2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWhere are the jobs?
Last edited Fri Jan 17, 2014, 04:00 PM - Edit history (1)
I'm sorry, but I have to rant. I was just turned down for a job I was perfect for. I was selected to interview Wednesday of this week, and was told during the interview they would narrow down all the interviewed applicants to 2 and bring them in for a final interview. I'm pretty sure I aced the interview. Well, that didn't happen. 1 person was brought back in and offered the job on the spot. I was shocked, and my recruiter said the feedback was that she really liked me and the interview itself, but thought there would be a cultural difference, as was noted with all the other candidates? What the hell does that mean? I thought about it and finally sent an email to my recruiter asking her what that meant? I have yet to get a reply.
What the hell? Telling candidates they were going to bring in 2 and lying? Yes, it's their decision, but why lie? I don't get it.
Then I read yesterday that this country has lost of 8 million jobs over the past 10 years. Do you know how many families are affected by this? I'm obviously one of them. Then I read we are losing 70K a day on top of that? I'm sure were adding some to offset this number, but not 70K. Now were going to cut 1.3M off unemployment benefits? The repercussions of this are going to be devastating.
So where are the jobs? And why isn't this high priority in this country?
Alleycat
(1,117 posts)I have been laid off for 15 months and can count on 1 hand the number of interviews I've had. Even those have been jobs I am not excited about with terrible wages but I will basically take anything at this point! I am starting to feel most of my issues are with age I am almost 50. Too old to hire too young to retire.
SmittynMo
(3,544 posts)It appears to me that 45 is now the magic number. For what it is worth, my resume got me the interview. My apparent age lost the job, even though I know I aced it. I am in my mid 50's. And yes, I feel quite fortunate that I even got an interview. They are few and far between. It totally sucks being out of work.
On the bright side, I have turned out to be quite a cook for my wife. If it weren't for her still being employed, we'd be screwed big time.
modrepub
(3,469 posts)My father went through a very difficult time in that spanned from his mid 50s until he finally "retired" in his early/mid 60s. He lost his job of 20+ years (mainframe computer analyst/programmer) then was unemployed for over a year. He almost moved to KS to work for Koch (of all people) but found another job with a pharmaceutical company that lasted several more years. Was let go from that job and worked for the USPS and finally Dominos. He heard by word of mouth he was let go from his steady jobs because of his age. My dad was never interested in suing for age discrimination. I give my dad credit because he was one of the last people (in his age group) who the companies let go (my father was an exceptional worker).
I wish I could tell you there's a rainbow waiting at the end of this but my father's experience has jaded me to how our society treats people as they age. In the end my father scraped by until he was eligible for his military pension and then his SS. Thankfully things became more financially stable for him as he progressed through retirement (mainly due to finally catching some breaks late in life).
Best of luck and try to keep a positive attitude
SmittynMo
(3,544 posts)It has been a daily struggle since then. Contract job here and there, and now unemployed again. I thank Mr. war criminals (Bush/Cheney) for all the stress I have been through. And I have to admit, that at least under Obama's watch, things have been better, but no where close to where they should be.
By now (late 50's), I should be in a stable job, saving for retirement. Instead, I (and many others in the same situation) are stagnant or have a loss for income. This is the time when we put in our time (5-7 years), and retire. Now we will be lucky to have a house over our head when we do retire. I don't know what will happen in the future, (and yes, it looks bleak), but I do keep my head up and hope for the best.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)SmittynMo
(3,544 posts)is one of the top 10 on my list, based on my signature line.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)making a better come back
Phlem
(6,323 posts)-p
CrispyQ
(36,231 posts)Because the 1% don't need jobs, they have investments & most of Congress are in the 1%. As long as the stock market keeps going up & the banksters asses are covered by taxpayer funds, what's the worry?
SmittynMo
(3,544 posts)So why should they worry about anyone/anything else? SOMETHING has to change, or we will be a 3rd world country.
AdHocSolver
(2,561 posts)However, only 30-percent of Americans realize it.
From Wikipedia:
snip:
**********
Banana republic is a term in political science for a politically unstable country whose economy is largely dependent on the export of a single, limited-resource product, e.g. bananas. It typically has stratified social classes, including a large, impoverished working class and a ruling plutocracy that comprises the elites of business, politics, and the military.[1] This politico-economic oligarchy controls the primary-sector productions and thereby exploits the country's economy.[2]
**********
The primary limited-resource currently exported by the U.S. is jobs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic
world wide wally
(21,719 posts)It is so easy to repudiate the trickle down economics theory by simply asking "when" does it begin to trickle down?
It has been over 10 years since Bush's famous tax cuts for the wealthy. The top earners in the country are now paying a lower tax rate then at any time since 1952. There is a larger gap between the rich and the poor than has ever existed in this country and yet there are no jobs.
If "trickle down" had any semblance whatsoever to truth, I think it should have trickled down by now and yet I haven't heard so much as one Democrat ask that question.
Igel
(35,197 posts)Medicare tax isn't just on wages but also on dividends and interest if you make over 200/250k (single/married).
Bush income tax cuts expired for those making over 200k/250k (IIRC--maybe the number is lower).
The tax on (qualifying) dividends has increased.
There's a phase out of some deductions if your income's over a certain level.
There's a Medicare surcharge of almost 1% for wages earned over 200k/250k.
Yours isn't the first post I've seen saying that we should really repeal the Bush income tax cuts for the top earners. Depending on how you define "top earners", that may have been done just about a year ago. It'll be interesting to see what the results were on the effective tax rates.
Lots of Dems have pointed out that trickle-down hasn't--if it did, where's the evidence?
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Have you considered any type of self employment or change careers to some sort of other interest you have?
How about checking here? https://www.usajobs.gov/
edit to place in, here's a cool job if you like to cook for a group in the back country
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/356577400