This week, in We Elected This Asshole?!? ...
Jim Lembke, a Republican state senator from St. Louis County, is tired of this shit. All these goddamn unemployed people bitching about the job market and sucking at the government's worn-out tit need to shut the hell up, polish up their resumes and find their asses a job. Actually, no! That's too easy! What they should do is find themselves two or three jobs, just to prove that they're not a bunch of pussies.
No, seriously, this how he feels:
"Ninety-nine weeks is too long," Lembke argued. "People need to get off their backsides and get a job. Maybe they'll have to get two jobs or three jobs to make ends meet, but they need to quit stealing from their neighbors."That's from this morning's Star, where Lembke continues his opposition to a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to out-of-work Missourians.
The measure would secure additional federal funds to allow Missouri
to continue providing unemployment aid to job seekers for up to 99
weeks. Similar extensions have been approved the last two years.
The bill sailed easily through the House a month ago but on Tuesday ran
into a filibuster from ... Lembke.
Lembke, known for his fiscal conservatism, criticized federal
government spending and said Missouri should not accept money from
Washington while the government remains in debt. He also said
unemployed job seekers should not continue to receive government aid.
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Cream of the Crap is more like it. I did well in college too. I got a 31 on my ACT and I did not have a tutor, I took the test on a day that I was coming down with strep throat. I lived in an affluent suburb, and still drive the Lexus, (now 15 years old, and running great, BTW) that I earned, and paid for. But I never had the contempt for humanity that you seem to, and I never thought that most people on unemployment wanted to be there. TO be honest, even if you lost your job by no fault of your own, it is still dehumanizing, humiliating, and soul destroying. I did not have a stupid degree. I know plenty of engineers that had excellent jobs and they are just as out of work. I was motivated to move across the country (At my own expense) for a job, only to lose it. I was not born wealthy either. My parents worked hard and never took anything from anybody either. We lived within our means, and saved money. Bill Gates has a LOT more accomplishments under his belt than you do, and yet he has a lot more compassion for his fellow man. You think you are better than Bill? More talented? What exactly are your qualifications.
Funny, your name is "Abe" and you talk about "truth". You are no Honest Abe, that is for certain. Just how old are you, "Abe"? What do you do for a living? How long have you been doing it? What is your education? Have you ever lost a job? I lost my job in 2008, and have been struggling to find a job, anything, ever since. I was VERY gainfully employed. I have an education. I am almost 50, and guess what "Abe".... the people who are hiring are NOT hiring employees anywhere close to 50. I work in a management position since 1994. I also was a working artist and had my own studio, (SUCCESSFUL, studio, "Abe") for almost 20 years. I was very motivated. SO motivated that I drove 82 miles each way to work, 40 hours a week, four ten hours a day a week, and then went home to work in my studio, and I put in an average of 16 hour days "Abe". And guess what "Abe". I paid a lot of taxes. I paid into Social Security. I paid into unemployement. I donated my time and volunteered for causes. I DID NOT have a house that I could not afford, and I DID NOT HAVE A STUPID MORTGAGE at a rate I could not afford. However, when the economy tanked, so did my job, and then my studio as well. About 4 months later my brother lost his job in management. And do you know what "ABE"???? We downsized, shared a small studio apartment, and looked for jobs. We looked for months "Abe" My brother collected unemployment. I did not. In order to make ends meet, we learned how to lay ceramic tile, and we re-did bathrooms. And as soon as my brother found a job, guess what, "Abe"? He took it, even though it was only part-time and even though it paid less than unemployment. He called the unemployment office and told them. We have lived on approx $1,100 amonth since this disaster happened, and $495.00 goes to rent. 20% goes to child support for my brother's daughter. And How much do you think gasoline costs, "Abe". Doesn't leave much for utilities or food, does it. We have lived on coffee, beans, rice, and oatmeal. MMMMmmmmmmm, does that not sound delicious "Abe". Wouldn't you like to come to our place for dinner? And no, we have not, and will not file for food stamps. And I keep looking and looking for a job. It may take two or three jobs to make ends meet? What effing planet are you from, (Uranus, I think). I would be thrilled if I could find ONE JOB.... THERE AREN'T THREE JOBS PER PERSON TO GO AROUND. If you had not written the letter I would think that you were illiterate. Do your actually read, "Abe" Can you count? There is not enough jobs out there for each unemployed person to get ONE JOB, much less two or three. I am very qualified to do many things, and until the crash, I was very well thought of in my field. Now I am told I am "Overqualified". I DO keep looking. I hope you lose your job, and and find out just what it is like. Oh yeah, did you know that many places will not even consider your resumé if you have been unemployed for six months or more? I have filled out countless applications, only to not get so much as an e-mail. I have tried going in person. I have done, and am doing everything I can, and I know plenty of other people around my age who are doing the same, most of us with bachelors, and many of us with master's degrees, (Oh, yeah, I would like to point out that I paid for my own education as well, no grants, just me working). I have not given up on job hunting. I have pretty much given up on any positive thoughts I may have had about my fellow man. You sort of prove my point. Did you get your opinion by going to church on Sunday? I don't think so. I hope when your day comes, you are judged as you have judged others.
