How bad is the economy?

[Thomas Rogers]

Jerry,



Again, I'm not blaming the government instead of blaming those that didn't act responsibly.



Personal responsibility is fine, and telling people that they are in the mess they are in because they were irresponsible is a fine lesson and line of preaching. I'll preach right along with you. Pass the Bible brother. If you lost your new car that you got with cash for clunkers because you didn't take into account that you couldn't afford it then that's all on you. Reap what you sow.



However, if the magnitude of the repos of cash for clunkers is such that auto lenders like FoMoCredit, etc, get stuck with huge debt from bad loans and have to pass the cost on to consumers through substantially higher costs, higher costs for loans, well, then that hits everyone, not just the irresponsible.



That's my point.



It's all fine to say: Well, you got yourself into this mess, buck it up.



But, when there are those that are in the mess due to no fault of their own, well, then, who is supposed to protect them? Who should THEY blame?



You seem to keep skirting that question/point by beating on the "personal responsibility drum"...a drum which I know the beat of and play myself.



Feel free to consider and discuss MY point, if you would.



Thanks



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

In related news and to reiterate that many students today are ill-prepared for good jobs because they seem lazy and unmotivated, the news story linked below is about a teacher from the C.B. East high school. That school is a rival of our's and in our high school's division. Its a rather prestigious school district in my backyard.



I applaud her and agree with what she has to say.



Seems you can't call a spade a spade anymore...

 

[Les]

Seems you can't call a spade a spade anymore...

You are free to say whatever you want, if you are willing to accept the consequences.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Les,



True dat.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Cash for Clunkers, thousands have already had their nice new rides repo'd because the big bad gov't gave them the opportunity to trade in their old ass beat cars and trucks that they could barely afford to keep drivable in on new shiny vehicles that there was No way in hell they could afford.

At least Cash for Clunkers got a bunch of Obama bumper stickers off the road.

 

[Richard L]

Cash for Clunkers was an attempt to stimulate the economy by increasing car sales. It was not a intended to have people buy cars they could not afford. It was simply and incentive to urge those who were in the market for a new car, to get a bigger trade-in value. I also was designed to get those older, gas guzlers off the road...although the formula they used to calculate the cash back was kind of a joke.



I think the biggest problem with the mortgage fiasco and the Cash for Clunkers programs were that they only inticed people to spend more money than they really could afford.



Would it not be better to give businesses tax breaks based on the number of employees they have, how many new employees they hire per year, and perhaps even tax breaks for paying higher average salaries.



Now Obama's new budget proposal includes pay freezes for government workers...Why have they become the whipping boy for all the ills caused by Congress, the Senate and the President who are not effected by any of the laws we are required to abide by.



I think Congress, the Senate and the President should take a 50% pay cut just to emphasize the point that this is all their fault. I just saw on the news that Congressmen make $178K per year, and some are sleeping in their offices rather than getting an apartment in Washington, DC. This constitutes Personal use of Government Property and is illegal. They should be charged what ever the going rate in Washington, DC is for a small efficiency apartment...and having lived in the DC area, that will be very expensive.



...Rich

 

[Kevin Lang]

I think Congress, the Senate and the President should take a 50% pay cut just to emphasize the point that this is all their fault.

I agree. Government employees aren't at fault here.



On TJRs teacher story, I really think she needed the blogging equivalent of Google Email Beer Goggles, to force her to swallow her rage and regain lucidity before being able to post.

She ruined a great point with snide posts that instead of making her a pundit, make her a Simon Cowell wannabe.



She speaks the truth, but her lines like "I called out sick a couple of days just to avoid your son" have flushed her credibility down the toilet. :toilet:



As one of her students said, "Whatever influenced her to say what she did is evidence as to why she simply should not teach,".



Lastly, I could believe it if it turned out she was fired not for the tirade itself, but for its non-PC content. They aren't "trashmen", they're "Sanitation Engineers". They don't "hire", they "employ".

 

[Thomas Rogers]

KL,



I agree. There are many here that have the same problem. They seem to have a good point to make, and its often worth making and they have significant valuable insight to give...but it is lost in the delivery that is filled with hate, ranting, profanity, etc...



TJR

 

[H D]

There are many here that have the same problem. They seem to have a good point to make, and its often worth making and they have significant valuable insight to give...but it is lost in the delivery that is filled with hate, ranting, profanity, etc...

+1

 

[WILL E]

A friend was telling me that his wife decided to re-enter the job market. She had to skip the second half of her 1 day orientation for the temp agency so that she could interview for a permanent position. She had 3 offers in two weeks. Accounting. Not sure if she was accepting lower pay or what but she found a job pretty quick.

 

[WILL E]

I refinanced our house a few years back. AZ housing marking was still booming. Interest rates were at what I thought were an all time low. Got a 15 year at 5.x interest.



They came out an appraised my little 'starter' house that the wife an I bought back in 91. The amount it appraised for was, frankly, hard to believe. I told my friends there is no way my house is worth that. It was over 150% more than I originally paid for the house.



"Would you like to take out some of your equity?"



"No."



Since I didn't have a car loan, student loan, credit card debt, a second mortage or any other debt they couldn't try to convience me that it made since to RISK MY HOUSE to pay off debt that I had signed for. Of course, they had the paper work so they already knew this.



"You could take the equity and do other things with it. Get a new car, go on a vacation, invest it".



"No thanks".



"You know, with the equity you have and your income you could get a larger house".



"I am fine where I live".





Now, some people gambled. I have a friend who was flipping houses and making a killing doing it. Well, he was making a killing, the last flip didn't turn out so good for him and unfortunatly he had been upgrading his flips as he went. He was telling me how dumb I was to just sit on my house. I didn't wish him bad but I told him it was going to end. He had to walk away and didn't get much cash for any of it.



The smart thing would have been to sell at the top and go out and rent but I don't play games with my primary source of shelter.



oh well, I am no where near underwater. I have very low house payments. I paid cash for my 2008 Sport Trac.

 

[Richard L]

The job market all depends upon where you live and what career field you are in.



Most reports indicate that the economy is improving and that many companies are starting to hire and carry out expansion plans. If you don't have an education or a marketable skill, it probably does not matter since you will probably remain unemployed. Too many people made bad choices years ago in either not getting an education, or getting into a dying field.



You may love your your chosen field, but if it's not a field that is currently in demand, you still lose. If you are stubborn and want to stay in that field, it may take a long time to find a job..if you can find one. If there are no jobs in your career field being advertised in your weekly paper, you have to make a decision as to whether that job has past it's peak, or if yo are in the wrong area to market those skills.



...Rich