Apocoalypse - non giant corporation

[Cebu_4_2]

Alright I guess I should post my reality. I don't have spell check and my grammer probably sucks too so if that bothers you just click the thing to rate it, I don't care.

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Being self employed (and incorporated) I have seen this coming for almost 10 years. Driving around during the beginning when I actually made a better living in the stock market I saw a lot of buildings empty and for lease/rent. Then it was houses for sale, then empty homes even in the rich (to me) areas.

I saw it coming and took a 30% hit and sold a residential property, I wanted it sold NOW! Not tomorrow or next week, not holding out for my price just NOW. The buyers got a great deal at the time. Right now that same properties value is 25% of what I sold it at in 2009. Good area too.

Back in the business world customers that were around for generations had closed down. These were families that stocked up and prepared for recessions and even worse, they just couldn't do it. My clientele went from 2 filing cabinet drawers packed to less than a foot deep of customers. Shit was hitting the fan. For me downsizing and consolidating had reached a breaking point.

Markets took my money because I took too long to figure things were totally manipulated. With others I chatted daily and traded with were even slower to see the big picture and actually lost more than they had to play with. Complete devastation and denial, even currently some still hold tickers worth pennies in great hope of hitting the lotto. Good people just not willing to accept reality.

Some that were worth millions (seriously) are now zero, living with parents or relatives. Not losers at all some much better at playing the market than myself, I just played safe. Waking up pre-market and seeing a 5K gain I would sell and close shop (stock trading only, not my business) for the week and enjoy it.

With nothing left to cut with the business I had to downsize not only the business operation but my personal. Now the business runs from the home, zero overhead except materials and still doesn't pull the load and this is after relocating and downsizing both business and household. I have not paid myself a check in over 10 years... but when incorporating it pays all bills with no taxation.

Reality had set in, I need a job to pay bills which used to be less than 10% of the business profit. Getting a job however was a surprise in itself, nothing available for more than 30 hours a week and less than 11 bux an hour. WTF!? I can do ANYTHING! Don't matter there is someone else that will do it for even less wage.

Low hours are from obamacare, even in non complaint states requires workers to prove they have their own medical insurance or no deal. Construction you have to carry medical AND workers comp insurance. Keep in mind that this is for a job you have to drive hours to and from and only 100 bux a day! Subtract expenses for insurance and fuel and it's a complete losing situation. If I just want a physical workout I can do that here working or if the weather sucks I still brought a complete gym setup with me.

Minimum wage and 40 hours a week is actually a great deal now.

This has been the grand plan, now where do we go from here?

Squeeze rock = no water.

Just sayin.

[freespirit]

I think a small farm would be the perfect solution. Try not to carry a mortgage if possible, or do so privately. Grow what you need, sell surplus, hunt, and barter. At worst you know who to blame if it goes tits up.

[Ares]

Cebu-

Tell me about it, I was just let go from my employer last Monday. Mostly because I just didn't get along with new management (I can't stand taking orders from someone whose only in the position he was in was because of who he knew, not what he knew.) Anyway back on topic, with my experience and certifications I would of had a job within 48 hours 7+ years ago. Here I am a week later 2 interviews down and another possibility and hoping I'll have another full time job soon. I realize I'll be taking a pay cut, but if it keeps the bills paid and food on the table. I don't have many other options.

[Cebu_4_2]

Cebu-

Tell me about it, I was just let go from my employer last Monday. Mostly because I just didn't get along with new management (I can't stand taking orders from someone whose only in the position he was in was because of who he knew, not what he knew.) Anyway back on topic, with my experience and certifications I would of had a job within 48 hours 7+ years ago. Here I am a week later 2 interviews down and another possibility and hoping I'll have another full time job soon. I realize I'll be taking a pay cut, but if it keeps the bills paid and food on the table. I don't have many other options.

Join together with the band. Within all of us we have the edge.

[woodman]

I have not shown a profit in 4 years and I won't for last year. Things have gotten cut-throat. I sold a large portion of my metals to purchase new 'to me' equipment and have not been able to purchase back to where I was. My equipment is ageing and I cannot replace and still pay the bills. The jobs are paying less than what they did 10 years ago. Fuel is the real killer. My jobs have gotten far from home. It used to be that most jobs where within driving distance from home and now I have to travel far to get work.

I billed out a quarter of a million last year and I won't show a profit! The profit margin is so thin, it does not exist. I guess I should be happy my household bills are getting paid. My sons have work and that is good. I have not gotten a paycheck in years, just pay the bills out of my company checkbook. Money in, money out. Pretty simple to see that it is a slaughter. Getting worse too. I don't know what I will do when they order me to purchase health insurance. I will not comply. I don't know what type of teeth they will add to the command. Maybe I will join the Amish or Muslims, I hear they are exempted.

[Ponce]

I have always talked about my 22 years old Toy truck but what I never wrote is that if it breaks down for good I'll be able to go out and buy another one right away and also have more extra cash.....why?....simple, every months I put away X ammount of cash for this and that and for a new truck $50.00 a month, so that now I have a nice little nest egg for it and depending on which new truck I buy I'll have extra cash.........but........why buy a NEW truck? almost like new trucks are all over the place so that one of them will do just fine and that will leave me with extra-extra cash.

If I sound like if I am braggin then you are almost right...but the main thing is that I want to show you that if a dumb Cuban refugee can do it so then can you....plan for tomorrow and tomorrow sorry you won't be.

