Just need to vent...

I can't see the video. It's blocked by the household parental controls. All I see is a brief "Money for nothing" title whenever I refresh the page.

At any rate, I don't think working 40-hour weeks is asking to get money for nothing. If the services I am able to provide for my employer, community and country aren't considered to be worthy enough to receive health care, or any other necessity for that matter, so be it. If I get sick and can't get health care and die, who cares. I wasn't worth that much to my community anyway.

I understand that being an honest citizen who doesn't drink, smoke, gamble or do drugs, who keeps a neat and clean home and property, even though they aren't mine, who spends evenings and weekends with family and friends, who'll come over and help fix your sink, heater, car or other, who helps people broken down on the side of the road, who volunteers to mentor the young in the community and even foster orphans, in no way makes me worthy of free money. Maybe if I were a greedy, competitive back-stabber, I'd be worth a higher salary to someone. Then again, wishing the job I was loyal to for the past 15 years would cover my health care was perhaps greedy on my part.

Employers, sellers, renters and service providers all have the right to set prices and wages as they see fit. And if I can't afford whatever it is, that's ok. I accept the fact I will not have health care and probably a lot of other things. I will work hard for the things most important to me and what I can attain, and that's all I can do.

Now I think we've beaten this horse to death plenty enough. It was only my intention to vent one frustration but has only caused a lot more frustration. I'll make a mental note to not post frustrations on the internet. There will always be those who will judge you for your frustrations and offer up their versions of solutions without being anywhere close to being in one's shoes.

 

You did ask for a solution. We offered one. You already knew what to do.

That is the heart of the issue. You live in a very desirable mountain community that is expensive. Plenty of young Americans are ready to take your jobs and would gladly live in small apartments and require no insurance just for the privilege of living there. As a bonus pot is legal at the local store. The company owners and managers know they have the leverage. No illegals needed.

Down here in South Texas there are many jobs available, even McDonalds, bbq places, grocery stores (great benefits) and Buccee’s gas stations all have health insurance and hang “Now Hiring” signs on the front of their stores.

In construction, no one cares about Jose’s immigration status if he will climb a ladder and build a house in 100 degree weather. Jose’s older brother runs a crew and has a mortgage and fancy Ram Truck. They are both great workers.

 

I'll guess it's not one of the more important things in your life to watch an old youtube by dire straits in an ad for priuschats meta group or whatever it is down there.
Here's a link to another dire straits hit from the 80's on a different provider if you want to run a quick test of your controls

plus you may get a box above with a bigger pic than that ad down there.

 

Well thanks for trying I guess. Sorry if I sounded like I was looking for a solution and not just moral support.

This is completely untrue. The great majority of those who move in have plenty of income from investments, lucrative jobs or other sources. The very few who do get some sort of job do it as a hobby so they have something to do.

As a result, businesses have suffered from lack of workforce. Go down the main drag and you'll see about half the business buildings are empty. I've talked to three previous business owners and they all told me they had to close due to nobody wanting to work. A while ago, one nearby popular ski town had in the paper that residents were baffled that there was no place to go out and eat except one café as all the other restaurants, diners and cafés had to close up shop due to lack of workers. And not just places that serve food, there has been at least one bank that closed its branch here because they couldn't hold onto workers. My wife worked there and soon was the one with the most time working there except one other lady before they closed.

Most of the fast food has all closed up except McDonald's and Subway. But you go into either and nearly all the workers are hispanic, and not the legal kind. Even the ones at the counter have a hard time taking orders in English. We don't go out to eat often, but the last time I was in Subway the ladies were relieved that this gringo (me) could speak Spanish and give the order in Spanish. "¡Qué alivio que usted habla español!" one told me.

Pretty much every Spanish speaking only person that I know works at some diner or restaurant. As a result of the demand the hispanic population here has tripled since the pandemic according to some estimates.

Of course I could also get a job at one of these restaurants, but it would be minimum wage here and only the fast food places offer health care.

Places like here at the school are always "desperate" for workers but are't able to negotiate a higher pay. When I left bus driving I was begged to come back on several occasions. I know they'd hire me on the spot, but they took benefits away from that job and pay is less than where I am now.

 

Looked quite different in Salida, Gunnison, Crested Butte and points between from Santa Fe to Denver last July.

 

I live in Gunnison. You didn't notice all the shops and restaurants that had closed by then? Sonic, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Subway, which only recently reopened, half the block on Tomichi Ave. next to Main St, lots of others open only 3, 4 or 5 days a week? Did you not go into the McDonalds? Did you not see all the kitchen workers in Crested Butte? You didn't go into a coffee shop and end up with a barista that barely speaks English?

 

Lots of the young ones here come to attend the local university and come and go from various jobs. They don't come to stay. Even they have become fewer in the workforce and haven't saved a lot of companies from collapsing.

 

The pandemic took a toll on everybody and especially tourist destinations.

My brother has a place there and we were up the week of July 4th.

Tested the auto B mode function in D over two passes - worked perfect.

Took the hybrid the back way to Black Canyon while the Hwy 50 bridge was down. Fireworks in Crested Butte on the 3rd, Gunnison on the 4th.

The most Hispanics I saw were at
El Paraiso but my brother prefers the
Palisades Restaurant next to Walmart.