$16 billion is required to fund HR589. The Democrats want to use emergency funding to pay for the bill. The Republicans insist on spending cuts to pay for the bill. Democrats feel that if they bend on using emergency spending for unemployment benefits, the Republicans will continually demand spending cuts or other means of funding unemployment benefits besides emergency spending.
A compromise where each side agrees to accept a 50/50 split on the two funding methods would seem to be a rational approach to the impasse. Is it possible that such a reasoned, rational approach could be embraced by both sides? Or will the embrace of unreasoned ideology once again derail what may be the last gasp for many of us? I try my best to be positive in the face of political gamesmanship, but there is little precedent to expect that both sides will put aside their idiocy to lend us the help we so desperately need.
Better hope the unemployed don't loot your house when you're at your three jobs.
so find something worthwhile that you enjoy doing and get into business for yourself. We should stop relying on others to constantly provide support for ourselves and get out there and make our own way. 99 weeks is far, FAR to long to be living off other people's hard work. Times are getting tough and they're only going to get tougher. Either do something about it or fail. You automatically fail if you don't keep trying.
I've been out of work several times myself, but I never stop looking for work, cleaning people's homes here and there to make ends meet. You do what you have to do, or you can sit back and whine about it some more... soon you'll run out of cheese though.
The problem with unemployment is the people who abuse it, and extending the benefits to 99 weeks without some serious restrictions is just going to allow the problem to get worse.
I've been laid off before. It sucks. Unemployment was a nice thing to have during the 3 weeks I was out of work. But like any good person I got myself another job and stopped relying on the state to support me. I'm fine with people who are fired or laid off getting a little help...but 99 weeks?!?!! That's not getting back on your feet, that's sitting on your ass!
this man has a job so he has no idea how hard it is to find a job. Needs to get in the real word and get off his pedisal and see what is really going on. He is a jack ass.
lol, another bought and paid for politician totally out of touch with reality.
www.Privacy-Web.tk
That is a sad truth. I used to make enough to live a modest life. I work as a temp. Got fired twice, but I made the company so much money, my boss saved me twice. Then unemployment finally caught up to me. Unemployment is $320 ($8.00) a week, but I don't pay FICA which would make me 6.00 an hour. well under the MO minimum wage.
I'm almost 60, no college diploma, health issues. NO ONE WILL HIRE ME!!!!
But you sit on your fat ass and say I'm lazy
FFFF YOU!!!
Let me explain this for the people unacquainted with simple economics. One person cannot support four others on unemployment indefinitely. Something is going to change in this society. People are either going to get motivated, find a job, create one for themselves, figure out how to live more frugally and change their lifestyles, or all of the above. The idea that unemployment benefits is are going to flow on forever for those that just can't seem to pull their shit together is not remotely viable. The sooner you wake up to this reality, the better position you will be in to take charge of your own destiny.
I personally know several people from whom it is more lucrative to collect unemployment than end that gravy train by taking a job that might pay less. This gravy train is going to end sooner or later anyway. It's time to start dealing with reality.
