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Labor shortage

The labor shortage predates the unemployment bonuses. From Forbes in 2019:

America is facing an unprecedented skilled labor shortage. According to the Department of Labor, the US economy had 7.6 million unfilled jobs, but only 6.5 million people were looking for work as of January 2019 and it is more apparent than ever that our country is suffering because of it.

 
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The labor shortage predates the unemployment bonuses. From Forbes in 2019:

America is facing an unprecedented skilled labor shortage. According to the Department of Labor, the US economy had 7.6 million unfilled jobs, but only 6.5 million people were looking for work as of January 2019 and it is more apparent than ever that our country is suffering because of it.

Doesn't help that shop classes have been taken out of high schools either
 
oh for sure re gremlins and pintos. he traded in his old karman ghia for a chevette and would brag about it's roominess. bought my grandmother a K car and bragged about it for a year. the people of the depression carried it with them their entire lives
Save your cooking grease to make soap, wash the tin foil and use it again, put up vegetables from the garden, throw those screws nuts and bolts in that coffee can.

I vividly remember my 90+ year old great grandmother collecting bent nails, hammering them out straight(ish) and putting them in a Maxwell House can.
 
Save your cooking grease to make soap, wash the tin foil and use it again, put up vegetables from the garden, throw those screws nuts and bolts in that coffee can.

I vividly remember my 90+ year old great grandmother collecting bent nails, hammering them out straight(ish) and putting them in a Maxwell House can.
oh yeah. exactly. different people for sure. sad really. my own grandfather was like a walking "you don't know how good you've got it" poster. grew up on a dirt floor in the depression and had horrible polio. his one leg looked like a broomstick.
 
as tommy said above my grandfather too was a product of the depression. he was solidly middle class but drove a chevette (worst looking car i've ever seen) and took a single roll of HI Ho's in his briefcase for lunch everyday. he'd roll over in his grave if he could see me every morning pissing money away at starbucks.

Depends on your upbringing. My dad came from a poor farm background, while my mom came from money. While she wasn't a spendthrift, Mom never deprived herself of anything. Dad pinched every penny.
 
Depends on your upbringing. My dad came from a poor farm background, while my mom came from money. While she wasn't a spendthrift, Mom never deprived herself of anything. Dad pinched every penny.
yes for sure. same with mine. grandmother's fam wasn't poor. she actually got a degree from boulder and came home to teach and never deprived herself of anything as she watched him with a blank stare eating mold sandwiches
 
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yes for sure. same with mine. grandmother's fam wasn't poor. she actually got a degree from boulder and came home to teach and never deprived herself of anything as she watched him with a blank stare eating mold sandwiches
It’s funny what sticks with you. My big poor thing is that I cannot waste food to this day. I eat leftovers all the time and find new uses for stuff. It’s not a cheap thing. It’s a waste thing for me.
 
It’s funny what sticks with you. My big poor thing is that I cannot waste food to this day. I eat leftovers all the time and find new uses for stuff. It’s not a cheap thing. It’s a waste thing for me.
I'm the same way. Hate when we have to toss food even though we piss away money on other things.

Agree with McMurtry. My grandpa would slap me for paying more than a buck for a cup of coffee if he were still alive. Coke machines taking credit cards would also blow his mind.
 
oh for sure re gremlins and pintos. he traded in his old karman ghia for a chevette and would brag about it's roominess. bought my grandmother a K car and bragged about it for a year. the people of the depression carried it with them their entire lives
I had a '73 Pinto and an '82 Chevette. And they were both steps up from the vehicles I was driving.

I thought both were great vehicles.
 
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It’s funny what sticks with you. My big poor thing is that I cannot waste food to this day. I eat leftovers all the time and find new uses for stuff. It’s not a cheap thing. It’s a waste thing for me.
I heard many stories from my dad about starving Korean kids rummaging through US Army dumps, looking for food.

We could never leave food on our plate.
 
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Pintos gave rise to modern tort law loss spreading
I know, but it was my first new car and I loved it. Bought it for something like $2,800 and then the gas crisis hit. I sold it with 25,000 miles on it for $2,500 because everyone wanted gas-efficient cars.

Bought a Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino (it was gold colored - not that S&K red and white scheme). That was a classic - loved it). Then I had to sell it to start college after I got out of the Army and drove clunkers for a long time.
 
I'm the same way. Hate when we have to toss food even though we piss away money on other things.

Agree with McMurtry. My grandpa would slap me for paying more than a buck for a cup of coffee if he were still alive. Coke machines taking credit cards would also blow his mind.
How about paying for a bottle of water?

Hell, that still blows my mind. Nestle buys water from a city water utility, bottles it, then people in that same city buy it at a huge markup at Walmart.
 
