Lectiile centrului

LECTIILE CENTRULUI – 28 ianuarie 2015

Prospectiv A-z

Ben New Jersey 11 December 2014
The story of my life. Currently age 59, MBA in Finance, laid off by my employer of 27 years in Financial services when my job was outsourced to Central America in 2009. After two years completely gave up even looking for work in Finance. Now an adjunct (part time) professor at two community colleges teaching remedial math and making one-sixth of what I used to make. Just running out the clock until I can take social security and have no penalty on the IRA withdrawal.
Two observations:
1) Having grown up in the 1960's and 1970's I would never have believed the American economy could ever look like this.
2) Having seen the dark side of capitalism has cured me of being a conservative Republican.
Casey Penk Seattle 11 December 2014
I'm afraid that many of these folks wound up in their situation after voting against their economic self-interest. Funding the corporate state is an innocent, harmless endeavor until the corporation you worship outsources your job.
Ross is a trusted commenter Delaware 12 December 2014
The USA is becoming a tough culture and getting tougher. Money is the only thing that matters and influence is a paid commodity leaving many out in the cold. The disabled and those needing a leg up are disparaged at every turn as freeloaders. Any suggestion of benefits to assist is termed socialism by the increasingly radical right. Other countries (Germany for example) develop programs such as kurzarbeit (short work) to ensure workers and expertise are retained through lean times allowing fast recovery and lower government payments. We keep churning on a boom-bust cycle. The approach of creating policies that ultimately benefit the majority of citizens is totally foreign to our so-called leaders. On virtually every set of indices tracking the USA against other advanced economies with respect to quality of life, the USA is falling further behind. The politicians can keep up the mantra that we are the greatest nation in the world – but this exceptionalism myth is wearing very thin.
BC Baltimore 12 December 2014
When construction work dried up a decade ago, the company I worked 12 years for, suddenly put me on a 1099, then laid me off for the first time with no unemployment. My home city suddenly became unaffordable. I had to resort to minimum wage service industry jobs. The transition is excruciating and devastates the psyche. I'm too healthy for disability, have no parents, inheritance or help, period. I've had to alter my personality completely for a non-livable wage, disregard any sense of dignity, and live in a city that I dislike. I was once happy in my work. The rest of my life will be torture.
Flatlander LA, CA 11 December 2014
I considered myself fortunate to have been able to retire at age 58.
Part of the reason I stopped working was because of health issues related to the after affects of stage 3 colon cancer that I was diagnosed with when I was 52. Another part of the reason was that I was burned out and bored after spending most of my 36 years of working full time in corporate finance and accounting jobs.
My wife and I are fortunate that we were able to set aside enough money throughout our working lives to retire when we did (she retired at age 59). I also made educating myself about investing a high priority and it has helped us tremendously.
I was glad to be able to exit the corporate America rat race when I did. The corporate workplace is a heartless environment these days and I was very relieved when I was able to walk away from it, never to return (I hope!).
Bill SF 12 December 2014
For decades I had my suspicions about all those "needy" people on welfare and disability. As a regular reader of the WSJ, my suspicions were confirmed almost every week by the Journal's editorial page: it was us MAKERS versus those TAKERS.
How appropriate, then, that after I quit my job in mid-2007, the Great Recession hit, and I couldn't find a new job.
Seven years have gone by, and my resume's gone to hell - commission-only work, temp jobs, volunteering, you name it. I've been busy. But as I'm over 40, I'm now basically unemployable as a white collar professional.
This note is really meant for the posters - and readers - who have scorn for those on the dole. (I'm not against scorn for the cops, firemen and LIRR employees who really do milk the system - they deserve your disdain!) Here's my dare: take your resume, and replace the last 7 years with 5 different activities. Throw some volunteering in there; add a job or two that's below your grade, and/or unrelated to your career. Include a gap. Then send that resume to 200 jobs you're well-qualified for. Watch what happens. (Nothing.) Do it again, this time to 500 jobs.
It is heart-breaking. It is humiliating. And it's not clear that there is a solution. Cracking-down on disability claims feels right. But do make a point to understand just how tough it is in America today for a middle-aged professional with a messed-up resume to get hired again. Understand why so many have given-up on the American dream.

The Rise of Men Who Don’t Work, and What They Do Instead

Young men work less. Older men work more. Here’s what happens at every age.

nytimes.com|De Amanda Cox

    S.D  As spune ca nu numai criza, dar si globalizarea, dorinta fara margini de imbogatire a celor deja avuti a adus in ultimii ani o mare nefericire in lume. Precaritatea, anxietatea ce o insoteste, imposibilitatea de a-ti mentine casa sau a te ingriji in conditiile pierderii slujbei sau a salariului minim, situeaza acum mai mult de jumatate din populatia globului in disperare si nefericire. Destinul atator oameni este afectat, familii de multe ori se destrama de nevoie, apar o multitudine de alte urmari cum ar fi cresterea criminalitatii, proliferarea consumului de droguri, violenta, etc.

  Andrei Alexandru The dark side of the moon or, better, of the sun.

  Mihai Ion Turcu Nebunia consta in faptu ca banii aceia nu sunt reali, sunt niste cifre prin care se masoara distante sociale si politice criteriul msurat fiind to mai confuz. mai grav, cifree in sine pot fi manpulate ( oscilatiile burselor), tocmai pentru ca aceor cifre nu e corespunde o realitate ponderala. Paradoxal pot schimba bunuri adevarate conra nimic socoind ca ai facut un schimb bun. Ce inemneaza sa fii foarte foarte bogat, masurat in cifrele din computeree unor banci,

  M.I.T  Aparent ar fi posibiitatea unor cheluieli de lux, rea este vorba de tentatia puterii. A fi foarte foarte bogat insemneaza a putea dispune si influenta, in ordinea capitaista. MAO a fot un om bogat ? Ceusescu a fot un om bogat ? (Daca cineva m-ar obiga sa locuiesc, pe banii statuui, in vilele pentru care se bate acuma Traian Basescu as fi profund nefericit, ceva mai fara stil si personaitate greu de imaginat, un fe de salon de primire ofciala de aeroport cu baie).Deci cineva poate fi foarte infuent si fara a fi foarte foarte bogat, ba chiar sarac, daca cumva sufera de gastrita si maninca mancare dietetica, nici macar "caviar cu champanie" ( nu stiu in ce consta rafinamentu acestei combinatii) nu-si poate permite. Deci nu bogatia ci puterea este dorita, punct in care intervine o incurcatura, societatie ibera-denocratice autentice imiteaza puterea, ca ampoare si ca durata.A fost gasita solutia, societatea democrat liberala capitaista nu limiteaza individu veleitar privind bogatia, si permite omului bogat sa subordoneze interesuui sau statul fara a ocupa o pozitie in stat. Mai este democrat-liberala o asemenea societate ?

  S.D  Imi plac formularile lui Thomas Piketty referitoare la categoriile saraci/bogati din societate:

● Deosebirile sociale între indivizi nu pot fi întemeiate decât pe utilitatea publică.
● Doar elitele bogate ale societăților dezvoltate care au acumulat averi prin munca, talent și venit personal contribuie la utilitatea publica.
● Sistemul politic democratic are sens doar în măsura în care individualismul capitalist produce și adâncește binele general
● Pentru a nu aduce atingere Statului Social, capitalismul trebuie controlat.

In aceste conditii, raspunsul la intrebarea D-lui Turcu as putea sa-l formulez in termenii urmatori: Democratia liberala daca nu limiteaza bogatia individului veleitar si-i permite acestuia sa subordoneze statul intereselor sale fara a detine o functie in aparatul de stat, este o notiune perimata.