2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Race

[Demosthenes11]

is there a reason someone would "give up" ? How is that even an option? "Can't find a job, guess I'll just starve to death when my support system falls apart"

[Andalusian girls]

where are you guys getting this six months thing? the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't include anyone that isn't "actively looking" for a job, including the three million people who have looked for a job in the past month and the five million who have looked for work in the past year. they consider them "marginally attached to the workforce" and it is the primary means of their dissimulation.

in small towns craigslist is not an option, and if you have sought all available employment opportunities then you can't really continue to look for work but have to wait for something to open up. what do you call someone that wants to work but cannot find a job? i call them unemployed.

even using the BLS's own statistics you see the unemployment rate jumps to 10% when you include those marginally attached, more like 11% when you add the 700,000 homeless, and gets all the way up to 15% when you add the 5% of the populace that is working part-time when they seek to work full time

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

[Andalusian girls]

is there a reason someone would "give up" ? How is that even an option? "Can't find a job, guess I'll just starve to death when my support system falls apart"

family, friends, charity, unemployment.

have you lived in privilege all your life? when a state sees 15% unemployment and you have college graduates competing for service positions at taco bell the less-educated and less-skillful and less-determined can quickly become at least temporarily hopeless. there is a soul-crushing drudgery to being rejected, not even receiving a call back, month after month job after job. some tire of it, others have exhausted all local resources and simply must wait until new positions open up. you can't apply to a job that doesn't exist.

[Demosthenes11]

family, friends, charity, unemployment.

have you lived in privilege all your life? when a state sees 15% unemployment and you have college graduates competing for service positions at taco bell the less-educated and less-skillful and less-determined can quickly become at least temporarily hopeless. there is a soul-crushing drudgery to being rejected, not even receiving a call back, month after month job after job. some tire of it, others have exhausted all local resources and simply must wait until new positions open up. you can't apply to a job that doesn't exist.

but unless you live in a town of less than 1000 people, that's not going to happen. When I was unemployed, there was never an option to "stop working," because it meant not eating and living a fucking terrible life. It doesn't matter how demoralized you get when you can't find a job - you can't stop. If you live in any area with more than 30k people, there will be jobs available all the time, just not a lot. That means you have to keep applying and keep trying and keep trying and keep trying. It's a shit situation, it sucks, but that doesn't mean you can stop lol

[Andalusian girls]

well, actually you can stop, as millions of workers have proven.

there's no reason to believe they wouldn't once again be workers were the economy better. they worked before, they say they want to work again, most of them have looked for work in the last four weeks.

[Demosthenes11]

If you stop looking for work, I have no sympathy for you. It's quitting, plain and simple

[Andalusian girls]

thanks for sharing

[Ksandra]

but unless you live in a town of less than 1000 people, that's not going to happen. When I was unemployed, there was never an option to "stop working," because it meant not eating and living a fucking terrible life. It doesn't matter how demoralized you get when you can't find a job - you can't stop. If you live in any area with more than 30k people, there will be jobs available all the time, just not a lot. That means you have to keep applying and keep trying and keep trying and keep trying. It's a shit situation, it sucks, but that doesn't mean you can stop lol

You can stop when you get welfare (at least that is the mentality of many who do go on welfare). And, sadly, I've met way too many people who lost their jobs, tried for months to get another, and just gave up and live at home now. I agree with you though that these people make me rage. I wish a lot of them would fucking work at McDonald's while living at home so they at least can build a savings or SOMETHING. But too many don't want to downgrade from the job they had before.

Too many of our artist friends who got laid off are sitting around at home trying to do "the youtube thing" so they don't want to work since that will take away their time. They all want to be the next Freddie Wong which makes me want to punch them in the face.

[Kaylia]

is there a reason someone would "give up" ? How is that even an option? "Can't find a job, guess I'll just starve to death when my support system falls apart"

Not finding a job can get depressing fast enough. I know that I was a lot more active in the first 6 months after graduating than I was in the next 6. In fact, that's why I just went back to school since I didn't want to slack much longer.