How about paying for a bottle of water?

Hell, that still blows my mind. Nestle buys water from a city water utility, bottles it, then people in that same city buy it at a huge markup at Walmart.
Me too. I argue with my wife all the time that bottled water is no different than that from the tap.
 
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i'm with ya stoll but it's a new world order. The English have found easier ways. two examples: my stoker's best friend's 21 yr old bro made 90k last year between his youtube channel and playing call of duty. still lives at home. bought himself an M3 at the end of the year. my stoker works 15 hours a week doing property management for two super loaded families. she made over $30k last year re-selling boxes they threw out and some clothes. took at best two hours a week. i think that paid more than the actual job for 15 hours a week. she told the wives they should do an online store together but they had no interest. new season new clothes and they didn't want to bother with the hassle. who knew there was a whole world out there willing to pay premium prices just for luxury clothes' boxes.

as tommy said above my grandfather too was a product of the depression. he was solidly middle class but drove a chevette (worst looking car i've ever seen) and took a single roll of HI Ho's in his briefcase for lunch everyday. he'd roll over in his grave if he could see me every morning pissing money away at starbucks.

kids today don't want to work at six flags in the heat or pizza hut in the grease. they'd rather make dough from home and more and more are pretty damn creative about it
I’ve got two examples of no excuses for anyone. Two older children in Conservative Mennonite Family with MS. Both confined to wheelchairs with 8th grade educations living with their parents. Most likely will die at young age. Both figured out how to make six figure income on some Internet deal.

This and many other situations I’ve seen in my practice is why I have no tolerance for people crying about their situation and lack of chances to be successful. It’s why I get angry with posters on here with educations and more intelligence than many people I know that are successful. The difference is easy. In one situation people don’t feel sorry for themselves and have determination and work ethic. On the other side are folks wanting the government to even things up by taking from the people like the two people above and giving to the lazy crybabies. Yea, that pisses me off.
 
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If you can't find a wooden plunger churn in a country yard sale in your area, you can make butter from real milk (not skim or 1% or 2%) by just whipping the milk in a big bowl with a wooden spoon.

I'm sure it's easier to just go to Kroger's and buy it.
There is satisfaction in making it yourself.

There’s nothing like homemade ice cream with fresh strawberries or a cobbler.
 
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Pintos gave rise to modern tort law loss spreading
Bob and Tom had a skit that was a spoof on Star Trek. The alarms went off and they had Spock saying, "Captain, we should put the shields up." Kirk responded, "What is it Spock, Klingons? Romulans?"

Spock replied, "No, Captain. It appears to be a Ford Pinto coming toward us at high speed ........ in reverse !!!"
 
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Save your cooking grease to make soap, wash the tin foil and use it again, put up vegetables from the garden, throw those screws nuts and bolts in that coffee can.

I vividly remember my 90+ year old great grandmother collecting bent nails, hammering them out straight(ish) and putting them in a Maxwell House can.
My Grandma used to save burnt out light bulbs, I remember grandpa on a ladder one night changing stair bulb and took a burnt one instead of new. he wasn't happy
 
I learned to drive in a Chevette, nasty cars but I think gremlins were worse and Pinto's right there and more flammable. Ho Ho's? I think I knew someone that would argue if you only had one it was just a Ho vs HoHO a 2 pack and he wasnt trying to be funny about ho's LOL. I have to ask what a stoker is?
Let's not forget the car that made Ralph Nader famous -- the Chevrolet Corvair.

I'll never forget the photo of that Corvair that was in an accident and actually separated into two pieces, front half and and back half. No protection at all for people in the passenger compartment (I mean, "cabin").

As I recall, the side beams in the frame did not extend the full length of the Corvair -- they were just two shorter pieces on each side, bolted together -- the bolts could not hold the frame together in a collision. Plus, the engine was in the rear and the entire empty front tended to just scrunch together like an accordion in front impacts -- again no protection for passengers.
 
Save your cooking grease to make soap, wash the tin foil and use it again, put up vegetables from the garden, throw those screws nuts and bolts in that coffee can.

I vividly remember my 90+ year old great grandmother collecting bent nails, hammering them out straight(ish) and putting them in a Maxwell House can.
My Mom didn't have time to do any of that stuff. She was too busy darning socks.
 
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How about paying for a bottle of water?

Hell, that still blows my mind. Nestle buys water from a city water utility, bottles it, then people in that same city buy it at a huge markup at Walmart.
yeah that's insane. every time we're at the store my daughter grabs a bottle like it's free. it's insane how smart some businesses are tho. HIMS and KEEPS and all these companies you see advertising to prevent hair loss - they haven't invented or done anything. all they do is repackage teh same old propecia and rogaine that's been around for years and sell it as a subscription as if they came up with some new groundbreaking invention. crazy.
 