Your idiocy, indifference and callousness astound me! I studied computer programming and had 5+ years experience. SO I went to college, got my degree in the hard sciences and still got dumped. I spent a year volunteering 20+ hours a week with a group (Free Geek) that saves computers from landfills, repairs them and grants them back out to schools, churches, homeless and women's shelters. I am now working part time teaching computer repairs to Veterans and continue my volunteer work but I am a long way from were I had been.
The lack of compassion and basic understanding of how our society works that you display are the reasons that this Great nation is suffering! Open your heart AND your brain, turn off Fox News and do something to help others instead of whining about people who have not had the luck that you seem to have had.
Over Qualified? I got that in the 70's as I might have a desire to rise from work floor to supervisor.
I called Mr Lembke's office today. His secretary didn't want to take my comments since her caller ID showed I was from Kansas. I replied I live in KC KS and my last job was in MO so I collect MO unemployment.
In 2 years I have had only 1 response to a job inquiry and that would have required me to move to MO. But I'm stuck in a house, I bought just before market peak, that I'm now losing. I can't afford to stay, can't afford to move. Except for moving to my mom's house I would have to move under a bridge. Sad fate for a Baby Boomer.
When these productive middle-class people take the $20K jobs, what do you think happens to the folks that used to get those jobs? *They* are the ones who can't find a job for two years. They weren't that well off when they were working, but when they have to compete with desparate middle-class folks with American dream debts, they're kicked right back into poverty.
@Abe: You say you've been unemployed before. Did you get unemployment benefits? Did it help? If it had taken you longer than 3 months to find a job, would you have been willing to forego -- or even give back -- that unemployment check as you got more worried about how you were ever going to meet all your bills?
I can smell your sanctimony from here.
1. Ignore the idjits. They're everywhere. They won't have a clue until it happens to them, and they'll be the first to tell you that it will never happen to them. Haha.
2. Free faxes can be sent online at www.faxzero.com and www.myfax.com among others.
I'd like to know what type of "jobs" you want those in government to "create". The only jobs the government can create are government jobs which means more theft from taxpayers to employ more government workers.
Well Senator, We are waiting for the jobs. Correct me, but you Republicans were all about jobs before the election, I have yet to hear one jobs bill come out of any Republican office! "Nothing" but of course attack the Middle class. Can't wait to see if your spin machine can overcome it.
senator Jim Lembke sounds like you have been in the government game a while why don't you and the rest government tit suckers take 80 % pay cut what kind of money that save us and if you could not make ends meet put your wife to work and take 2nd or 3rd job. see how your lazy ass likes working for peanuts
I'm just wondering if those who are unemployed lack the drive to possibly start their own business?? Two years is a long time to be out of work and I know I couldn't possibly sit around doing nothing for that long. Even odd and end jobs to create a little cash flow, perhaps asking family for support or a place to stay if you're living in your car? The economy is going to hell in a hand basket and the longer we have people sucking off productive folks pocketbooks, the faster it's going to go. The only true NEEDS in life are food, water, clothing and shelter. Grow your own, water is abound everywhere, make your own clothes/thrift stores, etc and if your car is all you have for the moment... it's better than a cardboard box. How about turning off the cable, internet, netflix subscriptions, etc and tighten those belts before truly whining. There are people out there who do have less than you do and aren't crying about it, they're dealing with it and trying to make the best of it. No one is entitled to anything in this life, so get over it.
Heh - looks like I'm once again ahead of the curve. I wrote "Abe" off as an insufferable asshole long before he started spouting GOP talking points on this thread.
Abe, you are an insufferable ass, and I feel sorry for your family, if you've actually managed to have one -- although something tells me you aren't exactly "in demand" in the social sphere ...
Abe, How old are you? I'm in a position of being told I am "overqualified" when trying to apply for jobs below my degree. I am in my mid-fifties and was told by an HR manager to "be careful, you are showing your age". I have worked since I was 12 years old and never thought I would be in this position, especially after my advanced degrees. Until you are in the position, I would suggest you be a little more grateful and a little more compassionate. I continue to attend conferences, volunteer my time in hope of networking and to just utilize my skills for the benefit of my community. If you can't say something supportive, get off the thread.
There are only two industries that people NEED. They will always need to eat, and they will always get sick. The rest come and go with the economy.
