Tag Archives: Unemployment

Jesse Jackson Jr. Is Not Smart

Posted on October 15, 2011 | 3 comments

Remember, that of which I speak also feels that a reason we have so many unemployed folks is because of the iPad relieved so many type-setters from their jobs.

Just know about who we’re talking about here.

Anyway, it seems that the Good Reverend’s Son feels the government should just hire the unemployed:

Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. told The Daily Caller on Wednesday that congressional opposition to the American Jobs Act is akin to the Confederate “states in rebellion.”

Jackson called for full government employment of the 15 million unemployed…

I suspect he wants them to assume a occupation in type-setting perhaps?

Anyway, so yeah.  Jesse wants the government to just hire the 15 million people.  And then what?

I believe … in the direct hiring of 15 million unemployed Americans at $40,000 a head…

Remember, I told you this guys isn’t smart.  iPads contributing to the unemployment rate.

So yes, Jesse wants to hire 15 million people at $40k a pop.  Guess what THAT does to the unemployment rate?  It SKY-rockets.  Everyone under $40,000, or even those at some marginal value higher than $40,000, will become unemployed over-night.

Every blessed one of ’em.

Now, what I would do instead of listening to the not-smart Rep from Illinois, is declare everyone on unemployment to be an employee.  And make ’em work.

There, problem solved.  Except my idea is better.

40,000 a head, really…….

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Idiots on Parade, Politics: National

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The Interview Process

Posted on September 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve found myself in need of qualified employees working in my organization multiple times in my life.  I’ve been in need of book keepers, bartenders and technical professionals.  In each case, my primary goal was to find the very best individual for the job.  Some of those decisions required that the individual selected be able to hit the ground running.  In other cases I wanted someone who the organization could train and mentor into a high performer.  In short, I was looking for specific skills and skill levels.

Further, in each case, it was critical that I was “right”.  The cost of being wrong is very very high.

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Posted in Government, Politics: National

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Polling The Natives

Posted on August 16, 2011 | 11 comments

I’m at the beach this week. And, having taken vacations where we stay at a condo or a townhouse or a room with a kitchen before, we are working really hard to keep it “all in the family” by eating meals that we have cooked together.  Tonight was steaks on the grill.

In the community that we are staying, gas grills are prohibited.  In fact, charcoal grills are the only type allowed and even they are restricted to the “grill zone”.  That is, a very pleasant little area with 3-4 grills complete with seats, and a deck and plenty of room for co-grillers to meet and greet.

Tonight was a full house.

Three of us dad’s were grilling tonight and we began with the usual introductions.  Each of us was recently arrived and as such, we felt compelled to entertain conversation – we being neighbors for the next week or so.  As always in the “man way”, we began to introduce ourselves through our work, or career.

One guy ran a company that manufactured ball caps.  The other ran a boutique wine and cheese shop.  Me, I just work for the man.

We talked about the rain, the weather, women and kids.  We laughed over beers and burnt chicken.  We swapped stories and matches.  All nonsense talk really, just fillin’ time the way men do until they realize that the end is apparent.  That time in the conversation when we can reasonably claim we have to leave and still save face.  When that time comes, the conversation turns serious.

We all three began to gravitate to the economy and “the way things are”.  Now mind you, I have no idea these men’s name.  I have never seen ’em before in life and likely won’t even see ’em again here.  But we all three agreed that:

  1. A reasonable society should help each other out.
  2. That help should not create dependence.
  3. We have long ago crossed that line.
  4. Where unemployment benefits are concerned, we would be better off deciding how many weeks is enough and just lump sum the check.

I swear to gawd this is true.  I find more like minded people wherever I go.  This nation isn’t broke.  This nation is being managed by the morally inept.  By the intellectually inept.  By the spiritually inept.  Every single person I know and talk to understands that what our government is doing is buying votes.

The rest is just chit chat.

As I write this it occurred to me that my specific audience was perhaps biased; two business owners and a massive free market corporate lackey.

Then it occurred to me that perhaps there is something to be said about the fact that these individuals find themselves gathered in a rental community on the beaches of North Carolina for a week.  Maybe what successful people think matters.  Maybe when Michael Jordan advices about basketball people should listen.

Maybe.

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Posted in Economy, Fun, Politics: National

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Unemployment Benefits: To Be Clear

Posted on August 6, 2011 | 3 comments

I think it’s important to clear a few things up.  And to explain the difference between personal charity and legislative responsibility.

On a human and personal level I get the fact that someone out of work is struggling.  Most likely with personal value issues, household income issues and perhaps larger life skills and career opportunity issues.

I get that.

And to that extent, I resonate with the personal heart string tugging concept of needing to provide relief.  I absolutely agree that helping when one can is the right thing to do.  Without a doubt.

On the governmental and legislative level I know that the best thing that can be done is to make sure that it is as easy as possible for people  looking for work can match up with people looking for workers.n  In short, for the removal of every possible obstacle.

The juxtaposition of those two very valid and noble positions seems to be taking place in our debate.

The fiscal conservatives want less unemployment benefits to be handed out.  Less as in fewer weeks and less money.  The social  liberals want to increase those benefits.  Increase as in extend benefits and with more money.

And they yell at each other.

But they aren’t arguing about the same topic.  The Left are advocating a position of personal charity.  The Right are advocating a position of economic modeling.  Both are right in their specific context, but that context isn’t the same.

