tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post877405143245253372..comments2023-10-14T03:29:45.887-05:00Comments on BEARS NOTING: EMPLOYMENT ISN'T WORKING (Nor is Unemployment)Rob-bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-68845054593983221432011-12-22T10:40:43.791-06:002011-12-22T10:40:43.791-06:00There definitely needs to be a change in the Ameri...There definitely needs to be a change in the American system but the situation in Italy is even worse. You should check out the statistic for this country. It's pretty bad. That being said. I think the world needs a kind of revolution of sorts.shopgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00620184723064903755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-87221809217696289492011-12-01T14:09:04.811-06:002011-12-01T14:09:04.811-06:00This is so sad. and so true. Jobs are gone and we ...This is so sad. and so true. Jobs are gone and we have two governments and even three counting municipal, that should stand up to bring jobs home.<br />They are supposed to speak for us but for some reason don't do what they are paid for, standing up for people.Mom and Pop companies should be promoted and a deaf ear to the big guys who want it all but are not loyal to their customers.A Lady's Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11973102350411443282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-72932268530566064382011-10-25T15:30:50.094-05:002011-10-25T15:30:50.094-05:00Mon cher Roberto,
I'm fine but thanks so much ...Mon cher Roberto,<br />I'm fine but thanks so much for asking. Just lots going on here in real life.<br />Sounds like the US is even more depressing than when I left.<br />Hope you are not in difficulty financially. Also, hope your health is holding up.<br />Bisous,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-74378237408273091742011-10-23T11:21:46.325-05:002011-10-23T11:21:46.325-05:00Hey, I would like to forward this data to someone,...Hey, I would like to forward this data to someone, but only if I can get at the source. Do you remember exactly where you got this data, and what their source was? Ideally, I would like to track it back to a governmental agency publishing its numbers. <br /><br />If it does not track back there, then I probably cannot use it. <br /><br />The 64% of impoverished people have full time jobs, is the statistic of interest.John Mystehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16263634313238599515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-13272691482892610342011-10-14T06:22:19.118-05:002011-10-14T06:22:19.118-05:00Interesting debate, thanks for sharing and am enjo...Interesting debate, thanks for sharing and am enjoying reading everyone's thoughts. Thanks too for your comment bear, I do think big bears may cry, maybe just in private who knows. I am very glad there are many of us who would indeed hold out a hand, just in case it maybe needed.Mary Poppinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02483149363434709826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-44951325609266261312011-10-08T10:01:05.182-05:002011-10-08T10:01:05.182-05:00® kj: OOOPS! Sorry about that! Bear is easily befu...® kj: OOOPS! Sorry about that! Bear is easily befuddled these days. <br />» Yes, there is real difficulty in finding jobs.<br />» It's sad that people don't want to work at things which are usually considered work. Sad in some ways. But the truth is there are so many "surplus workers" in our society already, for whom there are no jobs, and for whom there may never be jobs. So why should they keep trying to fulfill an illusion that they can/will have jobs? Thus, I find I have more sympathy for those who choose not to work. But then, as a retired person, I also choose not to work.<br />Wait a minute!<br />Actually, that's not true, come to think of it. I <i>do choose to work</i>. But not at things that bring me money. Interesting, you know. People who do important things for society, like "volunteer workers," are not considered workers. Folks like Bear.<br />» I agree that it is important for people to have important and creative things to do. Whether they are paid or not. <br />The Keynesians of our world messed all that up, by saying unless you're earning an income, you're not working. We are still messed up by that definition. Sadly.Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-40974220894487575392011-10-08T08:53:26.624-05:002011-10-08T08:53:26.624-05:00But bear, you didn't comment on my comment :-(...But bear, you didn't comment on my comment :-(<br />xo<br />kjkjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15122196887043345981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-88525756768957134872011-10-02T12:54:36.271-05:002011-10-02T12:54:36.271-05:00® Deborah: Thanks so much for your kind remarks.
F...® Deborah: Thanks so much for your kind remarks.<br />For some reason, your comment about children and grandchildren drew me back Sextant's comment (above). In his case, it was about tearing down what parents and grandparents had painstakingly worked to build.<br />It's "Mental Illness Awareness Week" in the US, something I have noted on my Chrome blog (which is my main blog).Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-78755405120022346202011-10-02T12:07:40.414-05:002011-10-02T12:07:40.414-05:00® Jo: I find it a little difficult to believe ther...® Jo: I find it a little difficult to believe there's more poverty in the U.S. than in Russia. But I believe there is a possibility that is so. I just haven't seen the evidence. If you could send me what you read (by way of a url or magazine reference) I would love to see it. <br />The interesting thing is that "Occupy Wall Street" is spreading, not just to cities across the US, but here in Canada as well. <br />It all reminds me of Harold Beale's famous line in the movie <i>Network</i>: "We're as mad as hell, and we're not going to take this anymore."<br />Here's to change.Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-73214440541648274652011-09-29T11:06:46.331-05:002011-09-29T11:06:46.331-05:00Good Morning Bear ~ I think I'm going to like...Good Morning Bear ~ I think I'm going to like your style and voice in this blog. You speak from your big bear heart and it is obvious that through sharing we don't feel so alone and there is healing in that.<br /><br />Times are different for our children and grandchildren, and helping them without enabling them is a fine line. Let the heart lead and the intelligence follow. <br /><br />Thank you for coming out of the hibernation you sometimes want to wallow in, climbing that tree for better perspective and teaching us to awaken our potentials. Bear Medicine is very powerful.Deborahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03529300529803771717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-79162788330213092092011-09-29T10:11:23.641-05:002011-09-29T10:11:23.641-05:00I was reading yesterday that the percentage of pov...I was reading yesterday that the percentage of poverty in Russia is lower than in America. For some reason, that struck me as odd. For years those two old adversaries were in a cold war, but it seems that in many ways America lost.<br /><br />It will be interesting to see if the demonstrations on Wall Street will make any change. I doubt it, though.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03382221688268676914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-15610609479389290632011-09-28T23:59:05.484-05:002011-09-28T23:59:05.484-05:00® Sextant: Thanks for dropping by. Welcome to Bear...® Sextant: Thanks for dropping by. Welcome to Bear's blog.<br />"I have spent most of my adult life watching my generation tear down, . . . what my parent's and grandparent's generations had worked so very hard to build."<br />That is a very sad story of the single-minded chase for "the almighty dollar," which is a long way from being almighty. <br />And yes, Canada and the U.S. are close to being third-world. Which always scares me.<br />Excellent observations. Thank you.Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-26018312248821528102011-09-28T22:55:58.335-05:002011-09-28T22:55:58.335-05:00There was an interesting article in the September ...There was an interesting article in the September 2011 issue of <i> The Atlantic, Can The Middle Class Be Saved?</i> by Don Peck:<br /><br />http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/09/can-the-middle-class-be-saved/8600/?single_page=true<br /><br /><br />The article is about the US, but I fear the overall trend is more widespread. Here is an interesting quote that will warm the cockles of your heart:<br /><br /><i>Since 1993, more than half of the nation’s income growth has been captured by the top 1 percent of earners, and the gains have grown larger over time: from 2002 to 2007, out of every three dollars of national income growth, the top 1 percent of earners captured two. </i><br /><br />I read this about a month ago but from what I remember things do not look rosy for the middle class in the future. The lower end of the middle is pretty much already gutted and the upper end is being eroded.<br /><br />I believe that it is a strong and vibrant middle class that allows a nation to become a first world nation. Due to the fact that the US has decided that the middle class is a burden that it can no longer sustain, that wealth should be concentrated in the top 1 percent, and that the shareholder is the only important element of American society, I should imagine that we are rapidly approaching third world nation status and will probably achieve that goal within one or two generations. <br /><br />I have spent most of my adult life watching my generation tear down, in the name of the almighty dollar, what my parent's and grandparent's generations had worked so very hard to build. It makes you proud.Sextanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02869179401767968180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-15292059298492806352011-09-28T10:39:03.470-05:002011-09-28T10:39:03.470-05:00It such a sad world we live in right now, most of ...It such a sad world we live in right now, most of us in our area are struggling to make ends meet, we've cut back on everything we can to pay for Mr. P's meds a necessity in this household. Your post is so well written. Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comment. <br />hugs ~lynne~Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01257730471888896363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-37146366888367718372011-09-28T08:35:22.359-05:002011-09-28T08:35:22.359-05:00thanks for visiting my blog (a corgi in southern c...thanks for visiting my blog (a corgi in southern california) and your kind comment; I agree with what you said with income/expenses. I totally agree with what you said here too; America does need jobs. We need to stop outsourcing our jobs to other countries and stop giving jobs to technology (think about the last time when you called a business you actually got a live person). Until we make jobs, we are doomed.<br /><br />bettybettyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06323135450742337670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-51948212535104225092011-09-27T18:27:28.925-05:002011-09-27T18:27:28.925-05:00It is hard to see eo many people working so hard a...It is hard to see eo many people working so hard and still sruggling to get by. Then there are those who always seem to coast with little effort. I'll never understand it. But I guess there is the satisfaction of knowing that one makes a well deserved living.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-79883429327866821682011-09-27T00:09:19.086-05:002011-09-27T00:09:19.086-05:00® Cannwin: Usually a family of four. We have compa...® Cannwin: Usually a family of four. We have comparable rate up here. <br />I often wonder if that is an appropriate rate. Or process of creating a rate. <br />Thanks.Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-76178960163762776572011-09-26T21:12:50.870-05:002011-09-26T21:12:50.870-05:00I think it's worth noting that in the US for a...I think it's worth noting that in the US for a family of five (maybe four) the poverty line is $33,000 a year (ish) and the only reason I know that is because I was so shocked to find myself under the poverty line!<br /><br />But, when we were there, both of us had jobs, mine was full time and his part time while he went to school...Cannwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12664155690689747533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-37962021793177931092011-09-26T18:53:31.482-05:002011-09-26T18:53:31.482-05:00® Daisy: Thanks for visiting; welcome to my blog.
...® Daisy: Thanks for visiting; welcome to my blog.<br />The pastor has the right language; such folks are indeed "the working poor." That's the proper title for them, sociologically, I think. <br />A whole bunch of people got a food bank started here in River City. It has grown, and grown, and grown over the years. A huge number of people contribute.<br />Sadly, some of the people who used to be donors are now coming there for food. Yeah, things have changed.Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-934136228231248362011-09-26T18:17:04.428-05:002011-09-26T18:17:04.428-05:00A minister I know in our town calls them the worki...A minister I know in our town calls them the working poor--they have jobs, but their wages are so low that they still can't pay their bills. He helps run a food pantry to help feed those who use their checks to pay the mortgage or their electric bill and then have nothing left over to buy groceries. It's very sad indeed.Conniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03865193802444007545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-19993562121086086582011-09-25T13:55:23.624-05:002011-09-25T13:55:23.624-05:00That gentleman's lady: Didn't mean to terr...That gentleman's lady: Didn't mean to terrorize or terrify you. But the story is upsetting, to say the least.<br />Thanks for your visit.Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-80315644791060189962011-09-25T08:41:17.453-05:002011-09-25T08:41:17.453-05:00THose are some scary scary statisticsTHose are some scary scary statisticsThat gentleman's ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14662660073866660544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-26369901236230389822011-09-23T22:49:09.493-05:002011-09-23T22:49:09.493-05:00® Furtheron: Thank you for the worthwhile comments...® Furtheron: Thank you for the worthwhile comments. Poverty seems to be the universal problem nobody can solve, or wants to solve (it appears).Rob-bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171692478879522588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-41358321442197546942011-09-23T10:12:12.021-05:002011-09-23T10:12:12.021-05:00Interesting stats - any worrying.
I'm in the ...Interesting stats - any worrying.<br /><br />I'm in the UK and not sure where we are but I know the last govt had a plan to get every child out of poverty... however the govt measure of poverty is relative to national average income. So a policy doomed to failure surely, since if poverty is n% less than national average even if you gave everybody £100K from the state, there would be people still in poverty but just at a higher position monetarily. Makes no sense.<br /><br />Whatever the fundamental shift between the haves and the have-nots has continued to grow over the last 30 years alarmingly. The cult of celebrity and footballers earning obscene weekly wages doesn't help as then people expect so much.<br /><br />The IMF is asking for stimulus - so in the UK we're going to upgrade the broadband. Why not just give the money to people who really need it and them spending it would surely stimulate the economy but "welfare" seems a dirty thought for some reason.Furtheronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903753972242964410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211564386489765766.post-53091828554812221282011-09-22T23:43:37.624-05:002011-09-22T23:43:37.624-05:00dear mr. bear, wise and true points you make here....dear mr. bear, wise and true points you make here. i work with people in poverty, in an impoverished city. i see two threads:<br />--definitely no job opportunity, not to mention that lack of transportation (no car) limits options considerably. practically, who will choose to take two or three buses to get to a job?<br /><br />and <br /><br />--many people who could work have no concept of it. i can't believe the number of able bodied young men and women who have no intention or interest in working.<br /><br />--oh , and one more point. Most people are happier working than not working.<br /><br />♥<br />kjkjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15122196887043345981noreply@blogger.com