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I’ve got two examples of no excuses for anyone. Two older children in Conservative Mennonite Family with MS. Both confined to wheelchairs with 8th grade educations living with their parents. Most likely will die at young age. Both figured out how to make six figure income on some Internet deal.

This and many other situations I’ve seen in my practice is why I have no tolerance for people crying about their situation and lack of chances to be successful. It’s why I get angry with posters on here with educations and more intelligence than many people I know that are successful. The difference is easy. In one situation people don’t feel sorry for themselves and have determination and work ethic. On the other side are folks wanting the government to even things up by taking from the people like the two people above and giving to the lazy crybabies. Yea, that pisses me off.
It seems like you are pissed off 24/7. You might want to look into that. Jus' sayin'.
 
meh I’m not so sure that’s proper equivalence. It’s good for some people not to have their profession define their identity. But, even if it doesn’t, you can still work.
JDB, thought this survey helped explain why so many workers are willing to stay on the dole rather than re-enter a career which they don't feel proud being a part of, and therefore don't want it to define them as a person.

In other words when someone asks them what they do, they don't feel pride when responding.
 
yeah that's insane. every time we're at the store my daughter grabs a bottle like it's free. it's insane how smart some businesses are tho. HIMS and KEEPS and all these companies you see advertising to prevent hair loss - they haven't invented or done anything. all they do is repackage teh same old propecia and rogaine that's been around for years and sell it as a subscription as if they came up with some new groundbreaking invention. crazy.
Being a marketing guy, I love stories like that when a product has a perceived value via marketing.

Two examples out of a billion....chicken wings and foam soap.

Think about chicken wings. It's the f'd part of the chicken that never gets chosen before the thighs, legs and breast. So someone took this undesired piece, cut it in two to form the drummy and the blade, fried it and offered 100 different flavors that you can mix or match.

Now people pay as much or more for wings than they do for the legs, thigh and breast.

Foam soap is just regular soap with water. So you use 1/4th of the liquid soap and sell 'foam soap' for as much or more than liquid hand soap.

Lastly my favorite joke about bottled water (which is 90% marketing) is by Geechy Guy who said 'so I'm drinking this bottled water that comes from melted glaciers a million years ago....but I've got to drink it by next Tuesday'.

Yes, bottled water has an expiration date on the bottles.
 
Lastly my favorite joke about bottled water (which is 90% marketing) is by Geechy Guy who said 'so I'm drinking this bottled water that comes from melted glaciers a million years ago....but I've got to drink it by next Tuesday'.

Yes, bottled water has an expiration date on the bottles.
Himalayan Salt. 250 million years old with an expiration/best by date.

TmQxQ7r.jpg
 
Being a marketing guy, I love stories like that when a product has a perceived value via marketing.

Two examples out of a billion....chicken wings and foam soap.

Think about chicken wings. It's the f'd part of the chicken that never gets chosen before the thighs, legs and breast. So someone took this undesired piece, cut it in two to form the drummy and the blade, fried it and offered 100 different flavors that you can mix or match.

Now people pay as much or more for wings than they do for the legs, thigh and breast.

Foam soap is just regular soap with water. So you use 1/4th of the liquid soap and sell 'foam soap' for as much or more than liquid hand soap.

Lastly my favorite joke about bottled water (which is 90% marketing) is by Geechy Guy who said 'so I'm drinking this bottled water that comes from melted glaciers a million years ago....but I've got to drink it by next Tuesday'.

Yes, bottled water has an expiration date on the bottles.
Wings may have been a bit of a gimmick but I like wings, I take a full wing over a leg any day and the flavors and dipping just don't work with breast and thighs. Foam soap and bottled water are though. Bottled is handy occasionally to go but drinking it at home seems nuts
 
I’ve got two examples of no excuses for anyone. Two older children in Conservative Mennonite Family with MS. Both confined to wheelchairs with 8th grade educations living with their parents. Most likely will die at young age. Both figured out how to make six figure income on some Internet deal.

This and many other situations I’ve seen in my practice is why I have no tolerance for people crying about their situation and lack of chances to be successful. It’s why I get angry with posters on here with educations and more intelligence than many people I know that are successful. The difference is easy. In one situation people don’t feel sorry for themselves and have determination and work ethic. On the other side are folks wanting the government to even things up by taking from the people like the two people above and giving to the lazy crybabies. Yea, that pisses me off.
Stoll, first off that's an amazing and incredibly uplifting story, thanks for sharing.

