Deidre Murphy: I’m Deidre Murphy. I live in Blythewood, S.C. and I’m 47. I was in marketing. I was making, gosh with benefits and everything and with bonus, about $95,000. I got $326 a week, which is the absolute maximum in South Carolina. If I cobbled all four of those checks together, I could pay my mortgage. I have zero savings left. I did everything I could to pay my mortgage, to protect my credit and now that I’ve been unemployed for so long, I’m not eligible for any of these wonderful mortgage programs. So yeah, I’m a little angry, to be perfectly honest.
You know, I didn’t feel like it was my fault that I got laid off at all. It had nothing to do with my job performance. My ego started taking a hit, when I started getting rejected everywhere I was looking for a job. I would either hear nothing or I’d get an actually rejection. Then you start hearing every week the numbers of who was getting laid off and then, I’m talking to all these people, everybody I know knows somebody who’s been laid off.
Clorene Jones: I’m Clorene Jones, Greensboro, S.C. I worked in a weave mill for 46 years. Last March of 2008, the place that I worked closed down. Hadn’t worked too long. I hadn’t been back to work, but not quite a year, but I did get some unemployment, $193 a week. And then I’ve drawn up Social Security too, that helps.
Well I had a job to go to another plant, but when I went, because I didn’t have a GED or a diploma, they wouldn’t hire me. I finished the 10th grade when I was going to school. Well some of it I find hard, especially the algebra part of it. I wasn’t too good in school, it’s real hard.
I was making, gosh with benefits and everything and with bonus, about $95,000………I did everything I could to pay my mortgage, to protect my credit and now that I’ve been unemployed for so long, I’m not eligible for any of these wonderful mortgage programs. So yeah, I’m a little angry, to be perfectly honest.
I have zero savings left.
I’m left wondering just what exactly she did with that $95,000. How many European vacations? Dinners out? Entertainment?
Recessions serve an important purpose – education of the populace.
“I have zero savings left.”
You’re really in no position to say whether she was thrifty or wasteful. Sooner or later with no income stream everyone becomes a pauper, savings only hold up for a while. What exactly was your point, Sidney?
#1 – that is exactly how I feel about all the wealthy bankers who complain about making only half a million a year, and are penalized for not getting million dollar bonuses.
It always seems that there are a group of people obsequious to the elites and their money, but complain when someone middle class decides to have a nice dinner.
[blockquote]#1 – that is exactly how I feel about all the wealthy bankers who complain about making only half a million a year, and are penalized for not getting million dollar bonuses.[/blockquote]
I don’t have any particular feelings about bankers getting or not getting their bonuses, but I do object to those who had contracted for bonuses who were bullied into giving them back by power-mad politicians. Back when we had the rule of law in force, that would have been seen as scandalous.
Do you also think it’s scandalous that retired GM employees will probably lose their vision/dental benefits? Those were contracted, also.
If they lose them because of political interference, then yes, I have a big problem with that. If they lose them as a result of GM’s Chapter 11 filing and a dispassionate restructuring of the company under that law, then I don’t.