Rand Paul on the unemployed: "Let them eat cake!"

[ck4829]

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul on Friday urged Americans who have been unemployed for many months to consider returning to the workforce in less desirable jobs rather than continue relying on government unemployment assistance.

"In Europe, they give about a year of unemployment. We're up to two years now in America," Paul said on Sue Wylie’s WVLK-AM 590 radio program.

"As bad as it sounds, ultimately we do have to sometimes accept a wage that's less than we had at our previous job in order to get back to work and allow the economy to get started again," Paul said. "Nobody likes that, but it may be one of the tough love things that has to happen."

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/18/1688638/just-go-back-to-work-rand-paul.html#ixzz0rJJ3mJqv

Does he really think that people who have bills to pay, but are unemployed, wait for a job that they want? Really, does he think that? Maybe it's just me, but if I was unemployed, I would look for a job I could get, regardless of status or prestige attached to it. Am I crazy or something for thinking that?

The fact that this nimrod is even running says to me that a lot of Americans are quite simply permanently divorced from objective reality, I'm sorry, but that's how it seems.

Just "go to work"? If there was a magical "Find a job right now" button, then almost every unemployed person would probably press it instantly, anyone think I'm wrong?

[izquierdista]

1. I need to use this word 'Rand' more

I'm glad I spend time on DU enlarging my vocabulary. Now I know have a short one syllable word that I can use for the fertilizer that appears at the bottom of the chicken coop. When anyone asks me what I think of Rand, I can tell them that it works great on tomatoes, but you have to be careful it's not too fresh or it will burn.

[dkf]

2. The only guy I know who has been unemployed for 2 years

Refuses to apply for a job making less than a hundred grand. His friends wonder why he isn't temping to get his foot in the door. He is starting to interview now because some 100k+ jobs are starting to open up.

For younger individuals with skills and a great education Rand Pauls observations are more likely to be true than for older populations in manufacturing industries.

[NNN0LHI]

3. You know a guy who has been out of work 2 years and he won't work for 95K but will work for 100K?

How many people out there that could afford to be that picky do you reckon? Lot of them?

And for someone who can afford to not take a 95K a year job surely isn't dependent on the measly unemployment benefits being paid. They also must have either another source of income or rich parents.

Something is funny with this story. Like we are only getting half of it or something.

Don

[The Magistrate]

4. Hear Hear, Sir

[dkf]

5. Not only was he out for 2 years his girlfriend wasnt working for over 1 year.

With both those checks they were able to afford rent medical etc. I think he was living off of IRA withdrawals and unemployment. Seriously they are the only unemployed people I've met or talked to. Weird huh?

He probably made enough to save well.

Look all I know is what he said to me. He won't work for less than 100k.

[prolesunited]

6. Well, I'm sure you would admit that this case

is the exception rather than the rule. I've offered to take a $20,000 pay cut and except a pay level I was earning 17 years ago and still got rejected on the final round.

I'm sure there are far more tales of people willing to take anything right now but it just doesn't exist.

Let's do the math. There are 15 million people counted as unemployed right now, with 6.8 million categorized as long-term unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Guess how many jobs were created in the past month in the private sector? 41,000. 41,000.

Factory employment NATIONWIDE has risen by just 126,000 over the past 5 months. Employment in other private-sector industries, including wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality showed little or no
change in May.

The only growth was in the public sector (411,000) to carry out the Census. Those jobs will soon end.

I totally suck at math and even I can figure out that these numbers don't compute.

Kick the people off unemployment and they won't go back to work. THERE ARE NO JOBS!!! So what are these 15 million people supposed to do?


Statistics and more info here:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

[dkf]

11. It all depends on individual circumstances.

Years ago another friend got laid off after she was supposed to go back to work following maternity leave. She took her unemployment til it ran out then became a stay at home mom. She could afford it because she didn't need to work anyway.

But I do agree it is the exception rather than the rule and that most aren't that fortunate. But these cases do exist and we should acknowled that.

[Hannah Bell]

7. ? you have to do job search & accept any reasonable offer to keep getting ue.

Weekly Requirements (ct)

You must be physically and mentally able to work during each week for which you claim benefits. You must be able to work and available for work as defined by law, during each week for which you are claiming benefits. This means that you must be ready, willing, and able to accept any suitable work.

