Jobs,Jobs,Jobs

Posted on our news in lower Michigan.

Petoskey Job Fair Sees 60 Businesses, Only 4 Job Seekers There was 500 job openings

Something is wrong

The businesses were giving sign on bonuses, and one place was paying $20.00 / hour for dishwashers.

The unemployment compensation incentives don't end till at the earliest mid June till Sept 6th!!

That's when they have to get a job!!!

We hire 25 in the summer as a painting crew. I have always had more applicants than positions. This year, 9 applicants. I think we're doing better than most.

This is what the Democrats voted for.

There is also a cultural redefining of what individual achievement and individual happiness and worth equates to.
Those who have young adults oftentimes seem frustrated "junior" doesn't seem to want for the same things mom, or dad, mom and dad, mom and mom, dad and dad, or extended family raising them wants.
Each generation views the most recent generation before them as the standard against which life's lessons seem to be built on.
My generation (American baby boomers) is the wealthiest generation in human history with no close 2nd place.
The generation the baby boomers raised is now raising the newest generation and they as a generation have witnessed firsthand that human achievement in the form of "mo money" does not bring bliss.
I don't understand it totally, but our children who are now 26 to 39 in age try to explain it to me....
Time off is key. Family time is more valuable than mo money. And on and on.

I'm not so sure it's not a pretty solid life plan. They all seem to be doing just fine.
Besides, let's be honest. Baby boomers are insanely rich by world standards and how's the peace and harmony amongst all of it? I mean, here we is.
Kum-ba-ya my Lord is just a song. Not too many looking to live it because with enough money they've decided they don't need to.

I always remember, the world didn't go to hades in a hand basket with "this" new generation! My grandpa (and yours) griped about the same thing way back when.

Blessings,
Mark

Someone needs to start a rumour about a job shortage. You know, kind of like toilet paper.

At least we don't have any mean tweets.

I'll go with this generations money and work ethic, I saw how good it was and want the same .

Time off is important to everyone. Unfortunately to live and enjoy my passions, money is required. Plus I like to eat and eating ain’t free around here. I’m blessed with a decent job and decent wages. I can live quite comfortably on 40hrs a week and as I get older that’s all I want. There was a time when I’d get upset with anything less than 60.

Companies are going to start stealing help from other companies. It’s a great time to be a hard working, dependable employee.

Before the pandemic hit,every place around here had help wanted signs. So nothing has really changed.
They had a lack of workers before and they have a lack of workers now.
Tom

my daughter just got hired at a local paper mill starting wade is 28.00 a hour , out of her group of 10 , 3 people quit with in two weeks , i just can't figure them out

Tom, I agree with you. Here in Wisconsin they say we have 6% or so unemployment.
You show me those 6 guys/gals out of a hundred and I bet I could find them a decent
job in one day. Fact is folks are lazy and sucking the gov't. teat.
I was embarrassed once back in the late 70's when I got laid off and vowed it would
never happen again .
I took a different career path, continued to work hard and it has paid dividends.
I still work hard and have no time whatsoever for these milk sop pieces of.... well you know.

Done with today's rant. Zim

I have been thinking for a few years that hard work isn't all it's cracked up to be. I have been employed since I was 15. Worked hard at some hard jobs. Took night school, got certifications and licenses, advanced in my career. Eventually moved into the office, have my own secretary, and supervise almost 100 people in my department.

While doing that I built two pretty successful part time businesses that I run in the evenings and on weekends. We went on a few family vacations but very, very few. I missed days fishing, days taking out my boat, and time with my family and kids because I was the provider with responsibilities.

I was working hard so I could put something away and relax someday.

Well, I'm not far away from not having to worry and I now realize that somewhere along the way I got old. I'm not in terrible shape but I'm not anywhere near 18-year-old shape. Somehow, I pictured myself retired, financially stable, and still 18. I didn't realize getting old happened so fast.

If I could do it again...I might do it differently. I could have relaxed a little and enjoyed the journey more.

As I said, whether we as the 50-80 year olds on this here puter, like it or not, there is a cultural shift occurring that didn't start with Trump. Or Obama. Or Bush.
I just had this conversation today with Donna and my financial advisor. As in, how much will you be leaving to your heirs in your wills?
So there you have it. We are told by culture.... you have 70 good years. 60. 50 more. Only 30. 20 good ones left. Stash it. Pile it up.
Then leave it to your kids.

