Here are 3 reasons why “find a better job” is not a solution to poverty on a macro level

Billy000

Democratic Socialist
Nov 10, 2011
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1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?
 
1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?

The world needs ditch diggers too.
 
1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?

All your points are quite valid. #1 has proof of it in the form of many television and internet commercials where places are offering training for (reasonable?) prices so that people can get out of where they are working at now.

#2 is definitely true, as well as the fact that there can only be so many Chiefs, and the rest have to be Indians. And people with high paying jobs aren't going to be too keen on sharing their positions with others. Why else do you think it's a dog eat dog environment in the corporate world?

As far as #3? That also is very true. Not many people like or are willing to work in a service sector job. There are a few (I happen to be one of them as I like working with people), but there aren't very many. One of the jobs that I enjoyed the hell out of was being a short order cook/waiter/bartender/manager at a biker bar called Boondocks in Amarillo. But, there were days that I wondered why the hell I was there when the customers got rude. But, because of the many customers I had that were my friends, they kinda outbalanced the occasional rude assholes. I also like mowing lawns and doing landscaping (yeah, I'm weird that way) because I get a great deal of satisfaction seeing a place that looks like crap being tranformed into something nice, and knowing it was because I did that.
 
1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?
If you look at the distribution of an IQ scale, 20 percent of the population have limited IQ. Doesn’t mean they cannot be productive members of society but their prospects of being a Rocket Scientist or Brain Surgeon are limited

Other people suffer from emotional problems or physical limitations that limit their employment prospects

Our society used to provide these workers with employment they can support themselves and their families on

Today, the Government must step in
 
1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?

For me it's the inability to take risk. When you are poor, living paycheque to paycheque, you aren't in a position to gamble with a new situation.

I've known someone who rolled the dice and threw 15 years of seniority at one job to take another that didn't pan out. I've also known some brilliant people who I suspect would have been successful if he were born in America or Hong Kong but he was born here. He couldn't stick with his studies, went into labour and basically broke his back to raise a family.

I don't disrespect people for their plights, especially when they work hard, but I've leared how diabolical the world is. Which is why I am even more impressed by the Musks, Buffetts and yes, even weird Gates of the world, who built something from nothing.

This is why America must not chage, The term "only in America" was coined for a reason. Be that place where dreams and ambitions thrive.
 
If you look at the distribution of an IQ scale, 20 percent of the population have limited IQ. Doesn’t mean they cannot be productive members of society but their prospects of being a Rocket Scientist or Brain Surgeon are limited

Other people suffer from emotional problems or physical limitations that limit their employment prospects

Our society used to provide these workers with employment they can support themselves and their families on

Today, the Government must step in
“Other people suffer from emotional problems or physical limitations that limit their employment prospects”

Very good point.
 
For me it's the inability to take risk. When you are poor, living paycheque to paycheque, you aren't in a position to gamble with a new situation.

I've known someone who rolled the dice and threw 15 years of seniority at one job to take another that didn't pan out. I've also known some brilliant people who I suspect would have been successful if he were born in America or Hong Kong but he was born here. He couldn't stick with his studies, went into labour and basically broke his back to raise a family.

I don't disrespect people for their plights, especially when they work hard, but I've leared how diabolical the world is. Which is why I am even more impressed by the Musks, Buffetts and yes, even weird Gates of the world, who built something from nothing.

This is why America must not chage, The term "only in America" was coined for a reason. Be that place where dreams and ambitions thrive.
This post is about the economy on a macro level. Your philosophy isn’t flawed - it just isn’t a practical solution for everyone for a myriad of reasons.
 
“Other people suffer from emotional problems or physical limitations that limit their employment prospects”

Very good point.

Another group is that some people are just assholes.
Not that they want to be but just are.

Limits their employment potential
 
1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?
How many times are you going to post this?
 
Another group is that some people are just assholes.
Not that they want to be but just are.

Limits their employment potential

Or people who paint them as Aholes to generate an excuse for their problems.

It's why when people gossip with me I always reserve opinion until I can determine it myself, not based on what someone else says about them.
 
For me it's the inability to take risk. When you are poor, living paycheque to paycheque, you aren't in a position to gamble with a new situation.
I know guys that make 6 figures/year that live paycheck to paycheck.

Some folks just refuse to live below their means.

Personally, I've always preferred to live well below my means so that I would have money to invest.
 
1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?
High School Curriculum...
Eliminate Sports
Require at least one Trade be taught to each student
 
If you look at the distribution of an IQ scale, 20 percent of the population have limited IQ. Doesn’t mean they cannot be productive members of society but their prospects of being a Rocket Scientist or Brain Surgeon are limited

Other people suffer from emotional problems or physical limitations that limit their employment prospects

Our society used to provide these workers with employment they can support themselves and their families on

Today, the Government must step in
They step in plenty. In many cases too much.
Not everybody will make it to the top, even if they work and apply themselves. It is an old trope sold to encourage, but not based in fact.
Chance favors the more intelligent and willing to work, but chance is still a large factor.
Many shoot themselves in the foot or the ass, by being stupid, reckless and having a bad attitude. Government does not owe those people who screw themselves up, a thing.
 
