And we wonder why

[eglefther]

In defense of those who have been laid off. I know when I got laid off...must be 20 years or more now...wow how time flies....anyway, I couldn't afford to take the minimum wage jobs because my employment benefits were more than I'd make if I were working. Call me crazy but it didn't make economical sense to work when I could collect benefits that paid more and stay at home! Luckily I've been in my current job for 18 years so have some seniority so should be okay.

[havanaholly]

In these troubled economic times someone without a job had better be prepared to take what they can get for when their unemployment runs out or the system itself bankrupts.

[Sherry]

This is true. Too many kids think they should be able to graduate from college and immediately start making 50k, buy a house and a couple new cars. It just doesn't happen that way. Unless you work for your rich father (or FIL) you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Kids nowadays don't like the 'bottom' and 'work' part of that.

[justmesue]

I also have to add, that a lot of parents do not do their children good, by not teaching them how to cook, clean and share household responsibilities. You would not beleive how many 15 to 19 year olds, I've had to teach how to sweep a floor, clean a toilet, tie a garbage bag, scrub a soup pot... All basic stuff, that they'd never done before! One 17 yrs old girl, had never "opened an egg", and asked how in tears?, (after she gave up trying to latch on to it, with a can opener in the kitchen for 10 mins!)! Her eggs at home came in a quart. One 18 yrs old male, thought a toilet brush was for removing cob webs from the ceiling, and toilets were self cleaning, that's why you flushed them! ... These are just a few of the most memorable ones, there were many others, just as funny, but sad at the same time. Some parents simply do too much for their children, and they have not the slightest idea, what work is, or should be. What a shock it is when the times comes that they need to work!

[Sherry]

Amen to that! I started making my boys pick up their rooms very early. In jr hi, they learned to clean their own bathroom (although I did touch-up work when they were gone), and their ironing in high school. They are both great about doing housework. Unfortunately, neither of their wives are big on this stuff and the one living with us now is so lazy, it's a wonder the baby hasn't caught some disease or choked on something she picked up off the floor. Neither of the wives manage money well. This is the second Saturday in a row that she has slept on the sofa while the rest of us cleaned house or took care of the kids.

As far as looking for jobs, that's a joke. She sent a few applications on line, but has never called to follow up on them. I don't know how long I can put up with this. People are making cripples out of their children by not teaching them some work ethics!

[havanaholly]

Sherry, YOU should not have to take care of HER children, and SHE can understand that when the rest of the family is cooking/ cleaning house, her butt will NOT be on the sofa.

[heidiiiii]

I think I did something right with the first one, Chelsea. She works her job every single day, never called in one day. She has gone into work sick. Sick enough that I would have stayed home when I was working out of the house. She is making a meager pay but she looks at it as her first step. Taking care of tweens afterschool can be a pain and not a glamorous job but she does it.

You have to teach them stuff. Chelsea and Natalie will say..I cant do it..Help me. I say, Pretend we are not here..What would you do? You would do it. You would figure it out.

No one taught me how to go and rent an apartment, turn on the utilities, do my taxes. I figured it out.

As for benefits being more then a new paying job, I totally understand that.

Sherry, I know what I would do with the DIL if she was in my house but that is me. I probably would still help with the grands because I love them and want to make sure they are okay. As for her laziness, next time you are cleaning, shove the vacuum cleaner in her direction and tell her to hop to it.

Hope that son finds a job soon so they can fall out of the nest again.

[Sherry]

You and me both, girlfriend! Last night we were talking about some recipe on the grill. DS made a comment about even after they move, coming over to eat it with us. I said, 'or we can come to your house and you can cook it!' and got the most startled look from her! I guess that never occurred to her.

[heidiiiii]

Sherry,

I admit that my girls are the ultimate of laziness. I coddled them and now I pay the price. BUT when we are doing a major housecleaning, everyone participates.

There is gonna be a revolt in your house one Saturday when you three are cleaning and she is flipping channels on the tv. She will not know what hit her..LOL

[havanaholly]

You took the words right out of my mouth!

[Sherry]

It could happen sooner than you think. I just do not have the temperament for it right now. Too many other stressors in my life to deal with her.

[heidiiiii]

It could happen sooner than you think. I just do not have the temperament for it right now. Too many other stressors in my life to deal with her.

I really feel for you Sherry. When it is your own kids that are acting like the Queen of Sheba, you can call them out. You know what you can and cannot say to get your point across.

When it comes to someone else (Dil, Sil, or anyone else in your home), you do not know what to say. I mean YOU do know what you want to say but you do not know how it is going to land.

