Bye Bye Boosted Unemployment Benefits

www.forbes.com...

Unemployment Benefits End Tomorrow For Millions Of Americans

How fitting that this ends on Labor Day!!

So any predictions? Will the masses suck it up and go back to the service industry?
Or………..drumroll
Will we start seeing protests again.

Me thinks, options 2, but we’ll see.

I have mixed thoughts about this whole thing. I think when Covid started, it was really needed. It was a scary time, and we really didn’t know what it was. Helping people out was acceptable. It’s gone on too long and we need other options. I think it was a bandaid on something that’s been brewing for a while. A lot of the protests we’ve had previously were about race or political, but I actually think deep deep down a lot of it had to do with the economic divide.

The other thing that I really feel, and I know there are a lot of people that will argue with me, is that too many people are underpaid. HEAR ME OUT please. I think a lot of people do not make enough, and that isn’t just the service industry. We like to look down on those jobs as entry level teen jobs, but it really isn’t anymore. The other aspect is maybe they are making way too little, but so are the many jobs above them. I’ve often heard, if fast food workers make xyz, why don’t teachers, or a nurses or blah blah blah. That complaint is actually the question we should be asking. The teacher, the nurse and blah blah blah should probably be making more too, probably a lot more!!! There are actually a lot of people that are way too complacent in what they make. That’s a whole other post.

We often hear, ohhhh if they pay fast food workers more (I’m just using them as an example, put any industry you like in there)
The cost will be passed onto the consumer. Why!! Why can’t the cost come out somewhere else? I remember a time when business owners were rich, but they shared the wealth with their workers and also passed the savings onto everyone else. Now business owners say screw you, gimme money and fly to Mars, buy twenty houses. Does anyone not have a problem with that? We as the consumers should have a problem with that.

This isn’t about me hating rich people, or those that built their companies. I think this is a very complex issue that we’ve been kicking the can down the road. When people are paid scraps and can’t afford an apartment, food or clothing they literally have nothing to lose. When people rely on the government for every aspect of living where does that take us as a society? When the wealthy have so much yet demand more and more where does it leave us? I’m afraid we are going to find out real soon.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Thanks for reminding me to begin ramping up my business again.

Bernie Sanders provision of the cares act allowed me to still earn revenue and get full unemployment, so long as I did not earn too much revenue.

a reply to: JAGStorm


And hello 3.5 trillion dollar Infrastructure bill.

" What's in the $3.5 Trillion Democratic Proposal

The Democratic FY2022 Budget Resolution Agreement Framework memorandum is designed to enact President Biden's Build Back Better agenda. This proposal, often referred to as an investment in human infrastructure, is far-reaching and ambitious. It lists the following amounts and areas to be addressed:6

$135 billion for the Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry. Funding to be used to address forest fires, reduce carbon emissions, and address drought concerns.

$332 billion for the Banking Committee. Including investments in public housing, the Housing Trust Fund, housing affordability, and equity and community land trusts.

$198 billion for the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This would develop clean energy.

$67 billion for the Environment and Public Works Committee. These monies would fund low-income solar and other climate-friendly technologies.

$1.8 trillion for the Finance Committee. This part of the bill is for investments in working families, the elderly, and the environment. It includes a tax cut for Americans making less than $400,000 a year, lowering the price of prescription drugs, and ensuring the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

$726 billion for the Health, Labor, Education, and Pensions Committee. This addresses universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, childcare for working families, tuition-free community college, funding for historically black colleges and universities, and an expansion of the Pell Grant for higher education.

$37 billion for the HSGAC Committee. This would electrify the federal vehicle fleet, electrify and rehab federal buildings, improve cybersecurity infrastructure, reinforce border management, invest in green-materials procurement, and invest in resilience.

$107 billion for the Judiciary Committee. These funds address establishing "lawful permanent status for qualified immigrants."

$20.5 billion for the Indian Affairs Committee. This addresses Native American health programs and facilities, education programs and facilities, housing programs, energy programs, resilience and climate programs, BIA programs and facilities, Native language programs, and the Native Civilian Climate Corps.

$25 billion for the Small Business Committee. This provides for small business access to credit, investment, and markets.

$18 billion for the Veterans Affairs Committee. This funds upgrades to veteran facilities.