Um, Donna and I will be joining the likes of David Greene and his wife, who started Hobby Lobby, and who is one of the wealthiest men in America, to say.... money ain't everything.
If it was, Hollywood, pro sports, and politicians would be role models. Is it wrong for younger folks to call "bogus" on the plan to pile it up in leu of their own plans?

Mind you, money pays the bills. And more. I like new MB550's and I like new buggies and new trucks.
But my kiddos drive beaters and enjoy 'em. They stash some cash and call it good enough.
It's not how I was raised, but I watch the stress level of them and theirs and it's not all bad. At all.
It's not bad. It's just different.
It's not lazy. It's just different.

It's the new 'Merica!

Blessings,
Mark

These leeches still won't get a job. They'll just get by on less.

They feds have the funding in the budget to keep the current ui payments of $1100 per week going until mid February. Its not ending soon.

Just under 8 million receiving it.

My wife and I will be able to tell you the month we will pass...as soon as the retirement money runs out!! I’ve left enough for us to be cremated and a party thrown to celebrate. I’m taking my parents point of view. They raised us to support ourselves. They told us at a very young age not to rely on them or the government to take care of us. They are not your sit around retirees. They are probably gone more than they are home. A 2 week trip here and there. A month long trip out West somewhere. They are living life in their elderly years, especially since my Dad talked my mom into trying flying. Mom loves it now, lol.
My wife and I will be the same way. In fact, I’m not waiting until retirement to start my travels. Nothing extravagant, but enjoying myself while my body is capable.

Work enough at something you like to live comfortably provide for your family and enjoy life with your family.
If you work too much when you are young and raising a family,life will pass you by.
You have to set your priorities and take the time to enjoy life and smell the roses as they say.
Excess money and things is irrelevant and is not the same as living life to the fullest.

Well said, Boco.

Agreed.
Trading time for money or souls for stuff has been the Westernized mantra for centuries and that is changing was my point.
It's not laziness for the masses (there's always been sloth - it's one of the 7 original sins from ancient times) as much as many are re-evaluating life's goals.
I joke with our grown children that you know, not only did baby boomers get busy post WWII, we did invent benzodiazepines, anxiolytics, and anti-depressants to sooth the stressed out legions amongst us.

I have worked to many hours over 7.5 months with out a day off some years. My kids are getting older ad and I need to be home more.

I changed departments at work it helps but I bought the farm so now an gone for vf work 14 out of 28 days working min of 12 hrs most often 16 hr days



I would love to find one of these good paying jobs with good benefits I keep hearing about within 35 min of my farm so I could be home every day.. But in 3m5 years of looking I can't find anything near Louisville that comes close to what I have. So I keep driving 2n5 hrs away to work and being gone.

Sure there are lots of 35k & under jobs with poor or no benefits. But little to nothing I can find with good benefits and 65k. Sadly that would be a major cut in pay for me but would jump on it to be home.

Good paying jobs. With good benefits. Not in my area.

Good side with worker shortage wages have gone up in our neck or the woods and some employers are paying benefits.

^^^^ This ^^^^
Young People now days don’t work over 40 hrs a week, they cry and complain abt a 9 hr shift.
Iv only had one 40 hr a week job in my life, worked it a month and moved on to a 60 hr a week job.
Can’t make them work if they are laying on the couch with their friends at mom and dads.

I keep hearing on the news abt the high paying jobs with great benefits, Havnt found one yet.
Just low wages and no benefits

Mark, they are waiting to inherit the wealth we have accumulated. Lol

That may well be. Keep a sharp eye out for banana peels.

Hey, newtoga, are you still in TX? Whereabouts?

Blessings,
Mark

You need to get out of the historically depressed economic zone you live in

2X Someone just said that his daughter just started at $28./hr

The town of Petoskey, Mi. held a Job Fair last week. 60 businesses had near 500 postions to fill.......four (4!) people showed up. We are screwed.

Nearly every business I walk into has a help wanted sign in the window and every single plumbers or electricians van on the road has a now hiring sticker on the back or the side.