Drove by the hospital (my wife is a provider) and checked out the new O'Reilly Auto Parts where they loaned us a vacuum pump to fix up his ac. Many national retailers, an airport and nearby ski resort. Lots of opportunities.

 

Yep. I love Mexican food, but the Paraíso isn't real Mexican food. Palisades is about the best restaurant in town now.

Now, I've only started looking for another job since yesterday. So far things are looking good. It's been a while since I've put together a resume. I've applied for the propane truck job, going to turn in an application for a bank teller position that just came out today, was asked today if I'd want to work writing parking tickets, and someone else asked if I'd be interested in teaching amateur radio classes as a side job.

 

They pay people for that?

cool!

I watched the W4EEY classes in the tubes - but I get it.
Hope it works out for you to do that.
Amateur radio needs younger operators!

 

I was taught (at the ripe old age of 17) that part "what you earn" is the benefits. You are only working for minimum wage if you are not going to stay long enough to qualify for the benefits while working a minimum wage job.

In 1973 I got a job at a fortune 500 company. That particular job title had traditionally been filled by women and paid only $2.30 an hour PLUS BENEFITS. To the best of my recollection the health care was 100% coverage Blue Cross. I don't remember the pricing too well because at the age of 17 I didn't go to the Dr or hospital very often. If you included the vacation pay, the health care and the job training, the compensation was much more than the $2.30 per hour that was stamped on the check.

 

True, but benefits are complicated. Here's my example:

• I've worked at the same place for 15 years and haven't gotten any company benefits. So no "stay long enough to qualify" applies here.
• When ACA came along, if I did get company benefits then it is still up to the company if they offer it just for just the worker (maybe worker and minor children) or for the whole family. If they they only cover the health insurance premiums of the worker then, since the worker qualifies, the rest of the family, or at least the spouse, no longer qualifies for the ACA credits, meaning the worker would have to pay for that insurance outright. For an example, if I were working for an employer that offers benefits this year I'd still have to pay about the same I do now for my whole family to have insurance. It is only next year that things are going to change.
  
• Only if a company pays for both worker and spouse insurance, or if both spouses are able to work full time, does the whole family qualify.

I'm sure someone will chime in and say that I need to make my wife go get some sort of full time job, etc. etc. etc. Go ahead and judge us. You're not in our shoes.

 

When I was interviewed for employment at a fortune 500 company the HR rep was highlighting their pension plan. I told him that I do not expect to actually get a pension so tell me other reasons for me to accept your offer? I treated receiving any pension as a pleasant surprise

I, and my significant other, did qualify for pensions from one company that are about equal to what we receive from social security. None of the other companies that were worked for ever gave us a pension. We did, however, establish significant retirement equity via several profit sharing plans (401k plans, stock options, ...).

JeffD

 

From what I understand, jobs with pension plans are far and few between these days. Where I'm currently there's no 401k or anything like that offered, just like no health insurance is offered. I've got some money that I've put towards a Roth IRA. That's all I can do now unless I get another job that offers a way for me to save my money through a 401k or traditional IRA. But unless I can find something pays substantially more I don't see myself ever saving up for retirement, unless I place retirement at, say 85 years old.

 

Pensions no longer exist (except in union dominated jobs). They were the norm for the first 30 years of my career. I have been teaching (college - engineering) mostly part time for the last 30 years and consulting gigs since my last full-time position in 1993 at the age of 60. My child bride (we've been married 57 years) retired 7 years ago.

JeffD

 

Health Care had a not so interesting reorganization in the early 80's with the introduction of the first HMO's and has been on that path ever since. If one has never struggled with insurance issues or aggressive health care (?) workers, consider yourself lucky.

 

Although not unionize, the DA's office & public defenders have EXTREMELY luxurious 401k plans, (where if there's a 2 income family so) you can put up to ½ your salary into retirement savings. Yeah, the government in many states supplies MATCHING retirement funds. Hate hate hated the work - so I returned to something less financially rewarding - where (disney) they matched up to a pathetic 3%. LOL ... better than a hot stick in the eye.
.

 

There are still pension plans, often in the healthcare industry and local governments. My wife has qualified for two and is working on the third with an employer she just started three years ago.

It is skilled workers that have leverage these days; the thing to do is to become one of them.

The other angle is starting your own business and leveraging employees. Still a viable option for skilled tradesmen who have built valuable experience. These company owners don't need a pension.

Finally Social Security and Medicare is "barely enough" if your housing costs are substantially paid off by then. Most states allow tax freezes at age 65 which further stabilizes retirement expenses.

 

How does one become a skilled worker, one that they are sure comes with such benefits as a pension plan? And how long does one have to work in order to receive pension benefits? I've heard that someone would need to work 30 years to get the pension benefit. I'm 52, so if I could go to school this year and start next year, does that mean I have to work to 83 to get the benefit?

Edit: I just looked at a nursing assistant job here at the local hospital, and they offer a matching 401k plan, but no pension plan.

 

No you don't need to work 30 years to get a pension when you are 65 or older. Most of the employers I described above have a formula that takes years on the job plus your age. It might require a total of 75. So ten years of work at 65 qualifies. Obviously you get less monthly than the guy who worked 20 years for the same organization. it is still enough to pay some expenses making the Social Security go further. By the way Social Security is significantly based on your highest ten years of income which means a 55 year old entering a good paying job still has time to dramatically improve his Social Security check.