So, I would suggest this:

  • My Liberal friends:  Form a non-profit foundation that provides relief to the unemployed.
  • My Conservative friends: Contribute to said foundation.
  • End government mandated charity.

Remember, there must be an incontrovertible condition for the government to relive a man of the fruits of his labor by threat of sword or gun.  And the simple fact that you feel more comfortable with this man having that man’s property does not meet that condition.

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Posted in Raising Men

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I Expect Employment Numbers To Improve

Posted on August 3, 2011 | 1 comment

I stumbled upon a recent report, Hat Tip Calculated Risk, that is saying a number of states are changing their unemployment eligibility standards.  Apparently the number of weeks that a person is eligible for unemployment has been a standard 26 weeks:

…the maximum number of weeks that jobless workers can receive unemployment insurance to less than 26 weeks—a threshold that had served as a standard for all 50 states for more than half a century…

So, for 50 years we have been following a standard without question.  It turns out that at least 6 states in the good ol’ US of A actually DO read TarHeel Red.

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Posted in Economics, Politics: National

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Unemployment and Long Term Unemployment

Posted on July 27, 2011 | 10 comments

For a long time I have railed on the current policy of providing long-term unemployment benefits to people out of work.  I’ve gone further and documented available jobs in my area.  Granted, the jobs are rather unattractive and have, in some cases, offended friends and family who maybe themselves or know someone who has been or is currently, unemployed.

I’ve suspended that series.

However, my point all along is not that people who aren’t taking those jobs but relying on benefits are lazy, it’s that they are rational.  The incentives are all wrong.

For example, if I’m unemployed and collecting $350.00 a week what is the marginal value of me taking a job that pays, say $8 an hour for 40 hours?  Well, it works out like this:

  1. $8*40 hours equals $320.00
  2. The first $50.00 is “burden free”, so that means only $270.00 of my $320  counts against me.
  3. Because my benefits are $350 and I “earned” $270.00, my unemployment benefit check is now $80.00.
  4. Adding my wage and my check, my new take is $400.00.
  5. Because I was earning $350.00 BEFORE my job, my incremental “raise” is 50 bucks.
  6. For 40 hours of work I earned an extra $50.00.
  7. That is about $1.25 an hour.  And when I say about, I mean exactly.
  8. Who expects anyone to work for 1 twenty 5 and hour American?
  9. No one.

And THAT is why our unemployment rate is so high.

Anyway, that’s not my point.  This is:

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Liberty, Politics: National

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Unemployment

Posted on July 7, 2011 | 11 comments

Consider 20,000 unemployed people.

Which population would obtain a job quicker?

  1. This group obtains $300.00 per week up until they find a job.  Or hit 26 weeks.  Which ever comes first.
  2. This group gets 26*$300 the day after they file for unemployment benefits.

Knowing this would you change the way in which you construct the unemployment programs?

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Posted in Economics, Politics: National, Rocket Surgery

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I Have No Words

Posted on June 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

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Posted in Economics, Government, Politics: National

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North Carolina’s Unemployment

Posted on June 27, 2011 | 5 comments

Unemployment across the State remained basically steady.  Officially the rate moved from 9.6% in April to 9.7% in May.

I suspect that this number not moving down causes great worry in the governor’s office.  And it should; she is contributing to the rate staying so high.

Consider:

A job at minimum wage over 40 hours is $7.25 x 40 = $290.00

Unemployment benefit c heck is $297.00.

The marginal benefit of working 40 hours is $7.00.

Do you think that pressure is going to add to unemployment or reduce it?

Governor Purdue, please remove your executive order restoring benefits with that Federal money.  You are making it harder to bring that number down.

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Government, Politics: North Carolina

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A Tale of Two Governors: Wisconsin’s Walker and Carolina’s Purdue

Posted on June 7, 2011 | 5 comments

In Wisconsin, a properly elected Senate passed a bill that a properly elected State Assembly had also passed.  Then, a properly elected Governor signed said properly passed bill into law.

The reaction from the far left at the time:

They are showing that citizenship is rooted in the willingness to listen to one’s opponents and to find shared solutions. The governor’s refusal to do the same shows his aim to rule by executive fiat. He is setting himself up as a notorious adversary of the democratic process.

I love it.  Rule by fiat.  Hardly.  Walker signed a bill into law that was passed by the Senate AND the Assembly.  Adversary of the democratic process?  Hardly.  It’s just that in this case, democracy delivered a solution that doesn’t agree with the hard left wing segment of the Democrat party.

Now, here in Carolina.

A properly elected Senate passes a bill that was also passed by a properly elected House.  Then, a properly elected Governor vetoes the bill.

Said governor complains that life isn’t fair.

Said Governor then signs an executive order to get what she wanted the whole time:

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Bev Perdue signed an executive order Friday to extend federal unemployment insurance benefits for thousands of North Carolina residents amid a battle with Republican lawmakers, who tied the extension to the state budget bill.

In April, the Republican majority in the General Assembly passed a bill to extend the federally funded benefits for up to 20 weeks…

The liberal hard left?

Perdue’s press secretary Chris Mackey said the governor gave “Republican leaders the chance to do the right thing and they didn’t. So, she found another solution.”

So, the lesson here, is that when “the right thing” and “other solutions” involve those things held most dear to the Leftist, fiat [using the right definition of the word] is fine; noble.

But, BUT, when a centrist republican follows the rule of law and signs a legally passed bill, he is called a ruler by fiat [using the Leftist’s version of the word].

Funny world, that.

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Posted in Government, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly

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