The Political Discussion Thread

[LtColCarter]

And like or or not, not everyone is cut out for college. What did the article say the college percentage of the workforce was? 60% or so? That's 40 % who get cut out of the deal..

Then they need to join the military or go to a trade school for additional training. At my school, we have students graduating with a high school diploma who are licensed cosmetologists, licensed windows experts, apprentice mechanics, chefs, and various hospitality industry certifications. So, there are options beyond fast food and retail for those who don't want to go to a traditional college or university. And I do remember the 90s, and it was a prosperous time for my friends who were not college educated. I was college educated...and making less than some of my non-college educated friends.

[Annoyed]

Then they need to join the military or go to a trade school for additional training. At my school, we have students graduating with a high school diploma who are licensed cosmetologists, licensed windows experts, apprentice mechanics, chefs, and various hospitality industry certifications. So, there are options beyond fast food and retail for those who don't want to go to a traditional college or university. And I do remember the 90s, and it was a prosperous time for my friends who were not college educated. I was college educated...and making less than some of my non-college educated friends.

40-50 year old guy who had his job moved out of the country has to join the military or go back to school? I'm sorry, but use your head.

[Womble]

40-50 year old guy who had his job moved out of the country has to join the military or go back to school? I'm sorry, but use your head.

I changed careers at 35. I would not hesitate to do it again at 45. It's never too late for back to school.

[Annoyed]

I changed careers at 35. I would not hesitate to do it again at 45. It's never too late for back to school.

I had to do the same thing, at about the same age, and it was damned hard to keep up. Colleges teach content at a pace that 18 year olds can handle. The Human mind slows down as it ages, just as the body does. A 40 year old can no more keep up with college than he could get through boot camp in the military. Particularly if he/she has to spend 40+ hours a week working some crap job to support themselves at the same time.

[jelgate]

All I'm hearing is excuses

[Gatefan1976]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/r...ekl#.hi3JXa0Rp

[Gatefan1976]

Sigh:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...48306927607810

Hope the world is ready for war.

[Coco Pops]

Sigh:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...48306927607810

Hope the world is ready for war.

How deep is your bunker?

[Coco Pops]

Get ready for a trade war


Trump just loaded China up with tarrifs

[SoulReaver]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/r...ekl#.hi3JXa0Rp

Fake News™ of course (or would that be Faux News)

#MAGA
#sad
#ButHerEmails



btw John Bolton's the armchair warrior who was a minion to the former neocon pResident right? that uneducated imbecile who had a penchant for anything oil & WMD related

[SGalisa]

Keeping below quotes for content flow with font color/bold for *extra* emphasis ...

But none of that tells the displaced worker where to get a job to support themselves. I know that it has been good for the well off who can make money in stocks, and the well educated. But it has been crap for people who can't do those things. And like or or not, not everyone is cut out for college. What did the article say the college percentage of the workforce was? 60% or so? That's 40 % who get cut out of the deal.. Maybe those are the lions's share of your trump voters?

Then they need to join the military or go to a trade school for additional training. At my school, we have students graduating with a high school diploma who are licensed cosmetologists, licensed windows experts, apprentice mechanics, chefs, and various hospitality industry certifications. So, there are options beyond fast food and retail for those who don't want to go to a traditional college or university. And I do remember the 90s, and it was a prosperous time for my friends who were not college educated. I was college educated...and making less than some of my non-college educated friends.

40-50 year old guy who had his job moved out of the country has to join the military or go back to school? I'm sorry, but use your head.

I changed careers at 35. I would not hesitate to do it again at 45. It's never too late for back to school.

I had to do the same thing, at about the same age, and it was damned hard to keep up. Colleges teach content at a pace that 18 year olds can handle. The Human mind slows down as it ages, just as the body does. A 40 year old can no more keep up with college than he could get through boot camp in the military. Particularly if he/she has to spend 40+ hours a week working some crap job to support themselves at the same time.

All I'm hearing is excuses

Educate yourself while you are younger is better than when you are older. Annoyed hit most of the problems behind the whole problem with the current workforce scenario. Also, finding and staying in a stable job and job position is better than ending up all over the map every few years, being forced to find a job somewhere else and then getting continuously screwed over for whatever the reasons... unions play a nasty part in that process sometimes, too.


Ok... about the workforce and college and changing jobs or careers after age 45 in life... here is a REAL case in point. Persona is real... job dilemma is *real*... so are the health problems that came up. Once you reach 50, remember that if you are *not* in TOP shape health-wise, life takes a downward spiral, sometimes more rapidly than one would expect. So, also remember once you reach 50, there is about 15 years to save up for retirement, or work forever until you literally drop dead, because you didn't have enough prior to squirrel away for a decent retirement pension..!