She could say..OMG thank you for pointing out my utter laziness and I will try to do better OR She could flip out and be *one of those* kind of girls that uses the grandkids as pawns in her little game of *I have what you want so you better leave me alone*.

Unfortunately, my friend`s Dd is the latter in that statement. Mom wants her to help out more in the house but Dd does not want to. So she threatens that she will leave with the grandkid to places unknown. Really childish if you ask me.

I will pray that you have the strength not to shove her face into the bowl of mashed potatoes and that your son will get the job to get his family back on track.

Strength Sherry! Strength!!

[Just One More]

Back to the original topic. Appliances, dollhouse furniture, clothing etc., and just about everything else have been made in China, Taiwan, Malasia, Indonesia etc. for years because the pay scale there is far lower than here. When you have a successful business here and want to make the most profit you look for who will do the work for the least amount of money. People here will not be willing to do that. I'm no financial wizard but it's obvious people here can not afford to work for those wages. I don't know how anyone can survive on minimum wage. We could all stop buying anything not made in the USA but then we'd all be complaining about the huge increase in the price of TV's watches, and all the things on the list at the beginning of this topic. Lets just all enjoy our mini's while we can. None of us can do a thing about it. That's just the way it is.

[havanaholly]

...None of us can do a thing about it. That's just the way it is.

That's probably part of the reason the discussion strayed.

[Margaret]

I may not be working at this moment but I help around the house,I can cook,can iron,can do housework.I am looking after my parents in their old age.They don't need to hire house sitters or pet sitters.I am not lazy because I'm unemployed.

[Rhonda]

Many years ago when I was first married my husband was a tree planter and made good money, in the off season of tree planting he fought forest fires. In the fall and the spring we would pick mushrooms and brush on the week ends for extra money. I also picked huckleberries and made good pocket money. One day he came home from work and said he was getting laid off.... His boss's boss had hired a whole crew of hispanics and they basically fired all the americans. Well we thought we can still pick brush, wrong again there were so many hispanics picking brush the market was flooded ditto that on the mushrooms and berries. most of our circle of friends were working the same jobs as us. I think in my close cirlcle of friends over the next 6 months 8 familys lost their incomes. I went to work dealing cards my husband went to work in the saw mill. I worked for one year and replaced by Oriental girls. He kept his job thankfully.

We used to be able to find all kinds of extra work to do because we were not afraid of hard work. We picked apples and brought home boxes of them to can, we also picked beans, strawberries, Peas, pears. Many a family vacation all over the western US we funded by our week end migratory work.

We both also worked in the fish plant as teen agers, where I was from (the Oregon coast) you either worked logging or fishing now you cant get a job as a teen ager doing either. All of lower cost housing is gone and if you do find one you dont really want to live there.

Now I am not prejudiced by any means I have korean and african american grandsons, phillopino aunts, ameria asian cousins. What makes me upset is the jobs that are going to illegal immigrants who can get away with being paid half of what they should be getting paid. Then you figure in that 50% of their incomes is sent to Mexico to their families there and the money is not even going back into the communties to help pay taxes for schools roads etc.

Like was posted at the beginning almost all assembly type work is overseas, these were jobs that people could pick up when they needed a bit of extra money.

I am thankful I learned all I did growing up and I live in a state where if you starve something is wrong with you because everywhere you look there is food that is free for the taking, from sea food, to fresh fish its here. I am scared for people who live in big cities who do not have that option or the skills to get by.

I have already been buying up every canning jar I come across and plan on growing a big garden this spring. My daughter who lives in the city is turning her tiny back yard into a veggie garden. we have been fishing when we can and freezing the fish. All the guys have gotten their rifles out and will be going back to hunting deer elk and bear in the fall of next year.

My son in law has been looking for extra work as he will be getting laid off in 3 weeks, my son got laid off 2 weeks ago. my Dil and DD are both still working. my DIL works at a hospital so we are confident she will be ok, not so sure about her college classes she may have to drop them and take on more hours at work. my Daughter is working in a small deli and going to school full time, she may have to drop out and try and find another job if something does not come through for her hubby.

I may have to move AGAIN back to my sons house to help with babysitting as I am not sure they can afford day care much longer. My son is working here and there odd jobs but its the wrong time of year for construction work let alone with the way the econmy is.

wow I want on a ramble there didnt I?

where is FDR when we need him? we need "A new deal" now desperately to put all these unemployed people back to work!

ok I am done rambling now LOL!

PS Sherry if that were my DIL I would have turned the stereo on full blast and started dancing around while I was cleaning, but I can get away with that, I have alway cleaned my house with the music blasting :jawdrop: