Perception problem. Unemployed = out of money.

[C......N......C]

That might put a sense of urgency on the issue. Most people I know are living paycheck to paycheck. When they are out of work, they are out of money. Out of money should be inserted in place of unemployed.

[predfan]

1. As a small business owner, let me put in my two cent's worth........

if there's 15% unemployment, there's 85% working........many underemployed, granted, but working nonetheless.........there are also millions of retirees who have a steady income.

The key to getting the economy cranked back up is getting those who have income to be confident enough to spend some money on something other than essentials......the demand will precede supply, and job creation will come with the supply.

It would be great if American consumers would make every effort to buy American goods as we come out of this downturn, that would create a doubler effect, since laid-off Americans would be called back to work. Also, with summer nearly here, it'd be a great time for folks to shop their local farmer's markets as much as possible.

Just a few thoughts.

[guitar man]

2. Or SOL....

Shit Out of Luck :(

I know what you're saying. A lot of people can't wrap their heads around what many of us at the lower end of the pay scale go through on a daily basis just trying to make ends meet. When the job is gone, panic sets in real quick.

I managed to pay the house off several years ago and have refused to borrow a dime against it for that very reason. It's classified as rural property so it qualifies under Oklahoma's Homestead Exemption law, meaning property taxes on it are next to nothing.

If I lost my job, we could hold out a long time on that little paid for piece of land. So many others are not so fortunate and I fear for them every day.

:(

[C......N......C]

3. You understand.

Just imagine the shape that millions of others are in. I think the great majority people look at the unemployed as taking a break between jobs. On a mini vacation. O'reilly blames them for their own problems. He says that anybody can succeed if they work hard.

[guitar man]

4. you bet I understand

I was homeless for a while in the '80s as a result of Reagan's trickle-down disaster-nomics. That was probably my biggest motivator in paying the property off when I saw the opportunity to do it. Worked my ass off to do it because I never wanted to be homeless again.

On edit: and if I ever met O'Really in the street, I'd knock him flat of his ass just for the fun of it...I can't stand that prick!

:evilgrin:

[C......N......C]

5. My problem is with what I perceive as the general perception

that being unemployed is not that big of a deal and just a short term problem. For example professionals that have many opportunities before them. Most of the people I know are at the bottom and there is no where to go. I believe that is a lot of people.

[guitar man]

7. you're correct

It's a ton of people, and it's piling up every day. Desperate people, worrying, suffering, miserable. It might not always be obvious from the outside, but if you take a peek into their minds it would be shocking to see what they are carrying around :(

[CrispyQ]

12. Your comment about professionals is interesting.

I was an exec admin for many years & at some point I realized that the C level executives, who made six figures a year plus stock options, would have an easier time finding another job at their incredible rate of pay, than I would, finding a job at my rate of pay. Maybe we should outsource our C level execs. Of course, they all sit on each other's Board's & make policy, so that's not going to happen.

We built a consumer economy, but then we outsourced the one thing you need for a consumer economy to work - good paying jobs!

:eyes: :crazy: :crazy: :eyes:

[CrispyQ]

6. We paid our house off about 7 years ago.

I whined & complained somewhat, cuz I wanted to put the money down on a newer, bigger house. In the end, my practical side won out & I agreed with my husband. So instead of making house payments the past 7 years, we paid off all our debt & saved the rest.

We lost a home in the S&L crisis in the late 80s. Buyers dried up & those that were still buying were predatory. We had offers where we would have had to bring $30k to the closing table. Are you kidding me? If we had had $30-frickin-k, we would have paid our mortgage! One offer stated, in the fine print, that all our belongings were included with the sale. That's not an offer - that's taking advantage of someone else's misfortune.

It breaks my heart to think of the millions losing their homes in this crisis. There are certainly some things worse than losing your home, but it is up there on the list of things you never want to go through.

[Double T]

8. 54% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

Only question is, How long will Americans and American Workers allow this to go on?

[C......N......C]

9. I think the people in power that can help don't understand this.

[Double T]

11. The people in power really don't care about the vast majority of US.

Regardless of what THEY say, they don't give a damn about ME or YOU. Their action, such as more than $9 billion in bonuses to congressional workers, says it all.

[DemBones DemBones]

17. You nailed it. If they cared, they'd do something.

[earth mom]

10. 54%? That number sounds way low. I'd bet it's closer to 75%.

If you are buying crap you need or want with a credit card, you are living paycheck to paycheck.

[dmallind]

14. Again, nope

Both when I was working, and still now, the vast majority of my expenses go on a credit card. Gas, groceries, entertainment - everything but the bills.

If I lose or have stolen a wallet containing only a credit card I'm out a max of $50 and probably not even that. If I lose cash it's gone.

I get 1% cash back on credit card purchases. Even now that gets well into hundreds of dollars a year. I pay full amount every month so no interest fees to balance that.

Using and paying off a credit card maintains and builds a good credit rating which is essential on lowering costs on many things from home mortgages to car insurance.

Using this credit card maximizes the interest I make on my cash reserves by letting it sit in the money market account an extra month plus a couple of weeks. Now that's only 2.25% a year but it's something.

Credit card usage is not always a sign of irresponsible spending or lack of cash. Used in the right way it can be the most cost effective and safest form of cash equivalent.

[GA_ArmyVet]

16. I agree with you on that except for the part about buying what you want

. If you buy things you want with a credit card, then that is discretionary spending i.e. you chose to spend money you don't have on something you don't need, because you were unwilling to postpone the gratification until you had save enough to pay for the item. I mean hell, I want a yacht, but I don't buy with because I need to save money for my kids to go to college. It is a choice. That is a whole different story than having to food or pay rent or repair your vehicle for work. For those people truly just surviving paycheck to paycheck just for the basic essentials of life, those are the ones we need to assist first and foremost..a person should be living a subsistence life style with nothing beyond food and shelter (and sometimes not even that) in a world where we have multi billion dollar bonuses paid for destroying not only a company but a world economy. Those who are buying non subsistence items, i.e. still capable of discretionary spending should not get any type of taxpayer monies, sadly it does seem the road we are headed down that the wealthy will get the most of the money from this bailout and reap the most benefit while the rest of us pay for it.

(Edited for spelling, man I have got to remember spell check)

[dmallind]

13. Nope

Some of us are sensible and save when we can while we are employed. I have over a year's worth of cash reserves and much more in longer term investments I could get to if my joblessness extends that long. I don't think it's a given at all that people live paycheck to paycheck, or that they HAVE to at any rate. That's certainly true of very low-paid people, but the current unempolyed ranks are not just filled with those who were previously very low paid.

My sympathy is for those who could not save when they were employed, and much less so for those who could and did not.

[C......N......C]

15. You are the exception to the rule. The general consensus is that

most of the country lives paycheck to paycheck and doesn't have enough money to save. There are a lot of people that will never experience any hardship from or during a recession or depression, but on the other hand there are those that will be destroyed.