Male person had gone thru about 7 or more job switches over most of his working lifespan, mostly due to job layoffs, but in the beginning thought "the (financial) grass was greener" elsewhere. Never managed to EVER get ahead. Never was able to successfully save for some retirement and did try to own his own contracting business without having a ton of money to invest in it first, so that dissolved as well. However, he has to maintain related studies to keep his State License, which helps him to get better pay (due to years of prior work experience), while working for another employer.

At age 43, he managed to work for a large business doing maintenance work. When this person turned 50, he lost his 7-year job with wonderful benefits there, due to the company getting bought out by another business; and thus, he got laid off (again). Found a new job, which offered investing in 401K plan, but half of that flew out the window when President Obama bailed out auto-manufacturers, who should have gone belly up with Chapter 11 (bankruptcy), like everyone else has to suffer thru.

So, at age 50, he found work that he thought might be a dream job, with potential to turn into some sort of supervisory/desk position -- but that has yet to manifest; and he has to commute more than 45 minutes each way (to and back home), His first year there ended up in discovering that he had clogged arteries and required bypass heart surgery.

2nd year there, some other health ailment kicked in and required surgery for that. 3rd year, another heart surgery for a different artery that was ignored during the first round (it was clogging up, but not enough to warrant surgery YET). So, beyond recovering from all that, he's also had numerous kidney stone pulverizations, gall bladder removal, onset of diabetes (requiring serum injections and constant sugar monitoring), sleep apnea disorder (needs the whole sleep-mask kit to sleep), and more recently has been diagnosed with degenerating cartilage (upper body and lower extremities) and bone problems.

This is only more critical and compounded because he is required to carry around a 40-pound tool kit, plus ... walks all day fixing things -- that includes working on items in ceilings and holding them in place for extended lengths of time. Mr. Tuff guy isn't so strong and tough any more, and would like to rest his weary arms and retire to hang up those tools, but doesn't see that feasibly possible at any time in the near future. Social Security benefits changed to a collecting full benefits further into the future, due to the gov't taking from proverbially Paul to pay Peter.

He realized a few years ago, in hindsight, that maybe if he picked a different field of work -- say, maybe in the computer tech industry, he might have less stress and more savings set up for retirement. But it's not possible at this point. He continues required studies in order to keep his field of work license (which is required by the State). He has some computer skills, but not enough to put him into a fancy, "hey I can make lots of money in less than 15 years, and be all set for the next 40 years to retire comfortably!!". Not so...........!

Picking up weights after a certain age (for a job or joining the military--which is stressful in itself!), or being forced to continuously carry heavy loads all day long, when your body starts to wear out is not advisable (there are too many people are on pain meds now just to walk without being in pain), unless (generic) you are at optimum health and don't end up in some horrid accident that puts you into mobility therapy for the rest of your life. Sure, not everyone is physically unfit, but those who are perfectly healthy in one moment of their life -- also sometimes end up in horrible situations that forces them to take medical disability... then, you end up back at square one with either not enough or NO retirement to enjoy that long awaited rest -- and especially when those golden years of life hit you harder than you thought you could deal with, while you were younger. :*(

So, the above situation speaks from experience. I personally know the persona I just described, and hearing him reflect on what has happened in his past, he is more than heart-broken and likely prone to despair (especially when other things, besides his own body end up breaking down), because it is very difficult to live *stress-free* day after day, knowing and never knowing what problems pop up around the next month or week or day. When he tries NOT to think about the negatives in his life, that's usually when something else goes haywire and adds to any existing stress already in both his life AND his family -- because what affects him now, also affects the rest of his immediate family.

[aretood2]

But none of that tells the displaced worker where to get a job to support themselves. I know that it has been good for the well off who can make money in stocks, and the well educated. But it has been crap for people who can't do those things. And like or or not, not everyone is cut out for college. What did the article say the college percentage of the workforce was? 60% or so? That's 40 % who get cut out of the deal.. Maybe those are the lions's share of your trump voters?

As others have mentioned, college isn't the only way to get a skill or needed to get a non-manufacturing job.

[Gatefan1976]

Quite frankly, I think these displaced workers should pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
Why is on the taxpayer to pay for their poor life choices by not looking ahead to see their field being outdated?
If they just had the common sense to keep their education pants on, this would not be happening to them, instead, they whored their abilities out and I have no sympathy for them.
[/end sarcasm]

[Coco Pops]

Quite frankly, I think these displaced workers should pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
Why is on the taxpayer to pay for their poor life choices by not looking ahead to see their field being outdated?
If they just had the common sense to keep their education pants on, this would not be happening to them, instead, they whored their abilities out and I have no sympathy for them.
[/end sarcasm]

You sound like Annoyed. Have you two swapped places?

[Annoyed]

but half of that flew out the window when President Obama bailed out auto-manufacturers, who should have gone belly up with Chapter 11 (bankruptcy)

The blame for that actually lies at the feet of Bush II. Although the LSoS signed the deal, it was negotiated and completed well before he took office.