$83 billion for the Commerce Committee. This goes to investments in technology, transportation, research, manufacturing, and economic development. It provides funding for coastal resiliency, healthy oceans investments, including the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund and the National Science Foundation research and technology directorate. "

www.investopedia.com...

a reply to: JAGStorm

Another issue is wage compression. I have family who have worked at a big box retail store for 30 years and make the same pay as someone walking in off the street today, which is pretty unfair when you think about the level of dedication and experience involved in working a job like that for that long. Greed is really evil. And once people rely on the government for everything they are no longer independent obviously. There are big overarching issues in society as a whole that are causing these issues also like inflation and outsourcing.

This is a really good post it made me think.

a reply to: Chalcedony

Another issue is wage compression.

Totally totally true! There used to be reward for being a loyal employee, I hate to say it, but now you are silly to stay in some jobs too long, you'll lose out on a lot of income.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I switch jobs every 1.5 - 2.5 years, just long enough for stock and 401k vesting. Have been doing it for over a decade now and went from 12 bucks an hour doing help desk support to considerably more than that even not counting bonus and equity. At my level if you stay longer than 3 years you must be doing something wrong.

As the graft and corruption shifts 😃🌭

originally posted by: Hypntick
a reply to: JAGStorm

I switch jobs every 1.5 - 2.5 years, just long enough for stock and 401k vesting. Have been doing it for over a decade now and went from 12 bucks an hour doing help desk support to considerably more than that even not counting bonus and equity. At my level if you stay longer than 3 years you must be doing something wrong.

To me, that to speaks about the difference between a job and a career.

I have switched companies no sooner than 5 years and no longer than 8 years over the course of my IT career doing high end Telecom and Collaboration engineering.

Switching more frequently wouldn't have allowed me to experience the career growth I have.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
www.forbes.com...

Unemployment Benefits End Tomorrow For Millions Of Americans

How fitting that this ends on Labor Day!!

So any predictions? Will the masses suck it up and go back to the service industry?
Or………..drumroll
Will we start seeing protests again.

Me thinks, options 2, but we’ll see.

I have mixed thoughts about this whole thing. I think when Covid started, it was really needed. It was a scary time, and we really didn’t know what it was. Helping people out was acceptable. It’s gone on too long and we need other options. I think it was a bandaid on something that’s been brewing for a while. A lot of the protests we’ve had previously were about race or political, but I actually think deep deep down a lot of it had to do with the economic divide.

The other thing that I really feel, and I know there are a lot of people that will argue with me, is that too many people are underpaid. HEAR ME OUT please. I think a lot of people do not make enough, and that isn’t just the service industry. We like to look down on those jobs as entry level teen jobs, but it really isn’t anymore. The other aspect is maybe they are making way too little, but so are the many jobs above them. I’ve often heard, if fast food workers make xyz, why don’t teachers, or a nurses or blah blah blah. That complaint is actually the question we should be asking. The teacher, the nurse and blah blah blah should probably be making more too, probably a lot more!!! There are actually a lot of people that are way too complacent in what they make. That’s a whole other post.

We often hear, ohhhh if they pay fast food workers more (I’m just using them as an example, put any industry you like in there)
The cost will be passed onto the consumer. Why!! Why can’t the cost come out somewhere else? I remember a time when business owners were rich, but they shared the wealth with their workers and also passed the savings onto everyone else. Now business owners say screw you, gimme money and fly to Mars, buy twenty houses. Does anyone not have a problem with that? We as the consumers should have a problem with that.

This isn’t about me hating rich people, or those that built their companies. I think this is a very complex issue that we’ve been kicking the can down the road. When people are paid scraps and can’t afford an apartment, food or clothing they literally have nothing to lose. When people rely on the government for every aspect of living where does that take us as a society? When the wealthy have so much yet demand more and more where does it leave us? I’m afraid we are going to find out real soon.

We should pay teachers more to indoctrinate our children into being socialists? Nah, I don't think so.

A math or science teacher with 20 years makes over $100,000 a year in silicon valley...

We should pay fast food workers more to screw up basic orders? Nah, I don't think so.

Maybe all these "low paid" workers should pay for their own health insurance instead of their company paying for the majority of it.

It's almost as if benefits packages are never counted when people talk about how much they make.

Joe Biden says miners can learn to code. Why can't anyone else?