I didn't respond to your previous diatribe because it made no sense. I'm not looking for affirmation, because I already know what I said is true. I just felt like explaining why I am "winning at life", as Charlie Sheen would say, and why life is catching up to those who wasted their opportunities and took medial employment because having a good education and career wasn't "for them". Comparing me to some JoCo brats who get wasted at P&L every weekend doesn't make sense, because they are the next generation of losers who will be joining the unemployment line in 10 years time complaining about how 99 weeks isn't enough time to find a job.
As for "the cream of the crop", you should learn to understand sarcasm.
I know four people who have taken unemployment for more than one year. Not one of them is trying hard to find a job. This is their chance to take it easy and smoke up.
This is 100% anecdotal, true, and I don't deny for one second there are scores of people who are actively seeking employment but can't find any due to a job market flooded with workers with similar skills.
But when you're getting into the 50-week range (let alone 99), you've got just as many slackers as you have genuinely hard-up job-seeking people. And that's a problem, because that's when you get angry, "hard working folk" like this guy who have a legislative vote, trying to take it away from everyone. I'm not saying I have a solution to police this; I'm just saying it's rather common.
My "little plan" is called growing up. It didn't just "work out", I made it work. I've seen so many people stay content with their jobs they had in their youth, while going out and getting wasted every night. Then all of a sudden they are 35-50 years old and haven't developed worthwhile skills that makes them stand out in the unemployment line. They think that by being 30+ years old means you're just supposed to have a job given to you. Which kind of explains why some people have no problem being on welfare for 2+ years.
Yeah, businesses are going to screw some good, honest, hardworking people over, and it sucks. Some people that really deserve jobs are going to be ignored, I've seen it happen, I'm not denying that. What I am denying is that you need 2+ years to find a new one.
A Job whats that ? Last week the news reported that there are 6.4 people for each position and that on average 300 applicants per position and that only 15 out of 300 get called for an interview. To make matters worse it takes 100,000 news jobs per month just to keep up with the population growth.
Abe, I went to college and studied in an industry that wasnt oversaturated when I graduated. I am luckily still employed. Many of my classmates are not. Im glad you have a crystal ball to tell what work will be in the future and what will not. I have personally had unemployed people in my family who have looked tirelessly for jobs. It is tougher than any other time to find work. You, my friend, are a careless, selfish individual and you should really think before you make comments like this. Many of these folks who are unemployed have never been in this situation before. Jobs are not out there, its tough. Im glad you are a mental giant and therefore guaranteed employment on demand.
hey, I just want to know what kind of job Abe has! No shortage of jobs?! I want some of that! So tell us what you do so we can all go back to college and do what you do! Why keep it a secret? Maybe because you know if more people did it you would start to have job shortages? If your job is so great, share so we can better ourselves!
I would like to thank you for affirming my preconception of you as a person. Your response is exactly what I would have expected. If you had taken the the time to actually comprehend my post, you would have read the previous diatribe describing you and your ilk. The fact that you saw only that you were "the cream of the crop" speaks more to your personality (or lack thereof) than anything I could have said.
So... I guess... thanks.
This wonderful insight into your "life" doesn't make you any less of a self congratulating a-hole.
It's very easy to sit on your little pedestal and criticize the choices of others because your little plan seemed to have worked perfectly. People make mistakes and you probably have a few yourself, think about how others judged you when you made mistakes before casting stones. One thing is painfully obvious, your quest for higher education didn't teach you a damn thing about compassion.
Is Mr. Lembke one of the so-called "job creators" that Boehner and his ilk are so fond of talking about? If so, maybe HE should get off his ass and CREATE some jobs so that the 99ers could actually FIND work. He's tired? Yeah, he doesn't KNOW tired -- tired is spending weeks, months, years looking for a job and never getting a call because there are hundreds applying for the same job. Tired is trying to keep a roof over your head and the lights on with no money and bill collectors calling you every single damned day because there is no money to pay your credit card. Tired is realizing that the people you elected to office don't give a shit whether you have to live in your car. Tired is being over 40 and realizing that even in GOOD times, you will be the last hired, probably the first fired and that in this economy, you have NO shot at all if college grads can't even find work. The ignorant/uninformed/complacent/cold-hearted/ financially comfortable commenters who think that "99 weeks is too long" should find out how they would manage if they had to go a month or two without any income AT ALL. And by the way, 2 minimum wage jobs is STILL not enough to pay rent or mortgage in 2011. Wake up.
