Comments on: Why Are The Employed So Smug About The Unemployed?

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:29:47 +0000

Hopefully through honesty by the recipient.

By: Ginger

Ginger — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:19:50 +0000

Samurai, I am a liberal and we do see the waste. However, we would need quite a few changes to fix this without harming people. Food stamps for someone who has fallen upon hard times is a good thing, food stamps for people who refuse to work is bad. Now how do we determine which is which?

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:14:21 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. That 6 month unpaid internship could lead to massive returns in the immediate future.

By: Daniel Rosenhaus

Daniel Rosenhaus — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:49:43 +0000

A quote I feel is relevant, from John Steinbeck: “The problem with the working class (meant to include all of those who work) in America is they act less like exploited proletariat and more like temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

People in America have issues with lowering their standards, especially with our new economic realities. I have friends out of college that wouldn’t take a non-paying internship for the experience. And as much as they are bull shit (the whole non-paid internship thing is something I’m passionate about), doing that for 6 months will more likely lead to employment than bitching about not getting any paid job for those same 6 months.

By: JT

JT — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:09:56 +0000

It’s because people have no idea what their government spends, so naturally they look at unemployment insurance and think it’s some insanely clever way to balance the budget–food stamps, too.

Even though more than 10% of people are on food stamps, and roughly the same amount are receiving unemployment benefits, the cost, relative to the rest of this outlandish budget, is marginal. I’m all about balancing the budget, but I still realize there are plenty of other items that are more expensive and easier to cut.

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:39:45 +0000

It really is easy to be unsympathetic when you aren’t in someone else’s shoes. It’s easy to point fingers and say this and that, but until we know what it’s really like, we need to stop with our petty insults and smugness.

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:38:54 +0000

That’s sad for your relative, and I think that’s bullshit. It’s bullshit to discriminate against age, and I hope the state/federal government can help him out when he’s most in need.

By: Untemplater

Untemplater — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 05:44:19 +0000

There will always be dead beats who try to take advantage of the system, and those who try and try and try and can’t get a job. I have a close relative who fell into the latter category. He literally applied to hundreds of blue collar jobs locally, in state, out of state, anywhere he could apply because all he wanted was to get a job. Sadly I think he was turned down a lot because of his age and with the amount of applicants, it wasn’t worth it to make a case for age discrimination.