What gets me is $135 billion for what is effectively "terraforming" areas that don't want to be remade -- most of that will go straight to California. It's a total waste, if you're going to live in an arid climate that doesn't get a whole lot of water on the regular, you adapt how you're living there. You don't reroute the H2O, and you don't try to make farmland out of inhospitable areas. Nature will win and push you back every damned time, with a side dish of "Didn't see that area the water came from going to #, didja? Dumb humans!"
You folks ever seen pictures of California before the build-ups and drastic environment reshaping? Holy crap, California, especially the southern coastline, was wild and gorgeous. Dry as hell, but stunning. People ruined it

originally posted by: opethPA

originally posted by: Hypntick
a reply to: JAGStorm

I switch jobs every 1.5 - 2.5 years, just long enough for stock and 401k vesting. Have been doing it for over a decade now and went from 12 bucks an hour doing help desk support to considerably more than that even not counting bonus and equity. At my level if you stay longer than 3 years you must be doing something wrong.

To me, that to speaks about the difference between a job and a career.

Paycheck's still a paycheck at the end of the day, though, it's just splitting hairs anymore. Especially after the last year and a half. Call it a reshuffling of perceptions?

originally posted by: JAGStorm

The other thing that I really feel, and I know there are a lot of people that will argue with me, is that too many people are underpaid. HEAR ME OUT please. I think a lot of people do not make enough, and that isn’t just the service industry. We like to look down on those jobs as entry level teen jobs, but it really isn’t anymore. The other aspect is maybe they are making way too little, but so are the many jobs above them. I’ve often heard, if fast food workers make xyz, why don’t teachers, or a nurses or blah blah blah. That complaint is actually the question we should be asking. The teacher, the nurse and blah blah blah should probably be making more too, probably a lot more!!! There are actually a lot of people that are way too complacent in what they make. That’s a whole other post.

The cost will be passed onto the consumer. Why!! Why can’t the cost come out somewhere else? I remember a time when business owners were rich, but they shared the wealth with their workers and also passed the savings onto everyone else. Now business owners say screw you, gimme money and fly to Mars, buy twenty houses. Does anyone not have a problem with that? We as the consumers should have a problem with that.

Most business run about 35% of the gross for employee cost, and a good fast foods place can gross 2 to 3 million per year. True profit off that is only 2.5 to 3%. A really good place is clearing 100k for the owner, Star Bucks make about 175K per shop and they do not do franchises. So when you see an owner of a McD they are not rich, now if they owned 25, OK maybe they are, but boy the investment is like 20 million.

An increase to the 35% can only be matched by an increase in prices to get it back to 35%, if that makes sense. There is no extra profit to give when you are running 2.5% already.

This isn’t about me hating rich people, or those that built their companies. I think this is a very complex issue that we’ve been kicking the can down the road. When people are paid scraps and can’t afford an apartment, food or clothing they literally have nothing to lose. When people rely on the government for every aspect of living where does that take us as a society? When the wealthy have so much yet demand more and more where does it leave us? I’m afraid we are going to find out real soon.

If you are 25+ and working fast foods I need to ask why? Why didn't you work on at least a trade skill to do better?

Now here is the interesting part....

What does it actually cost to live per month? A big problem is we are a consumer society and just maybe we cost too much as to what we think our individual rights should be that in many cases are really just luxuries based on income.

As example living solo is not a right but a luxury based on how much you make. I had roommates until like 35 as example, today I live in a really big house once I could afford it, BUT it doesn't mean if I'm working at McD I should be paid enough to afford rent all on my own.

originally posted by: Chalcedony

Another issue is wage compression. I have family who have worked at a big box retail store for 30 years and make the same pay as someone walking in off the street today, which is pretty unfair when you think about the level of dedication and experience involved in working a job like that for that long. Greed is really evil. And once people rely on the government for everything they are no longer independent obviously. There are big overarching issues in society as a whole that are causing these issues also like inflation and outsourcing.

This is a really good post it made me think.

How much should a cashier make lets say that been working for 6 months compared to one working for 15 years when they both can do the job about the same?