Maybe we should back off all the unemployed benefits and see what happens

A top selling video game comes out and for a two months unemployment rises. WellI'llbedarned.
And it's not just youngsters.

O I have an amazing job. That's part of the problem. I can't get away from my farm and get a job closer to it at the same time?

You would think Being 35 min from down town Louisville there would be tons of good paying jobs with good benefits. It's not like I'm living in the sticks and have a 45 min drive to get to a town big enough to have a Walmart.

The current ui benefits are going to run until mid February 2022. They are not going to stop them....paying for votes, and they are trying to get the funds to keep it going past that.....8 million on it now.....most @ $1000 or more a week.

Some very good perspectives on this post. I appreciate your thoughts Mark and Boco. I'm in my mid 30's with three kids and I continuously struggle with finding the balance between working hours and trying to make enough money fotr my kids to have nice things, go on vacation, etc. and yet keep family time at the top of the priority list. I know it's a cliche but how true it is that, "they grow up fast."

Mark, I think you're onto something about your thoughts on how our culture is shifting in priorities. On the whole, Americans have always put in more work hours than other developed countries around the world. Other countries take their vacation time seriously. Life is not work and work is not life for them like it is for many of us here. That said, I find it very interesting how our culture has also shifted from having one family member being the "bread winner" and the other staying home and raising the kids. Why is it that our culture shifted from one full time worker in the family fifty years ago to now it seems both parents are required to make a decent living to stay afloat. Even more peculiar now is that, as you said Mark, it appears that priorities are shifting back to family and emotional quality of life rather than financial security. Many may look at this as lazy but the truth is that it's just part of the historical cycle that humanity continues to go through.

Probably something like 1/2 the kids in the USA (my opinion, not a fact statistic) are raised in one parent homes, how are we shifting back to family values? Most of those are raised by women and they raise soy males...

And that trapper dudes and dudettes is spot on spot on.

Of course folks like me who find our self-worth wrapped in our J.O.B. would struggle with any new lifestyle that doesn't mandate "give it all ya got," "hammer down," "bring home the bacon,"working 9 to 5, it's a way to make a living," and such. Times change. People change. Goals change.

My daughter Katie, the traveling nurse works 4 x 9's and then off for three days and she is paying cash for Nurse Practitioner schooling herself. She could work 80 hours if she wanted (and her mom and I would have back in the day but our daughter (26 years old) looks around, see's the imperfect world and says, "I'm good." And she is. We learn much from our children as they do from us.

But then again, human nature is on display here and most everywhere: We like it better when people think, look, act, and smell like we do.

Blessings!
Mark

Younger people generally don't want to work and, I agree, a lot of older people don't want to work. Work ethic is dying in this country and a reset is required to revive it. Paying people not to work is the worst idea ever in the history of terrible ideas. Unemployment, welfare, disability benefits are all designed to reward laziness. As for "disabled" people, I know of only a few rare examples of people that are so disabled that they cannot be employed productive members of society. I vote we cut it all off because hunger is a great motivator.

I work hard and expect my own kids to work hard. They may hate it now at times, but I work them hard and push them equally hard in school and sports. Reason? When they finally enter the workforce they are going to blow past their peers. And, I am not going to watch them lay around the house.

For example, my thirteen year old son who traps and hunts with me has never had a grade less than an A, is a pretty darn good wrestler, and takes care of our farm with me and his siblings. He will also spend part of his summer working for neighbors driving tractors and doing chores. His older sisters will join him and are equally hard working. And, they will still have plenty of time to be kids.

I can't wait to see what they do and all of their success will be because of hard work. I am however worried about how I will get everything done when they are finally gone.....

I have to get back to work and off the internet!

They just finished a Bojangles about 20 mins from my house and I was excited that I'd be able to get a Bojangles biscuit on my way to work, well they still are not open because they can't hire any people. They are offering $17/hr but still not seeing applicants. Crazy times

There will always be a place for people with a work ethic in our society. I also do my best to raise my kids with a work ethic. That said, what is it that all parents want for their kids? To make a lot of money? To have all of the material things in life that they have ever wanted? To take lots of vacations? To be couch potatoes? I would venture to guess that the answer is simply for their kids to be happy. We try to raise our kids to be responsible, capable, and independent thinking individuals so that they make as few mistakes (regrets) in their life as possible. We want them to be satisfied with life and the choices they've made. As others on this thread have said, this doesn't always "look, act, and smell" the way we think it should. Being a work-ethic driven individual may be what makes us as individuals happy but doesn't necessarily translate to what makes other individuals happy. Having a pile of money comforts some but having more time to spend with family is what comforts others. Really, it's a personal/moral, and maybe even religious ideal.

