It came up in a discussion recently with friends of mine about unemployment and the figures being offered to us by the government.

What came up was the government % vs. what the REAL % of Employed vs Unemployed people was.

Unemployment figures are generated solely off of information provided by the Unemployment offices also called ECC. But does this reflect the ACTUAL number of Unemployed by percentage? HELL NO!

Looking back on it the figures do not take into account, disabled/ medically disabled, WELFARE RECIPIENTS who for the most part ARE unemployed, those forced to remain at home caring for elderly or children, and Homeless. When these factors are added in the Unemployment figures make a Astonishing leap.

In light of this a more acute problem presents itself and one the government does not like seeing the whole picture!

Disability is being treated like a golden lottery by people and is being abused by both health care and many others getting on these programs. Welfare is being milked by people just going through the moves to get free money. The Unemployment offices can only do so much.

Does this play into the whole recession vs. depression argument? Heck yes it does.

In a side note also reflect that a depression is based on a 20% loss of Domestic GNP. If you tabulate the loss of GNP over the last ten years it seems that there has been a VERY significant loss to domestic GNP. Enough so that amortized over time since the 80s begins to take on more sinister proportions!

So, recession or depression? With the course Obama is setting us on I have a feeling we will all find out here real soon.

I would love to be an optimist but all I see is dark clouds and frowning bad guys on the weather map.

Yeah and what about the # of people who made 50k a year now work at Burger King?

hmmmmmmmmmmm

If i got paid 50k, id work at burger king too! I was unaware the salary level went up to flip a freakin whopper and cook fries. Do they offer pention and 401k as well? LOL. No, it is sad. I have friends on unemployment, theyre getting forclosed on cause unemployment barely feeds them. They applied for food stamps, but arent getting a response from ohio job and family services.

psst...i think he said they did earn that much then worked at burger king. not they got paid that at burger king lol

"Disability is being treated like a golden lottery by people and is being abused by both health care and many others getting on these programs."

I disagree with this. There is a long process to get approved for disability. Treatment, doctors, Soc. Sec. docs., judges, and more.
They deny everybody the first time and then people have to appeal. It's not that easy to get.

my sister is on disablity and she is on morphine drips. they had to fight hard for it. but there are doctors out there that want a cut of something and there are people that don't need to be on it

I truly believe that those people are in the minority. There are people trying to do wrong in every system and every corner of the world.

I've had patients that have had strokes and couldn't even feed themselves get denied and have to appeal it. It is normally difficult to be accepted for disability.

You say that the docs want a cut. After the pts., docs then the pt. sees the Soc. Sec. doc. Then it can go to a judge.

I know people who have an honest need BUT and I do mean BUT I have met my share of milkers as well. Instead of retraining to change jobs to something they can do they whine about how they are so hurt and yet when it comes to having fun they have all the time, energy, and money in the world for it.

Disability is a slow train wreck that keeps getting bigger!

I am so glad that pessimism isn't contagious. Or is it after a time? Ack better start limiting my time on Mingle cuz it sure is getting depressing in here. Will have to be thinking about getting help from the government for the depression I got at Mingle. Just kidding...

I believe I have enough to think about daily to keep afloat with out worrying about the few lazy good for nothings that are milking what little they can get from the government.

Ya it sucks but to be honest I am much more infuriated by banks and other corporations that think they can do what ever they like including steal billions and then not even get a slap on the wrist, and then we get to bail them out, but noooooo all we can do is blame the people that get the least.. weird!

ya putin

You guys are omitting the logical reasoning for getting on a program. The system that has any program like that is unfair and despotic. This system is unconstitutional. Anybody is welcome to help, but no one should be forced to. In forcing everyone to participate in collecting the means, this system becomes despotic. It, therefore, deserves to be incapacitated.

Now, think. If you just stay aside and work honestly, do you really think you are going to cause much harm to a despot? No! You won't be noticed at best, but most likely, your energy will be sucked out to support a program just like this. So, your honesty and your refusal to "get on it" only harms you, not the despot! You are simply remain as a convenient milking cow. What does one do then?

You must become a weight on a program. You're not breaking it any other way.

Now, obviously, in case you are all supporters of this evil system, then, you would be against such approach. You just like to milk everyone else. I understand.

And here is the beauty of this method. By exploiting the unfair system to the point it can't exist anymore, you're prompting the evil perpetrators to get on defensive. Once they do, they are going to be tougher and tougher, to the point that they will become fascistic about who is going on it and who doesn't. They will increase the amount of paperwork, and we will have another weapon, we will point it out and call them bureaucratic. They will make tougher tests, exams and testimonies. There we will call them unsympathetic and delaying. Either way the despots turn, they will give the people a reason to hate them. This will destroy a support in the eyes of those who believe everything should just be peaceful.

So, there is a catch 22, we are setting, when pursuing this approach. If they keep their cool, we abuse them to the point their program causes more bad than good. If they lose their cool, they look so bad, they will lose the popular support even quicker, as even their patients will speak against the system in private.

nogames...i see your point. but me personally i don't mind but i do understand what you are saying

I once asked a friend why is it he's working two jobs and still getting a welfare?

It seemed cruel and dishonest to me.

He said: "If you're forced into a narrow pipe with a shotgun, which way would you hold it, towards you or would you rather point it at others?".

This friend of mine has an uncanny common sense. I've seen a proof of that many times.

so are you saying he's getting welfare to get back what he put in? sorry i'm brain dead today lol

wow so good it posted twice lol

Yes. He is saying that if you are forced not to be honest, but chose to either take from others by force, or to give to others by force, a sensible thing to do is then to put yourself into a position where you take from others.

Unfortunately, there isn't third choice, i.e. to stay honest and mind your own business.

i understand what you are saying now

Honesty is not a choice?

putin....i think he means as far as not having the taxes taken from him