Don't get me wrong as I hate Walmart and do not ever shop there, but retail in general is about the lowest paying job you can get. So in the end it is supplement pay for a family because it might be convenient for the worker to work there. They pay low because there is very little skill involved and so it doesn't take much to replace someone. Take a grocery store where the butcher is most likely one of the higher paid persons, they have a skill...

originally posted by: Hypntick

I switch jobs every 1.5 - 2.5 years, just long enough for stock and 401k vesting. Have been doing it for over a decade now and went from 12 bucks an hour doing help desk support to considerably more than that even not counting bonus and equity. At my level if you stay longer than 3 years you must be doing something wrong.

Typically you need to move up or out to really see bigger pay raises. Otherwise its 2 to 4% per year at best.

...and in the final days, they so hated Trump the Orangeman, that they discontinued his bits of socialism because it came from him and not them. But so seething was their rage that they did not see the ire they raised amongst the people they so desperately pretended they needed. And so they learned what every business owner knows regardless of their education:

“When you cut wages and increase the workload, employees quit.”

Riots, and more riots.

a reply to: opethPA

I'm sure what you're doing has worked for you, then again I have former colleagues that have done the same. They're still in similar roles 5+ years on, which unless these companies have restructured pay bands they're still making what the cap for that level is. By moving to another company faster you increase your earning potential and your network as long as you're not burning bridges.

There's a reason a CISO stays with a company a maximum amount of about 4 years. Information security changes so rapidly that if you're not constantly learning and innovating you'll be that person that has nothing to offer after 5 years and will be forced to change or out of a fairly well paying job. I don't want to be the same as a former colleague of mine who actually inspired me to do more, when I moved on I found a spot for him, he's still there 10 years later.

Aside from losing my job that's the worst thing I can picture when it comes to my career.

Next, the taxman cometh .
Time for paying the government back .

a reply to: Xtrozero

Oh I totally agree. The problems are many fold though because inflation is out of control so everything is more expensive thus people keep demanding a higher minimum wage not realizing that this is a driver of the inflation that is causing them to need to earn more to live the lifestyle they want. Should everyone be able to live the lifestyle they want with very little effort? Of course not. I dont agree with the 15 an hour minimum wage because constantly raising the minimum wage causes more problems than it fixes. It fixes no problems. But these are very unpopular opinions usually with most people.

I hear the fed is going to stop quantitative easing so things are probably going to get very interesting economically soon.

originally posted by: Hypntick
a reply to: opethPA

I'm sure what you're doing has worked for you, then again I have former colleagues that have done the same. They're still in similar roles 5+ years on, which unless these companies have restructured pay bands they're still making what the cap for that level is. By moving to another company faster you increase your earning potential and your network as long as you're not burning bridges.

There's a reason a CISO stays with a company a maximum amount of about 4 years. Information security changes so rapidly that if you're not constantly learning and innovating you'll be that person that has nothing to offer after 5 years and will be forced to change or out of a fairly well paying job. I don't want to be the same as a former colleague of mine who actually inspired me to do more, when I moved on I found a spot for him, he's still there 10 years later.

Aside from losing my job that's the worst thing I can picture when it comes to my career.

Alot of it depends on the vertical.

I have applied my career trade in the Sales, CRMdebt collections, Defense Industry, Pediatric Healthcare and most recently video game industry all doing Telecom which then morphed into Collab as VOIP replaced TDM.

I'm year three in the gaming industry and having a blast and moving up. No intentions of looking for the next challenge for at least anotehr two years.

I left a pediatric healthcare system of about 26k employees after 8 years with the last 3 years as one of 4 Principal Engineers. That was actually a quicker than normal exit for people that get in that kind of location.

The point to all this is IMO there is no exact formula, no this is the sweet spot on moving on. It's a combination of variables that work for each professional.

originally posted by: Chalcedony

Oh I totally agree. The problems are many fold though because inflation is out of control so everything is more expensive thus people keep demanding a higher minimum wage not realizing that this is a driver of the inflation that is causing them to need to earn more to live the lifestyle they want. Should everyone be able to live the lifestyle they want with very little effort? Of course not. I dont agree with the 15 an hour minimum wage because constantly raising the minimum wage causes more problems than it fixes. It fixes no problems. But these are very unpopular opinions usually with most people.

I hear the fed is going to stop quantitative easing so things are probably going to get very interesting economically soon.

This is why we have a fed minimum wage which is really and index and EACH state sets their own.