[rockysmom]

Mr.Dis, on 01 April 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

I am glad things are going good for you. We have had 3 fire fighters resign in the last month. That may not mean much to you but when a professional fire fighter leaves a county like Cobb, without being asked to, that really goes a LONG way to indicating the moral issues with the employees. I can only personally remember 2 in the 15 years before this year. Retirement is not the same. We have one on our crew that has been there for 5 years. That doesn't mean much except that we have not had a pay raise in 5 years and it means he has not ever had one since he started. The PD is even worse. I have already given all our cost increases so I will not bore you. Suffice it to say we all have LOST roughly 15% in pay since 2007. That is because $100 then would need $109.80 today to buy the same items and our pension and insurance increases. I have many friends and coworkers and most are saying they see the same things in their jobs. I truly believe your case is the exception and not the rule. Out of my sibling group, my wife and both BILs lost their jobs over a year ago. One from IBM, One from sales and one from Banking. My wife is the only one to find a new FT job at a 20% reduced wage and a much greater commute. The one from IBM has only managed to find a PT I.T. job and the other has not found a new job at all. There is quite a bit of variety in our group over all and the odds of job loss and recovery should not be skewed from the norm.

With that said, I will agree that the economy is no longer in a freefall and has stabilized. BUT to me there are many indicators that say if we maintain any growth we will be extremely lucky and that the chances are significant that many more families will "crash" economically due to market forces that are already or may be soon to come into play. And if that happens then there will be a significant loss to the consumer spending side tht accounts for roughly 70% of our economy.


But heck just go ahead and call me a pessemist if you like. Personally I have never been a half full or empty kind of guy. I prefer to say only that I have half a glass.




That link takes you to one of my links not anything about RV sales. I wonder how many folks are living in those RVs now instead of a home?

http://crossroadstod...-Drill/12514359

http://seattletimes....erhomes220.html

Some of the folks I spoke to said that they don't even own homes anymore. They just divide up their year between 2 to 4 regions and travel. They said this while standing next to their $600,000.00 rigs.

Some said that they were there for 4 months out of the year to be closer to their families. Once the weather gets better wherever they live, they go home.

Seems like they prepared for their retirement to be able to do it the way they wanted to do it. I say good for them!

[The Postman]

People do have what is called fixed beliefs. They did poorly before 2008, they are doing poorly now, and they will still be doing poorly next year. They have done poorly for so long that the belief that they are doing poorly is entrenched. These people are highly resistant to change. They do not change, have not changed, and will never change.

This post has been edited by The Postman: 01 April 2012 - 10:15 PM

[gonefromhere]

Mr.Dis, on 01 April 2012 - 07:01 PM, said:

Ok. let's do a quick head count here.

Everyone check in with your answer to "is the economy getting better for you?" if you please.

I say for me "NO" in general "stable" for the moment.

I'll Have to say negative on that one as well, we live on a fixed income and the prices of finished goods, fuel, food continues to rise, so in our case the answer is nope.

[DallasRED]

OK we get it.... Peps on PCOM think the economy sucks....I don't see it where I live, if it is so bad, move where the jobs are.

I know when I move I am getting a smaller car and moving closer to work. Times are a changing and living in the subs just doesn't work anymore for me.

GAS $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

ETA tell your kids to get a STEM degree. That is really big in the Highschool here in MD so the kids can get a job on the base making $$$$$$ and they will stay in the area and not leave.

Beach Bum, on 01 April 2012 - 06:21 PM, said:

BUT, maybe there are others that have differing opinions than yours.

I didn't realize we were not allowed to post our opinions in ANY thread here on p.com that might be different from the opinion of the originator of the thread.

HAHA do it in the PF and the GANG jumps all over you.

This post has been edited by DC...RED: 02 April 2012 - 07:32 AM

[The Postman]

DC...RED, on 02 April 2012 - 07:34 AM, said:

OK we get it.... Peps on PCOM think the economy sucks....I don't see it where I live, if it is so bad, move where the jobs are.

I know when I move I am getting a smaller car and moving closer to work. Times are a changing and living in the subs just doesn't work anymore for me.

GAS $$$$$$$$$

ETA tell your kids to get a STEM degree. That is really big in the Highschool here in MD so the kids can get a job on the base making $$$ and they will stay in the area and not leave.




HAHA do it in the PF and the GANG jumps all over you.

Good old common sense sense is what you have D...R!

You make a lot of sense, to me, in most everything you say. It's good old common sense.It never ceases to amaze me how others can stray from common sense so far.

[feelip]

I guess some folks are okay with the Marxist lifestyle. I prefer capitalism. Thankfully I made hay (and put some in the barn) while the sun was shining (pre-Owebama). I still maintain the same lifestyle and could for the next 30 or 40 years. But I am one of those GREEDY NON-COMPLIANT CAPITALIST that wants all I can get so that my kids and grandkids don't have to take any sheeze off the government or the dumbasses that think it is okay to be dis-armed and forced to live where the government wants you to live.

[mrnn]

feelip, on 02 April 2012 - 09:20 AM, said:

I guess some folks are okay with the Marxist lifestyle. I prefer capitalism. Thankfully I made hay (and put some in the barn) while the sun was shining (pre-Owebama). I still maintain the same lifestyle and could for the next 30 or 40 years. But I am one of those GREEDY NON-COMPLIANT CAPITALIST that wants all I can get so that my kids and grandkids don't have to take any sheeze off the government or the dumbasses that think it is okay to be dis-armed and forced to live where the government wants you to live.

