Economy Getting Better?

[EddieWalker]

In your area of the country, there might be jobs. Here in Michigan, we have been losing jobs since 2000. That's why we are the only state to lose population in the last census. I have seen friends, neighbor's and relatives struggle with unemployment. Yesterday, I talked to one of my neighbor's, a friend of 20+ years. He is a self employed contractor, the best carpenter I know. He is in danger of losing his house, he has a wife and 3 kids, from 6 to 18. This was the fastest growing county in the state. There is no work. I haven't seen a help wanted ad in years, anywhere. Pray that this is not visited on you anf yours. When it gets this bad, it's like a plague.

I'm from California and left in 2002 for a couple of reason. One of them was the fear that the Housing Market was going to collapse. It didn't happen for a few years after I left, but it was pretty obvious that it was going to happen. The company that I was working for was trying real hard to go out of business and get bought out by another company. I didn't want anything to do with any of that, so I took a few years looking around for an area in the country that I felt would be better for me to live.

Your friend, and eveyrone else in Michigan can leave any time they want. They chose to stay, and that's fine. But I don't feel anything for that decision, good or bad. It's his choice and he's free to make it. If he loses his house because he can't find enough work to pay his bills, then that's his choice too. Doing nothing is a choice.

Eddie

 

[kattywumpus]

When has helping the needy by giving them money actually helped the needy in any measurable way? From what I've seen, it just makes them dependent and unwilling to do anything for themselves. Some of the smartest people you will ever meet live off of welfare and milking the system. They know all the angles, put an enourmous amount of effort into it and in most cases, brag about what they are getting away with.

How many of the needy have cell phones, cars and flat screen tv's?

How many of the needy can afford to drink, smoke and do drugs?

How many of the needy have new clothes, go on vacation and wear jewelry?

While there are those who have earned and deserve help, there are way too many have taken advantage and keep those in power so they can continue to be needy and live off of the government without having to do anything.

If you don't think there are any jobs, go grab any newspaper and take a look to see if there are any job listings in the help wanted section. If there isn't anything that you like, then move to where there is.

Six months is plenty of time to find a job. Two extensions at a lesser amount for three months more is more then generous. If you can't find a job in a year, you are not trying.

Eddie

I have been a landlord for a many years in addition to my regular job. I have seen almost as many honest people that needed the help as there were people that worked (abused) the system. Yes, I have seen people in public housing that had the latest large flat screen tv in their apartment with a tricked out Escalade in their parking space. Everyone in the neighborhood knew they were abusing the welfare system and had hidden income, but do you think anyone did or said anything about it.

In my humble opinion, the problem is not the length of time someone is on welfare but the management of these programs. Screening requests for financial assistance and follow up of those receiving any type of welfare really needs to improve. Due to the shear number of federal, state, local, and non-profit assistance programs it difficult to track the effectiveness of those programs. Also due to budget cuts and programs complexities the workers that manage these programs are normally overwork.

Also it does not help that some businesses that receive these funds only care about making a buck. Their screening of potential customers that are paying through an assistance program is poor. I know I stopped a few welfare abusers in their track due to my comprehensive screening and communication with the organization providing the assistance, but not all businesses are that thorough. Why be thorough in the screen process if you risk the lost of income? Plus it’s the government’s job right? I know that what these businesses are thinking.

If I had my way, which I rarely get, the number of assistance programs would be greatly reduced. The programs that remain would require a more comprehensive screening and follow up. My case workers would be “Nag Nannies” and would have fewer clients. These “Nag Nannies” would be required to visit each client once a week. Also these “Nag Nannies” pay would be based on the percentage clients they got off assistance for a given period of time. The more clients they get off of welfare the more pay they get. The “Nag Nannies” primary goal would be to help their clients help themselves. Combination drill sergeant, motivation speaker, and resource/job consultants. That’s my brain dump as messy as it is.

 

[CurlyDave]

....In my humble opinion, the problem is not the length of time someone is on welfare but the management of these programs....

In my many years as a landlord my experience has been that sooner or later a tenant receiving any kind of assistance will give me trouble.

The trouble stems from two main areas:

1. The sense of entitlement that receiving "free" money from the government gives these people eventually erodes their morality and sense of propriety. They allow their kids to run unsupervised and this creates property damage--holes in the walls and such. They begin to believe that they need not clean their unit, because that is the government's responsibility, or maybe mine. They treat the common areas as trash dumps because they have no respect for anyone's property or work, since they get free money without working. They bring junker cars into the parking areas and let them sit for months. My experience is that non-running cars sitting in one place for months attracts vandalism, which spills over onto other cars in the area.