A little book by the name of "The Richest Man In Babylon" and a course by "EST" (Sep B 1978) changed my life.

V

[woodman]

I have always talked about my 22 years old Toy truck but what I never wrote is that if it breaks down for good I'll be able to go out and buy another one right away and also have more extra cash.....why?....simple, every months I put away X ammount of cash for this and that and for a new truck $50.00 a month, so that now I have a nice little nest egg for it and depending on which new truck I buy I'll have extra cash.........but........why buy a NEW truck? almost like new trucks are all over the place so that one of them will do just fine and that will leave me with extra-extra cash.

If I sound like if I am braggin then you are almost right...but the main thing is that I want to show you that if a dumb Cuban refugee can do it so then can you....plan for tomorrow and tomorrow sorry you won't be.

A little book by the name of "The Richest Man In Babylon" and a course by "EST" (Sep B 1978) changed my life.

V

Different times, Ponce. You have been living off stored fat from the good years. During this financial apocalypse you have been getting SSI?

I read "The Richest Man in Babylon". It was ok. Main theme, save your money and work hard and invest. No brainer. I went through EST in summer '78. It was a bad trip. Bunch of zombies worshipping Warner Erhardt. I'm fairly certain he was a Jew armed with a little esoteric knowledge from Scientology and Yoga, making a buck off the Goyim and doing alot of damage.

[Cebu_4_2]

And at 250.00 a pop.

[Santa]

Yes, we(all western culture) are being economically and psychologically destroyed... intentionally. And it's not our fault as individuals. That's one of the biggest lies right there.

[Cebu_4_2]

US business hits out at ‘Obamacare’ costs

Posted on 19 February, 2013 (http://gopthedailydose.com/2013/02/19/us-business-hits-out-at-obamacare-costs/) by Amy (http://gopthedailydose.com/author/amy/)
http://gopthedailydose.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/obamacare-costs.jpg (http://gopthedailydose.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/obamacare-costs.jpg)

US retailers and restaurants chains that employ millions of low-wage workers are considering cutting working hours or paying fines rather than enrolling employees in health insurance plans under Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law.

Employers are concerned that the law increases the cost of insuring employees on existing plans, partly by broadening the range of benefits. It also requires companies to insure some employees not previously covered.
High quality global journalism requires investment.

David Dillon, chief executive of the Kroger supermarket chain, told the Financial Times that some companies might opt to pay a government-mandated penalty for not providing insurance because it was cheaper than the cost of coverage.

Nigel Travis, head of Dunkin’ Brands, said his doughnut chain was lobbying to change the definition of “full-time” employees eligible for coverage from those working at least 30 hours a week to 40 hours a week.

Some restaurants, including Wendy’s and Taco Bell franchises, have explored slashing worker hours so fewer employees qualify for health insurance, arguing that they cannot afford the additional healthcare costs. Other businesses are deliberately keeping headcounts below 50.

Mr Dillon said Kroger intended to continue covering all full-time employees but maintained that parts of the law were “simply not workable”.

“If you look through the economics of the penalty the companies pay versus the cost to provide coverage, the penalty’s too low, or the cost of coverage is too high, or the combination is wrong,” he said.

“If [policy makers] get those things too far out of balance, everybody will have to reconsider their position on that point, including us. But we’re going to wait and see how that all develops.”

The penalty for not providing coverage is $2,000 per worker. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-partisan policy group, the average annual cost to employers of insurance is $4,664 for a single worker and $11,429 for a family.

Companies with more than 50 workers have to pay a penalty if they do not provide full-time employees with health insurance. The employees can instead buy private coverage subsidised by the government on new insurance exchanges.

Darden, a US restaurant chain, last year said it was considering slashing its workers’ weekly hours to below the 30-hour threshold but later retreated from the plan after a backlash.

The Obama administration maintains that the law, known as the Affordable Care Act, will improve access to insurance while reducing healthcare costs. A spokeswoman for the government’s health department said that non-partisan studies showed it would have a negligible effect on the labour market.

[Terry853]

You want a good paying job?? Come to northern Alberta or BC. There is way more work than there are qualified people. Start at about 75 grand a year if you can work hard but have no real experiance yet..The work is oil patch and it is screaming busy up here. Tight oil fracs produce an amazing amount of oil in the first few years. And few of these wells are more than a few years old so far. Nobody even bothers drilling gas wells anymore unless they are very wet gas wells. The only days off I get are when I tell the office I need a day off. Open to questions..PS don't believe that you can't buy a gun in Canada. It is bone easy..once you jump thru a couple of easy hoops..

[woodman]

You want a good paying job?? Come to northern Alberta or BC. There is way more work than there are qualified people. Start at about 75 grand a year if you can work hard but have no real experiance yet..The work is oil patch and it is screaming busy up here. Tight oil fracs produce an amazing amount of oil in the first few years. And few of these wells are more than a few years old so far. Nobody even bothers drilling gas wells anymore unless they are very wet gas wells. The only days off I get are when I tell the office I need a day off. Open to questions..PS don't believe that you can't buy a gun in Canada. It is bone easy..once you jump thru a couple of easy hoops..


I've thought about getting a decent travel trailor or pu camper and hightailing it. If things don't improve this year, I will. I imagine that other trades are cranking since oil workers and their families need construction services.