Community Chat

[Keybra]

The tax for 18 years old, going to school full time is $22500. I did not make the rules and thought it was only 1,500. We pay her tuition and she lives at home, when she is here,for free. IT IS HER HOME. Sorry we don't believe in student loans. That is why we have no debt.

[QVCkitty1]

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@chessylady wrote:

Single parents have a problem finding and/or affording child care. Most advanced societies provide child care subsides. There is a shortage of affordable housing. Subsidized housing have years long waiting list. Many people are rethinking jobs that barely cover housing and child care with visits to the food bank. Boomers like myself should stop comparing what it was like when we were young. Times are drastically different. 

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@chessylady  , Thank you. I get weary reading the same old responses that support posters own narrative. When people used to complain about wages , smug individuals would say , well get a better job, well many have. I'm a boomer , and I'm so tired of the usual " political " explanations for labor shortages ! 

[FiddleDeeDee]

I'm going to answer this from a parents' perspective because of what I'm hearing from my sons: 2 in HS, 1 in undergrad, 1 in grad.

UNLESS you are willing to be available at ANY and ALL times and will accept part time with NO benefits, they don't want you.  My boys hustle. DH and I hustle. You have a full time job and a side gig. You work 3 jobs to make up 40 hours if you have to. Going to college? How many hours in school subtracted from 40 is how many hours a week you can work a job; if the class is easy, add more hours to your work schedule. 

That ALL said: you can do this when you have a set schedule. Prior to covid, this wasn't an issue for my sons and their friends (talking more than 10 years since eldest was in HS). Now? Forget it. There is NO WAY you can work and go to college without a set schedule and by that I mean you inform them the days you can't work and everything else is open. Nope, not good enough. Son #2 is working at Diicks. He applied to 45 places hiring in the Tampa area and was called back ASAP but the MOMENT they heard he needed 2 days a week off due to college classes, they ended the interview. Diicks had no issue with it (apparently the manager has 2 kids in college and "gets it") and many of the staff are in college. They have set schedules and when exams hit, the full timers help out by covering those hours so the kids can study and take their exams (and the kids cover the holiday hours so the full timers can have off). THAT'S how you run a business and encourage team-work.  

Fast-food doesn't offer a set schedule; most of the mall stores won't; the big box stores don't, Publix doesn't and Costco isn't hiring Part Time where we live. So before people condemn the "young people", understand that many WANT to work but NEED a schedule that works with their classes (high school included).  Those with children have it FAR worse not having a set schedule.

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

@FiddleDeeDee  A high school girl was working part time at a local McDonalds.

They were doing  the upcoming schedule and she had finals the next week.  She asked about changing a shift so she could study.

The jerk, and he was, handsy too, who owned the McDonalds told her she needed to get her priorities straight.

I say she did have them straight. Getting good grades so she could get a better job and  wasn't working her whole slinging big macs.

Some employers don't get it.

[Kachina624]

Personal property crime and shoplifting are soaring.  You don't even have to pay taxes on that income.  In my state they estimate 40% of the work force isn't working.  This is not reflected in the unemployment rate.  How are they subsisting?  I know many women left and never returned to work because of child care problems.  We have subsidies but long waiting lists at an inadequate  number of facilities.  What are the childless women and men doing?

[gertrudecloset]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

Personal property crime and shoplifting are soaring.  You don't even have to pay taxes on that income.  In my state they estimate 40% of the work force isn't working.  This is not reflected in the unemployment rate.  How are they subsisting?  I know many women left and never returned to work because of child care problems.  We have subsidies but long waiting lists at an inadequate  number of facilities.  What are the childless women and men doing?

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Your State is considered a "poor state" @Kachina624 .  Yours and about 11 others.  I don't know the politics of your state, but it is one of the poorest U.S. states to date.  Below is a more factual outlook for N.M.  My state doesn't rank high or low.  I know NYC is unaffordable.

New Mexico

• Poverty Rate: 16.2%
• Median household income $50,822
• Unemployment Rate: 5.3%
• Rate of Higher Education Attainment: 30.1%
• Life Expectancy: 76.9 years

New Mexico has a poverty rate of 16.2%. Nearly a quarter of the state's children are living in poverty. Unfortunately, New Mexico's public schools are ranked the worst in the U.S., with the second-highest dropout rates of any state. Only 73.9% of students in the state graduate on time. New Mexico's median household income is $50,822, the third-lowest in the country.

[Kachina624]

@gertrudecloset    Than you so much.  Of course I wouldn't have known any of that if you hadn't mentioned it.

There are plenty of jobs.  So why are these people not working?  As I said, crime is rampant.  I think many survive by stealing from the rest of us.  We're also on the drug superhighway from Mexico.

[SurferWife]

There are a lot of jobs in my state, but people know how to work the system to make more money sitting at home doing nothing.  Hawaii makes it real easy to do that.  It's quite disgusting.

[Trailrun23]

 It seems getting a bit late to blame the pandemic for no jobs. Many employers who had workers work from home are now asking them to return to the office...and many are saying no.  The free ride is comin to an end for many but they need to find ways to support themselves...some are doing uber and other delivery companies....but they are risky and pay next to nothing.

[Oznell]

There's an inherent dignity and worth to honest work, whatever it may be.  Basic, entry level jobs are a great training ground for teens to start to experience the responsibilities, expectations and privileges of adulthood.

Societies benefit in countless ways from a culture that encourages an industrious citizenry.  So, while there have been negative forces pulling against these values, I think it's vital that we remain undaunted, and encourage a healthy respect for work, and the tangible and intangible rewards that it brings.

I'm actually hopeful that we can get back to a better place on that, societally.