Hooray for hyperbole!!!

This is empty rhetoric, feelip, and you know it. There is nothing anti-capitalist about this administration. Taxes haven't gone up (he actually signed an extension to the Bush tax cuts). There has been no growth/expansion to entitlements like there was under Bush. Half of the stimulus was tax cuts. The only thing you can possibly point to as "anti-capitalist" would be Dodd-Frank due to the regulations it introduced. But some form of regulation on the financial industry was needed and even conservative economists will tell you that Dodd-Frank didn't go far enough in holding banks to responsible banking practices and better separating banking functions from investment functions.


mrnn

[The Postman]

feelip, on 02 April 2012 - 09:20 AM, said:

I guess some folks are okay with the Marxist lifestyle. I prefer capitalism. Thankfully I made hay (and put some in the barn) while the sun was shining (pre-Owebama). I still maintain the same lifestyle and could for the next 30 or 40 years. But I am one of those GREEDY NON-COMPLIANT CAPITALIST that wants all I can get so that my kids and grandkids don't have to take any sheeze off the government or the dumbasses that think it is okay to be dis-armed and forced to live where the government wants you to live.

I think common is left out of that sense of the situation, fillip!

Kings used to live a good lifestyle, but that was not very common in the sense category either.

A capitalist country cannot survive without commonality, especially where the people (inhabitants of the country) vote.

This post has been edited by The Postman: 02 April 2012 - 11:26 AM

[Mr.Dis]

mrnn, on 02 April 2012 - 09:33 AM, said:

Hooray for hyperbole!!!

This is empty rhetoric, feelip, and you know it. There is nothing anti-capitalist about this administration. Taxes haven't gone up (he actually signed an extension to the Bush tax cuts). There has been no growth/expansion to entitlements like there was under Bush. Half of the stimulus was tax cuts. The only thing you can possibly point to as "anti-capitalist" would be Dodd-Frank due to the regulations it introduced. But some form of regulation on the financial industry was needed and even conservative economists will tell you that Dodd-Frank didn't go far enough in holding banks to responsible banking practices and better separating banking functions from investment functions.


mrnn

Here is an interesting question for you. How many small - medium sized businesses that had slightly more than 50 employees, laid off enough employess to drop down to 49 employess? Or are moving regular employees to temp / sub contractor status? I really do not expect an answer, the question is merely to make a point.

[CreativeOne]

Mr.Dis, on 02 April 2012 - 03:43 PM, said:

Here is an interesting question for you. How many small - medium sized businesses that had slightly more than 50 employees, laid off enough employess to drop down to 49 employess? Or are moving regular employees to temp / sub contractor status? I really do not expect an answer, the question is merely to make a point.

I have no dog in this fight and don't post my opinions on this type of subject as it really is objective and so tuned with how a particular individual feels as opposed to a group ... but FYI, if a company pulled this kind-of stunt to get their "52 employees to 49 employees", the state will be ALL OVER THEM. Companies (of all sizes) try to pull all kinds of rules with layoffs to keep their % low, but if they are caught they get big fines and their UE% goes sky high. Look at companies that have tried to pull the "we haven't really laid off in the last quarter or so" rule - SLAM! and that has gone on for more years that I want to know about ...... This one-zy-two-zy crap will get them more nailed than the companies that try to pull the "these 100 or so employees just are not qualified" layoff crap. Just telling you what I've observed/experienced ......

[feelip]

CreativeOne, on 02 April 2012 - 03:53 PM, said:

I have no dog in this fight and don't post my opinions on this type of subject as it really is objective and so tuned with how a particular individual feels as opposed to a group ... but FYI, if a company pulled this kind-of stunt to get their "52 employees to 49 employees", the state will be ALL OVER THEM. Companies (of all sizes) try to pull all kinds of rules with layoffs to keep their % low, but if they are caught they get big fines and their UE% goes sky high. Look at companies that have tried to pull the "we haven't really laid off in the last quarter or so" rule - SLAM! and that has gone on for more years that I want to know about ...... This one-zy-two-zy crap will get them more nailed than the companies that try to pull the "these 100 or so employees just are not qualified" layoff crap. Just telling you what I've observed/experienced ......

If you have 50 employees, it's not going to be hard to find a legitimate excuse to get rid of 5.

[Mr.Dis]

CreativeOne, on 02 April 2012 - 03:53 PM, said:

I have no dog in this fight and don't post my opinions on this type of subject as it really is objective and so tuned with how a particular individual feels as opposed to a group ... but FYI, if a company pulled this kind-of stunt to get their "52 employees to 49 employees", the state will be ALL OVER THEM. Companies (of all sizes) try to pull all kinds of rules with layoffs to keep their % low, but if they are caught they get big fines and their UE% goes sky high. Look at companies that have tried to pull the "we haven't really laid off in the last quarter or so" rule - SLAM! and that has gone on for more years that I want to know about ...... This one-zy-two-zy crap will get them more nailed than the companies that try to pull the "these 100 or so employees just are not qualified" layoff crap. Just telling you what I've observed/experienced ......

I might be missing something here. Georgia and many other states are "right to work states". That means the employer can let you go whenever they want for whatever reason. The "offset" to doing this is that unless they were fired for "cause", the employee will be able to obtain UEBs and that goes against the employer. If the employer is willing to take the hit, what can be done to stop them?