Would u take $17/hr Gross and having to go to work every day and clear about $12/hr or $23 clear and not having to go to work?

I'd set traps under this tree. Bet I'd limit out my MB550's.

Good points. I am still going to raise them to work hard. When they leave the nest they can decide to adjust the throttle should they choose. At least they will know how to work.

That was our plan BC. It seems to have worked. The only hitch has been who they marry and what they bring to the mix.
You'll be surprised. I promise!

Blessings,
Mark

I don't agree with most of your politics or your posts at times but this is spot on. Nothing pisses me off more than some POS claiming disability but can pop out kid after kid, remodel their house themselves, do all kinds of other activities that if they truly were disabled they shouldn't be able to do, but they just can't work. I know plenty that ride this train around here. They drive nicer vehicles than I do, some have a nicer house, they have plenty of free time and money to do whatever they want and I work extra. Every freaking day is a Saturday or Sunday for them.

Sounds like you're doing a great job with your kids. Thank You

All kids are different, all you can do is raise them up and steer them the right direction. One son married a sweetheart of a gal and he has my dream job. What he lacks in pay he makes up for with perks. They just bought their second home and are expecting this July.
The other son seems to have found the job he likes...working with a company do electrical work. A structured job with set hours. He is dating a very down to earth young lady who’s in college to become a Doc. How in Gods name they ended up together is beyond me, lol. She’s not high maintenance or anything, more tomboyish than my DIL. Time will tell with these two, but it’s off to a good start.

It's always the spouses, Mark. Well. Most always.

Funny this is being discussed on here as last night I was talking with my 2 youngest about their upcoming move next week to the Dallas/ Ft Worth area and while we were talking, my daughter got a email job offer with sign on bonus of $1000 after 90 days to wait tables.She also told me she had to get off one job site a week or so ago because they were sending so many job referral's and she wasn't there yet. Its just amazing. She has a job that she will transfer to but with that type of incentive who knows what she'll do when she gets there. My son will look when he gets there and I'm betting he has a job in a couple of days. She is going to Parker to finish her doctorate and him to start collage.

I'm all for people not wanting to work or work "just enough". I just wish we could get them to sign a contract saying they'll stay out of my pocketbook.

Good luck with that!!!!!!!

Ding. Ding. Ding.
Give ^^^^^^^ that man the prize Jimmy!

Although with 28 Trillion now on the books that's about 100K per person on the current books so someone, well quite a few, well most, have been feeding at the government trough in some aspect.
Government has injected so much into so many that you can't even know anymore what's where and who's what.

28 trillion is only the tip of the iceberg so to speak

Yep!
Unfunded pensions is one they don’t count. I’m sure there’s other stuff.

When I was in high school or like my wife in college is been happy to make $17/he grouswit. I made $5/hr at my first job when I was 13 and was still only making $9/hr when I graduated high school. Fast food jobs are not meant for long term career unless you are in management. I think $17/hr to flip burgers is a great wage, especially in the area I live. But to answer your question no I wouldn't, but I'm 38 with 4 kids so that's why I started my own business to make more to support my family

Unfunded pensions, unfunded medicare, unfunded SSI, interest on the debt, and the list goes on.

It's ballyhooed about that the unfunded liabilities are like 75 trillion, that number is a flat out lie. This resource https://www.usdebtclock.org/# lists it at 148 trillion for all local, state, and federal gubbemint promises. That figure is most likely low as well.

I left an affluent area where my mortgage was sixteen hundred dollars to a poverty-stricken area where my mortgage is six hundred. I didn't take that big a cut in pay.

'They' won't have to legislate a high minimum wage and everything thing is going to cost a lot more...

Did you expect any less? 20 percent of all dollars ever created were printed in 2020.

2021 is going will most likely surpass it.