I used to be anti social programs (I started as a wannabe struggling musician and got so pissed off waiting in line at the grocery store behind a family that had I'd guess $400 of groceries and paid $20 because of food stamps) but for me the change came when I got an idea of just how much corporate welfare, that hardly gets talked about, is basically a worse case of those food stamps that our tax paying dollars go to.

As I look at other developed nations they have strong social programs while also being extremely wealthy market economies.

To use an analogy we spend more time complaining about the $20 water bill because our dead ass neighbor takes advantage of while not looking at the insane amount of credit card payments that we've racked up and are behind on because we bought a bunch of stuff we don't even use.

Secondly, these social programs have kept us out of depressions.

Unemployment insurance was created after the great depression. We've had several recessions but haven't slipped into a depression since those programs were set in place.

Jobless claims today are getting back to pre pandemic levels and unemployment benefits including the federal add on is an example of a looming massive economic stress where it stepped in to help get people and businesses through it and it's looking like we're going to avoid a depression.
 
Being a marketing guy, I love stories like that when a product has a perceived value via marketing.

Two examples out of a billion....chicken wings and foam soap.

Think about chicken wings. It's the f'd part of the chicken that never gets chosen before the thighs, legs and breast. So someone took this undesired piece, cut it in two to form the drummy and the blade, fried it and offered 100 different flavors that you can mix or match.

Now people pay as much or more for wings than they do for the legs, thigh and breast.

Foam soap is just regular soap with water. So you use 1/4th of the liquid soap and sell 'foam soap' for as much or more than liquid hand soap.

Lastly my favorite joke about bottled water (which is 90% marketing) is by Geechy Guy who said 'so I'm drinking this bottled water that comes from melted glaciers a million years ago....but I've got to drink it by next Tuesday'.

Yes, bottled water has an expiration date on the bottles.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!! yes i've learned over the last five years marketing is everything. and the products there's so many examples from online razor subscriptions to as i said just rebranding propecia and rogaine. i really wish i'd have gone to business school or taken business classes. what i know wouldn't fill a fingernail
 
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Being a marketing guy, I love stories like that when a product has a perceived value via marketing.

Two examples out of a billion....chicken wings and foam soap.

Think about chicken wings. It's the f'd part of the chicken that never gets chosen before the thighs, legs and breast. So someone took this undesired piece, cut it in two to form the drummy and the blade, fried it and offered 100 different flavors that you can mix or match.

Now people pay as much or more for wings than they do for the legs, thigh and breast.

Foam soap is just regular soap with water. So you use 1/4th of the liquid soap and sell 'foam soap' for as much or more than liquid hand soap.

Lastly my favorite joke about bottled water (which is 90% marketing) is by Geechy Guy who said 'so I'm drinking this bottled water that comes from melted glaciers a million years ago....but I've got to drink it by next Tuesday'.

Yes, bottled water has an expiration date on the bottles.
That explains a lot. 😂
 
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The ageism bias combined with being a white male is three strikes for many. Headhunters are getting some interviews but it is a long shot once they learn the demo.

That's been the case for that demo for some time, long before Covid. Younger brother was a high flyer throughout his career but when he hit 50 it was like hitting a brick wall.

i wonder if health insurance premiums have anything to do with it, or the health insurance companies employers use sabotaging things for older applicants..

i've also known over 50s with primo resumes and references who had difficulty even getting an interview for jobs they were more than qualified for, and feeling when they did get an interview that it was a courtesy interview from the crazy questions asked and relevant questions not asked, and this goes back at least 15 yrs and is nothing new..
 
Wings may have been a bit of a gimmick but I like wings, I take a full wing over a leg any day and the flavors and dipping just don't work with breast and thighs. Foam soap and bottled water are though. Bottled is handy occasionally to go but drinking it at home seems nuts
The "boneless wings" deserve a mention.

They're not wings at all are they? Aren't they just random strips of chicken left over after McDonald's and Chick-Fil-A take all the nuggets?
 
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LMAO!!!!!!!!!! yes i've learned over the last five years marketing is everything. and the products there's so many examples from online razor subscriptions to as i said just rebranding propecia and rogaine. i really wish i'd have gone to business school or taken business classes. what i know wouldn't fill a fingernail
King Gillette's business model is still overcharging us for our whiskers something like 140 years later:


 
King Gillette's business model is still overcharging us for our whiskers something like 140 years later:


Next, I intend to investigate why a computer printer costs $75 but replacement ink for all four colors costs $145. That might take a while.
 
Next, I intend to investigate why a computer printer costs $75 but replacement ink for all four colors costs $145. That might take a while.

Such a racket. And the last two times I've needed to print were so far apart that both times the cartridges dried out and the nozzles clogged. Buying a printer for every page I need to print is perhaps not the most economical approach...
 
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