs to be some sort of incentive to not stay on them the maximum time. In the US we have people who have been unemployed for 2+ years. This is ridiculous. You could easily learn a completely new trade with guaranteed job prospects in that amount of time. Unemployment is basically inevitable. Most people are perfectly capable of building up a 6 month emergency fund, and any financial planner will tell you that the emergency fund is probably the most essential part of anyone's financial life. Do it and you will be self insured for 6 months of unemployment with no stress and whatever life style you are used to. If you want to dip into the safety net, that is fine, but it should be more stressful and you should have to jump through a few hoops, so that option will be disincentivised while still keeping you from being the hobo who stabs me for my wallet.
Say you have a competitor. Also say I am a thief and steal your money. That gives your competitor an unfair advantage. To have a healthy, competitive, and fair marketplace, I need to steal from BOTH of you. IP law logic 101.
Yeah, that's like saying a Bronco and a Cobra were going to have a Jaguar hold the dead Impala they both want to eat.
Ok, but I do not see how light emitting diodes pertain to the discussion...
And yet most still probably spend more hours gaming than working over the course of the 4 years. I probably spent two hours playing ping pong for every hour I spent sleeping in class. ;)
Anonymous Coward for President 2016! You have my vote!
Oh, well in that case it would be 50 life sentences served consecutively in Gitmo.
I dreaded the thought of a typical "humanities" career path after double majoring in Poli Sci and Philosophy, and ended up in software engineering.
I write/design software in the field of geospatial analytics.
Well that is a "No True Scottsman" if I have ever seen one. Most Christians might disagree with many of the positions of the WBC, but that does not make them non-Christian. They clearly fit into the core Christian belief system. They believe that the Abrahamic God is the one true deity and that Jesus is the son of God, blah, blah, blah. The details of theological principles and how to run the PR do not negate the fact that they are Christians. Clearly, they are extreme and not representative of the mainstream... but I would not say they are too far out on many social issues. Most Christians even agree with some of their most offensive positions. Don't believe me? Just look around. We have federal legislation (DOMA) that tells Americans who they can and cannot have a family with (and it is not even a holdover from colonial times!). We have elected officials standing against the HPV vaccines that could prevent their own fucking daughters from getting cervical cancer (which is seen as a just punishment for having sex without a preacher giving you the go ahead). We have people literally coming out from the mainstream on this very issue making the same claim as WBC; that God allowed the children to die because we do not pray enough in schools. I know there are Christians with brains, who are not hateful like the WBC... but its a tough case to make that those are actually the mainstream when you see what is going on around you. Of those 3 examples, all of them are supported by prominent national Christian politicians. Representatives, Senators, at least 2 presidential candidates, pundits, and many many americans. Christians are not like WBC? Sure, most have a bit more tact. Other than that, I fail to see much difference.
I don't see how that is relevant. There are COBOL programmers out there with 40 years of experience who cannot get hired as a junior programmer these days. Clearly you can get screwed in any career. Her issue was not that she has a degree in English, but that she got burned by a dysfunctional workplace. Since we are talking about degrees though, we are really talking about people closer to the beginning of their careers anyway. Someone with an English degree has loads of possible routes, if they are proactive about it.
I did this, and graduated a semester early with a double major and a minor. This is very doable. Many tech schools even have partnerships with universities in the area called "2 and 2" programs, where you can knock out all the prereqs in the first two years at the tech school almost for free, then transfer for your major classes at the higher rate.
Who says you have to make minimum wage? Get a job as an RA. Free rent and several dollars above minimum wage. Hall Directors often get free rent, ok pay, AND free/reduced tuition. If you are capable of succeeding in school, but not capable of earning above minimum wage, then you need to find a good book on negotiation and/or marketing yourself, because that is a problem that will not go away upon graduation. Also, there are loads of other jobs above minimum wage open in every single college town I can think of. Coffee shops are always above minimum wage (employers are required to pay at least that much, plus you get tips). Colleges have book stores, convenience stores, and alumni call centers. I would hope someone in school could get through an interview at a grocery store. Even the baggers make over min wage. Most people should even be able to land some sort of management role, which could be double or triple min wage. Every college has bars nearby and they typically have loads of business. Bartenders can make well more than many full time office workers. Mow 10 lawns a week. The going rate in my area is $60 per lawn. That is $2400 /month. Pick up web design freelance work. The going rate here for a noob is ~$60/hr. Do an internship in your field of interest. If that does not pay above min wage, you might want to consider something else. I did an internship one summer, then asked if I could continue through the school year at 20 hours/week. They were happy to have an enthusiastic and cheap software engineer, and I was happy to make more money than any of my friends.
Sure, getting through on 7k per year is going to be impossible. Getting through on 20k though? You should be able to make that work pretty easily.