In canada, you're usually better on welfare than working at minimum wage. I mean, you might get a few hundred less at the end of the years, but who wouldn't pay 500-2000$ a year to not works. I don't know how it works in USA, but I'm sure they can eat, have a place to sleep, and probably enough money to pay for an internet connection to watch porn all day long.

[archibaldcrane]

It's pretty hard to get liveable welfare in the US unless you have kids.

[Terrestrialrage]

If you stop looking for work, I have no sympathy for you. It's quitting, plain and simple

Sirrobin, how conservative of you! Assuming 300/week for unemployment, thats $15,300 a year, while 40 hours/week at McDonalds at $8/hr will net you about $16,000 a year, BEFORE taxes. You tell me why people stop looking for work when they can't find a job worth a damn. Its so much easier to jump on unemployment and sit on your ass than to work hard for about the same amount of money.

[Demosthenes11]

people looking for work are not looking for jobs at mcdonalds lol. it's not a substitute for work

[Alleya]

but unless you live in a town of less than 1000 people, that's not going to happen. When I was unemployed, there was never an option to "stop working," because it meant not eating and living a fucking terrible life. It doesn't matter how demoralized you get when you can't find a job - you can't stop. If you live in any area with more than 30k people, there will be jobs available all the time, just not a lot. That means you have to keep applying and keep trying and keep trying and keep trying. It's a shit situation, it sucks, but that doesn't mean you can stop lol

I live in a town of 100,000 and been looking for a job for 2 years. Even now with my college degree, no one calls back. Not even grocery stores and fast food places. Some places are just fucked.

[archibaldcrane]

$300/week? Gotta get on that good $450/week shit man. Gotta make $11.70/hr to break even working over that!

[archibaldcrane]

I live in a town of 100,000 and been looking for a job for 2 years. Even now with my college degree, no one calls back. Not even grocery stores and fast food places. Some places are just fucked.

You should move. Where do you live, the central valley?

[archibaldcrane]

Seriously though, I get laid off and find a new job every 4 months or so for the past 7 years. Feels good man. Unemployment rules for a tide-me-over though. Damn my liberal arts education!

[Ksandra]

people looking for work are not looking for jobs at mcdonalds lol. it's not a substitute for work

you just went off on people "can't stop" then claim things like mcdonald's isn't work. No one is stupid to think you make a life off of McD's, but it is something that can be a bridge until they can get something better. Of course, this is the case if they can't get unemployment (ie ran out) or welfare. working at mcd's getting crap income > not working at all and getting no income.

(but yes, unemployment/welfare > working at mcd's)

[kuronosan]

So I hear the latest defense for Mitt is "yea so what if he is a Mormon, Mormons believe in Jesus too so he gets my vote unlike that heathen Muslim Obama".

Correct me if I'm wrong, because my brother is Jewish, but Jews don't really believe in Jesus either.

This is the sound logic of America, folks.

[Demosthenes11]

you just went off on people "can't stop" then claim things like mcdonald's isn't work. No one is stupid to think you make a life off of McD's, but it is something that can be a bridge until they can get something better. Of course, this is the case if they can't get unemployment (ie ran out) or welfare. working at mcd's getting crap income > not working at all and getting no income.

(but yes, unemployment/welfare > working at mcd's)

uhhhh for most people, working at mcdonalds will literally help nothing, and if anything, make it more difficult to look for work / schedule an interview

[archibaldcrane]

So I hear the latest defense for Mitt is "yea so what if he is a Mormon, Mormons believe in Jesus too so he gets my vote unlike that heathen Muslim Obama".

Correct me if I'm wrong, because my brother is Jewish, but Jews don't really believe in Jesus either.

This is the sound logic of America, folks.

What do Jews have to do with Mormons?

If you're implying that Mormons don't believe in Jesus...why would their church be named "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"?