You must make reasonable efforts to find employment each week. You may be excused from this requirement if you are participating in approved job training.

If you are enrolled in the worker profiling and reemployment services program, you must fully participate in all assessment interviews, orientation, and referred reemployment services.

[dkf]

10. All you do is go by somewhere and ask if they are hiring. If they say no then you

Write them up as one of your tries.

And he was seriously looking for work but his qualifications didn't fit most jobs in the pay grade he was looking for.

[Hannah Bell]

12. Not quite that lax.

Each week that you claim benefits, you must make at least three employer contacts or participate in three in-person job search activities (or a combination of both for a total of three) at your local WorkSource office or local employment center.

You must keep a log of all of your job-search activities. We may contact you or your employer contacts to review your job search efforts.

http://www.esd.wa.gov/uibenefits/fileweekly/job-search-log-information.php


and if you're getting extended benefits, as your friend is, even stricter:

http://www.esd.wa.gov/uibenefits/fileweekly/eb-advisory.pdf#zoom=100

What is Considered Suitable Work?

Because of the length of your unemployment, we require you to accept work outside of your normal occupation. Therefore, any job is considered suitable if (a) it is within your capabilities, and (b) the gross weekly pay is greater than your weekly benefit amount (plus any Supplemental Unemployment Benefits you receive from your former employer), and (c) it pays the higher of the federal minimum wage ($6.55/hr) or minimum wage in the state where you live ($8.55/hr. in Washington as of January 1, 2009). Other states may have a different minimum wage.

http://www.esd.wa.gov/uibenefits/fileweekly/eb-advisory.pdf#zoom=100

nation-wide, highest ue benefits are somewhere in the neighborhood of $500-$600/week, i think. $26K-$30K.

so i don't see how your friend is able to hold out for $100K/yr.

[dkf]

14. My friend who was let go after maternity told me how to fulfill the requirements

She said to target places you know wont be hiring. I've never done this though so I don't know how well it works.

[Bert]

13. Havent met people like that

I was out of a job and worked at taco bell for a few weeks before getting a job as a forklift driver. I guess this guy couldn't pay his bills with a 40,000 dollar job. Wonder how much he collected off of unemployment and how much he paid into it, also if he had ever collected at any other time in his life. Seems like he could have taken a 60,000 job and cut his expenses but I must say it sounds totally alien to me.

[TheKentuckian]

9. If your capable of landing and are accustomed to a 100k income

why would you be even marginally happy with 20k at most?

Now consider that the amount of people making a 100k is pretty small.

Your anecdotal example seems unlikely but even forgetting that it has to be a rather extreme outlier.

In the real world where rent is to the tune of 65% of the monthly pittance and a lot of the month is spent regretting not applying for food stamps or wondering how you didn't qualify, unemployment is not a joyride but barely hanging on and slipping more behind everyday.

In fact, here in reality there are people trying to hold on making so little on unemployment that less than full time on minimum wage would still be a big increase.

Outside fantasy land people are scared and desperate. In this existence grocery stores post for a little cashier job and get hundreds of applications a day in a wild free for all, ages 16-80, dropout to masters, you name it. Nothing is posted that doesn't get 400+ applications, ever no matter what pay rate.

Where the fuck does this Rush/Mancow type crap always come from. There is always some fantastical welfare queen shit that folks want to run with. Somebody has to find that new Caddy in the bricks so they can throw all the people struggling for bus fare into the streets.

Sometimes the person throwing out the rally point will even admit the rarity of their example and STILL push on through just to be sure to not let that bum get over.
Must be a similar thought process that admits a law is racist and/or will impact the innocent but support it anyway.

There are just some thought patterns that I cannot emulate. What the fuck is this shit?
By this logic if there is a lose murder suspect we should just carpetbomb the area they could have traveled from incident to report, you know...just to be safe.

[Curmudgeoness]

8. I hope I am not wrong and Rand is too stupid to get elected.

This man is continually hopping around with his foot in his mouth.

[glen123098]

15. What a load of shit.

"As bad as it sounds, ultimately we do have to sometimes accept a wage that's less than we had at our previous job in order to get back to work and allow the economy to get started again," Paul said. "Nobody likes that, but it may be one of the tough love things that has to happen."


Hey rand, I'd be willing to accept a wage of minimum wage, but you know what, noone will hire. SO what the fuck do I do?