If you look at the distribution of an IQ scale, 20 percent of the population have limited IQ. Doesn’t mean they cannot be productive members of society but their prospects of being a Rocket Scientist or Brain Surgeon are limited

Other people suffer from emotional problems or physical limitations that limit their employment prospects

Our society used to provide these workers with employment they can support themselves and their families on

Today, the Government must step in
I'm sure trespassers have nothing to do with taking away hundreds of thousands of job opportunities from people in the construction trade.
 
1) Many people can’t learn new skills because they do not have the time and money to do so at their current jobs.

2) Lower paying jobs greatly outnumber higher paying jobs. If ALL those people making poverty wages tried to find better paying jobs, it’s a mathematical certainty that ALL of them would not find one.

3) If by some miracle all these people did find better jobs, who would be left behind to do all those service jobs vital to the economy?


1 wrong. Every place has opportunity. I started out doing maintenance at a hotel hotels have just a few managers and almost all just workers. I did painting, plunging toilet, changing lights. 1 year my boss is teaching me variable speed motor controls, giving me his HVAC books to read. 2 years later I became the building engineer. Now I am the chief engineer at a production facility where I am learning things way more advanced. My wife started as a temp secretary at her job 9 years ago now she is the benefits manager. My grand swept floors at machine shop and became a shop steward manager making helicopter parts. If you show some ambition, show willingness to learn and try you can advance. And you build experience which can help you get a better job somewhere else after a while and grow there.

2 and 3 are the exact same points. You do realize people have kids right? Those kid takes the menial jobs and do what I gave in example 1. It's not like all the workers right now are the only ones there will ever be. Plus as people get old they take menial jobs for fun money or to keep themselves busy. People take menial jobs to earn money for a big vacation or a addition to their house or whatever. Humans are always cycling in and out.

It's only been working this way for a thousand years allover the world. Don't act like how jobs and work is suddenly upended or something.
 
1 wrong. Every place has opportunity. I started out doing maintenance at a hotel hotels have just a few managers and almost all just workers. I did painting, plunging toilet, changing lights. 1 year my boss is teaching me variable speed motor controls, giving me his HVAC books to read. 2 years later I became the building engineer. Now I am the chief engineer at a production facility where I am learning things way more advanced. My wife started as a temp secretary at her job 9 years ago now she is the benefits manager. My grand swept floors at machine shop and became a shop steward manager making helicopter parts. If you show some ambition, show willingness to learn and try you can advance. And you build experience which can help you get a better job somewhere else after a while and grow there.

2 and 3 are the exact same points. You do realize people have kids right? Those kid takes the menial jobs and do what I gave in example 1. It's not like all the workers right now are the only ones there will ever be. Plus as people get old they take menial jobs for fun money or to keep themselves busy. People take menial jobs to earn money for a big vacation or a addition to their house or whatever. Humans are always cycling in and out.

It's only been working this way for a thousand years allover the world. Don't act like how jobs and work is suddenly upended or something.
Uh no not every place has opportunity. Your anecdotal case does not magically apply to everyone. People already stuck in a low wage job don’t necessarily have that opportunity. We are talking about the economy on a macrolevel - not a micro one.
Your anecdotes are not proof of solution on a macro level. By mathematical certainty, not everyone can do what you did. It’s interesting you mention kids because it’s one more reason people don’t have time and money to find better jobs.

Oh kids huh? The ones that have to be at least 16? What planet are you on right now dude? Lol there are not nearly enough of those kids to fill the sheer number of jobs we are talking about. Either way, many of them don’t work and the ones that do are only working part time.
 
The world needs ditch diggers too.

Sure pay them well too.

I included both posts because Billy was responding to Dont Taz Me Bro............................

You know, it would be great if people would pay ditch diggers a decent wage, but the trouble is, they don't as a lot of people think that it's mindless labor that anyone can do. And while digging a ditch is pretty straightforward about the job that needs to be done, digging ditches is HARD ASS WORK (I know, because I've done it before). Same with changing pipe and bucking bales. It's easy in the fact that it doesn't require much thinking, but it is very physical labor, and not many people are willing to work that hard for minimum wage. But, there are those who don't mind it (like myself), because seeing the results of something you did fairly quickly is a reward all on it's own.

Yeah, I agree..............pay people a fair wage for what they do, and take into account that while the work might not require much in the way of thinking, also take into account the amount of physical effort it requires. I talked about bucking bales, and I did that for about a half a summer (25 cents a bale, which sounds like a lot of money until you find out that the bales are 50 to 75 lbs each that you have to lift onto a truck or trailer), until I found a job changing pipe (10 cents a pipe), which was much easier (relatively, as pipe didn't weigh as much as a bale but was still hard work physically) and I was able to make quite a bit more doing.
 

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