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More cheery news from the econopocalypse

Posted:
Tue Dec 14, 2010 2:37 pm
by philbymon
"Freelance business journalists in North America make an average of $25,000 to $30,000 a year, and two out of every five were laid off, according to an informal survey conducted by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers." Data from 2010.*
*from Boing Boing
Re: More cheery news from the econopocalypse

Posted:
Tue Dec 14, 2010 11:53 pm
by Joewillplay
philbymon wrote:"Freelance business journalists in North America make an average of $25,000 to $30,000 a year, and two out of every five were laid off, according to an informal survey conducted by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers." Data from 2010.*
*from Boing Boing
Maybe their not good journalists.

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:01 am
by gbheil
Maybe that's where they get the free in their lance.

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:06 am
by philbymon
It just kinda pisses me off, cuz I've been submitting samples of my writing all over the place...& getting no bites...but it's all been unsolicited material.
Just another job possibility down the tubes, I guess. I'm getting a might bit discouraged by it all...

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:30 am
by Krul
The New York times has to be a major culprit. They're unfaithful to everything.

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:08 pm
by TheCaptain
Oh, here's one for you thinking lads:
A gal here in Maine called up the local am talk radio, cause the topic was the unemployment extension thing..
Anyway, she is:
single mom, unemployed, degree in arts(forget which).
She is riding out unemployment as long as she can while she attends school to get re-educated in(I forget) to further her employment potential.
SO: is it ethical to receive unemployment whilst one goes to school?
q. does her particular situation(useless degree/child) make her less an object of folks' ire, because she's simply trying to get out of her unfortunate situation?
Very interesting debate I think.

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:35 pm
by philbymon
There are other grants/options available to her, if she would take the time to look for them.
No, I don't think this is an ethical thing for her to do, because she's using the funds inappropriately, as long as there are other options.
I had a friend, long since who has died, who was a hemophiliac (bleeder). His condition was such that he could not work, yet he was on SSI for the duration of his adult life.
I think he should have been on Welfare, rather than SSI, since he hadn't contributed to the fund. These types of bureaucratic distinctions exist for a reason.
Ppl are putting their hard-earned dollars into a system that's designed to pay ppl in the interim while they are actively seeking work, in the case of the woman with the unemployment benefits. In the case of my friend, ppl donated to a fund designed to help with their own income when they retire, or cannot work any longer. In both of these cases, the funds are being misused, which is putting undue strain on those particular systems.
Congress has been fighting over whether the unemployment bennies can be extended, in these tough times. SSI funds are stretched to their limits. All while there ARE in existence other options available to these ppl who are blatantly misusing them. (Although, in the case of my friend, he WAS approved for SSI. I doubt that would be the case for your example, Rich.) Some of these other options come from corporate & private funding institutions, thus they do not need to put these extra strains on our gov't.

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 5:11 pm
by gbheil
Don't worry about the economy.
Soon enough if you cant eat it, drink it, screw it, use it for fuel, shelter, or a weapon, it will have no value.

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 6:06 pm
by Hayden King
She paid into the unemployment insurance program so she can use it for whatever she chooses.
It's not just for survival. It's to continue your life until employment is found. If using it for bettering herself to gain better employment... well like I said, she paid for it!

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 7:22 pm
by fisherman bob
I think the problem with journalism is that these days commentary and dissent have become dysentery....

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 7:25 pm
by philbymon
Check the requirements of what it is to be used for, Hayden. You're totally wrong on this, I'm afraid. She bought UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, not continual income payments while she attends school. There is a HUGE difference. That fund is designed only to carry one for a SHORT TERM, as in mere weeks, or possibly months, but - & this is important to note - once in the program, one is required to continue to look for work. It's a mere stop-gap measure, not an unlimited source of income. Since she is attending school, though it doesn't say one way or the other in Rich's post, I am assuming that she intends to continue her schooling rather than to look for work, right now. MISUSE! Especially when you consider that there ARE other sources of income for a full-time student, trying to improve one's lot. In her case, she is unemployed by CHOICE, by attending school rather than looking for steady work. No insurance policy (& unemployment IS insurance) will pay someone to make a decision that will require insurance payments in order to survive.
Her only legal choice, once she is in the program, is to follow the rules as they apply, though she can SPEND the money she LEGALLY receives anyway she wishes.

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:18 pm
by gbheil
Glad she is looking to improve her situation.
When it happened to me.
I worked and went to school.
Pay your own way, and I can afford to help educate my children instead of raising other " adults ".

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:26 pm
by Mike Nobody
sanshouheil wrote:Glad she is looking to improve her situation.
When it happened to me.
I worked and went to school.
Pay your own way, and I can afford to help educate my children instead of raising other " adults ".


Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:49 pm
by Hayden King
I write the song I write the song

Posted:
Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:24 pm
by gbheil
Mike Nobody wrote:sanshouheil wrote:Glad she is looking to improve her situation.
When it happened to me.
I worked and went to school.
Pay your own way, and I can afford to help educate my children instead of raising other " adults ".

Everybody wants something for nothing.