2. The saying that "idle hands are the devil's tool" is all too true. People who do not work start staying up later and later, taking drugs and having loud, noisy gatherings in the middle of the night. This creates a hostile environment for working families which are other tenants. They start bringing undesirable friends, significant others and friends of their kids around, who "hang out" in front of their units and make life miserable for the better tenants. The only times I have had known criminals hanging around our units have been when they came to visit people on assistance, and I have had this problem with every person on assistance who has lived in my units for more than about two years. The only times we have had police calls to our units has been because of tenants on assistance.

Right now, we screen tenants very carefully, and only accept families where one or both of the adults has a permanent job. All the problems haven't gone away, but most of them have.

 

[jenkinsph]

I buy, remodel, then resell houses in my area for the last eight years. Most of these are smaller three bedroom units for working people. In the last few years most of these have been purchased by someone getting financial assistance of one type or another with a low rate financing and extremely low down payment. It is easy to see the difference between the appearance of the home a year or two later when I drive by. The people with no investment can trash a place in that short time. It irritates me that my guys went to alot of work doing a good job on a remodel that isn't appreciated and is subsidized by all of us paying taxes.

 

[MJ's Design guide]

One of the major problems with the welfare system is health insurance. I have worked with many that are fearful of getting off of the system, because they lose health care.

As a person with very high entrepreneur skills, it is beyond me why anybody doesn't just go out and make a job for themselves. If our country would create more education and incentives for beginning a business, I believe that our welfare system would change.
In spite of stated goals that we encourage people to start a business, the reality is far different. I have watched it get worse and worse over the years for the small business.

I used to own retail businesses back in the 90's but got out, because here is one problem- the mall rent has increased so dramatically that most of the profits end up in the mall hands, and if you look at the survivors of businesses in malls( look at the middle- this used to be small businesses) they are mostly filled with the large telephone companies.

Get rid of the barriers for small businesses, and you will make a dent in the welfare system.

 

[wedge40]

In your area of the country, there might be jobs. Here in Michigan, we have been losing jobs since 2000. That's why we are the only state to lose population in the last census. I have seen friends, neighbor's and relatives struggle with unemployment. Yesterday, I talked to one of my neighbor's, a friend of 20+ years. He is a self employed contractor, the best carpenter I know. He is in danger of losing his house, he has a wife and 3 kids, from 6 to 18. This was the fastest growing county in the state. There is no work. I haven't seen a help wanted ad in years, anywhere. Pray that this is not visited on you anf yours. When it gets this bad, it's like a plague.

I have to agree, I have little sympathy for the Michigandars. I grew up in Michigan and still have most of my family there. But the writing was on the wall at least 25 years ago and back then any mention of diversifying from the auto industry was met with great resistance. The auto industry will always be here and the UAW will always take care of us.

I know it's hard to pick up and leave "home", but sometimes you have too to survive. Your friend has a skill that he would be paid handsomely many other places in country. He does have choice.

Wedge

 

[CurlyDave]

Another little sign of a better economy today:

I stopped at a building supply store for a very minor purchase, about $25.

They gave me free carpenters pencils. Around here, free pencils were stopped by all building supply outlets about 14 months ago. The common explanation was "margins are too thin, we will give them away again when we don't have to lay people off."

This little gesture means building is picking up speed and they are trying to spend a little bit to gain some customer loyalty.

 

[Maynard Reece Byrd]

Here in Dodge there is some insulation from the rest of the country. I think the last I heard our unemployment was 3.?_%.

 

[smstonypoint]

This little gesture means building is picking up speed and they are trying to spend a little bit to gain some customer loyalty.

Some additional news on this front.

Home Depot said Tuesday that it will hire more than 60,000 seasonal workers in anticipation of a springtime rush for home improvement supplies.

Home Depot to hire 60,000 seasonal workers - Feb. 15, 2011

HD has just shy of 2,000 stores in the US and PR, so this works out to be an average of 30+ new workers per store.

I rarely visit HD, but my local store has been next to dead the last few times I have stopped by.

Steve

 

[EddieWalker]

Lowes has a Help Wanted sign in front of their parking lot.

Eddie