Thanks for the recognition that I am, in fact, the cream of the crop.
However, it may pain you to know I drive a car I paid off, I hate P&L, and even though I currently live in JoCo but I was not born and raised there.
To everyone on this thread. I think it is clear that "Abe" is a self-righteous, self-absorbed, pretentious, pompous, a-hole that is seeking an affirmation of how "awesome" he was "in the classroom" and how far-sighted he was in predicting he should "[major] in an industry that doesn't have a shortage of jobs." He is clearly the cream of the crop, and would like everyone here to notice.
The one thing I took note of: self-important, smug, thread posters are generally the dudes that drive cars they can't afford, and pay $13 dollars for drinks they give to the skanks in the P+L. Have fun driving to and from JoCo, ballbag.
No, I won't work at a gas station or let an unemployed person take my job. I went to college, majored in an industry that doesn't have a shortage of jobs, excelled in the classroom and now in the work field. It's not my fault when people go to college and major in business or social "sciences" and then are stunned when they realize their field is over saturated.
I was laid off. I looked for a job, really looked, every day. And I spent many, many nights crying. Because I never heard from the countless jobs I applied for. Because I knew how many people were applying for the same job. Because of the harsh judgments of people like you who thought all I wanted was a free ride. I felt that society had labeled me as worthless. All I wanted was a job.
I couldn't get a job at a coffee shop or grocery store because I was over qualified. The managers assumed once I found a job in my original field, I would immediately jump ship and leave them high and dry. Not worth the time training and hassle. And while I wouldn't mind doing this type of work or the greatly reduced pay, it's not helping the employer and it's not helping me keep my skills sharp for a job that is a better match for my skill set.
Just because you "know" people who do not try to find a job does not make it a universal truth. There are plenty of unemployed people who have made it their full time job to find a decent job. There are others who do the bare minimum, or fake their unemployment qualifications completely. Until you have lost your job and everything you have worked towards for no reason, do not pass judgment.
How dare you shame people for losing their jobs. Why don't you go take that job at the gas station and let an unemployed person take your current job?
There is 1 job for every 5 people looking. That means 80% of the people looking for jobs, there are no jobs for. Do you got that? There aren't enough jobs for the people looking, that's why they haven't had jobs for two years, because those jobs don't exist.
Taking a person who makes $40-60K a year, with house payments, car payments, possibly kids, and then asking them to take a job that doesn't even pay $20K with zero benefits accomplishes nothing. All that person has everyday they go to work at the gas station is a harsh reminder of how screwed they are.
Productive middle-class people who lose their jobs because their employers ran their business poorly is not their fault. Accusing them of being lazy accomplishes nothing, telling them to work for minimum wage accomplishes nothing either.
Abe, should people really take a $7/hr job when they were laid off because of no fault of their own? I don't think so. Politicians like Lembke and all other Rep's have no agenda except for the rich. This guy got a red light ticket in ONE of his FOUR cars and is fighting it, but yet, trying to refuse a lifeline to people who are struggling and can't pay bills. Where does the money for a ticket go? It is to support our infrastructure as a community. He broke the law, he should pay. He could sell one of his $3000 pin-stripe clownsuits that he wears if he needs to.
Truth hurts sometimes. If you are truly out there looking for a job, you should be able to find one within 99 weeks. That's nearly 2 years, if you can't find one in 2 years you are either not trying hard enough or you have high expectations of who you will and won't work for. I've been unemployed before, it really sucks. But I found a job after about 3 months. It really isn't that hard.
And to think all these people on benefits are trying their hardest is naive. I know people who have been on unemployment for a year. They admit they barely try to find work, just hard enough to be able to prove they are trying. Some people really do have bad luck when it comes to layoffs and finding a new job. But so bad of luck you can't even get a job at a grocery store or gas station within a 2 year time period? I doubt it.
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