This is scary and i believe it will get worse. They should have been loaning the states money instead of throwing money at the banks.

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Why don't they hire US to work in the unemployment office? We could take care of the huge back log and the amount of claims would decrease tremendously. This is absolutely ridiculous! I have been laid off since September. I applied for a position on 11/19 and had to wait for an interview for 3 weeks for a job through a Career Center, because things are so far behind. My interview was for 3:00 PM. I arrived shortly after 2:30 PM. It was after 3:00 PM and there were 13 of us that were brought into a conference room and "informed of the job." The human resources person, "Ryan" stated that they had gotten behind and apologized. The weather had started to decline and "Ryan" stated that he understood if anyone wanted to leave. He also stated that since the Career Center was a government run office that he was sure they would be closing early. "Ryan" is originally from Philadelphia and is not used to Maine weather so he was getting nervous at the site of the snow coming down. We were fine. Once the "presentation" was over and several questions were asked (approximately) 4:30 PM, we were told that interviews were going to be rescheduled for the next day. The next day we were expecting a terrible ice storm. I stated to another gentleman that I would rather not be scheduled for the next day due to the expected ice storm. I stated I was available any other time. I was told that was fine, that I should not lose out because they ended up being slow. The gentleman attached a note to my application and resume stating this. I contacted the Career Center the next week was told they were writing down people's names on a piece of paper "because they did not know when the company was going was be coming back. A couple of days later I received a call from Jen from this company who asked if I was still interested. I stated that I was. I went for a second interview the following Monday. I asked when any decisions would be made. Jen stated that she would be done interviews the next day. The next person that I would hear anything from would be Ryan. This was the week of Xmas. I did not hear anything. I called the company on Dec. 31st. I was told anyone who would make hiring decisions was on vacation and would not be back until sometime "next week." I asked when next week. I was told Monday. I called the company on Monday. I reached Jen, and asked if there had been any hiring decisions made. Jen stated that Ryan would be the person that is putting the training packages and "letters" together. Jen stated "let me put you through to him." Jen then came back and stated that he was not there and sent me through to his voice mail. Ryan/HR's voice mail stated that he would be back in office on Jan. 5 and to leave a voice mail. I left a message stating who I was, when I was last interviewed with Jen, when I last called, and asking if hiring decisions had been made? I left my phone number, and also stated that if I may not be home that he could leave a message and I would return his call. As of this time, Jan. 7th, 11:22 AM, I have not received a return phone call. This has been going on for going on 2 months. I find this very frustrating and disrespectful. This is my situation. I can imagine what others are going through. I am going to have to apply for emergency unemployment benefits with no guarantee that I'll be able to qualify. The sad thing is I WANT TO WORK!!! I worked at a job for over 23 years and lost that job. I was out of work for nearly 6 months before I found a job last year. Then my last job was outsourced to a corporate office. What really upsets me is that someone my husband works with is getting heating oil assistance that he does not need, and the woman he spoke to asked how old his refrigerator was and was told that since his refrigerator was not energy efficient that he was getting a new one for nothing. This guy has another job on the side that he gets paid in cash for, and has a hot tub. We could use heating assistance, but I don't even bother waisting my time looking into it, because I know we would be told no. I get my unemployment check, that I can't have taxes taken out because we couldn't survive. I have to go. I've got apply for emergency unemployment, and look for a job.

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After many years of working in a state unemployment system, I can say definitively that the temp workers they stuff back onto the payroll to help take unemployment claims are not going to help at all. That's why you can't take people off the streets and put them to work as claims takers, any more than you can take them and put them to work as electricians. Unemployment claims are rather complicated to take, and it takes about three months of stiff training to people of good intellect to learn how to do it. We always had a ton of people to file, do the unskilled operations, but very few who had hung around long enough to be good at what we were doing, which was applying the state and federal unemployment laws. During the last ten years, we had job cuts and lay offs every year as the state struggled to make its budget. Then, when the perfect storm, (unemployment increases twelve-fold within a few months) hit every state, the systems are overwhelmed and are crashing. What if you were used to serving 1200 clients a day, and then suddenly you have 25000 in one day? It just don't work! And this is not the fault of the people who work there.

The Career Centers have only the jobs that are voluntarily given to them by the employers. Traditionally, very little hiring is done between Thanksgiving and the New Year's holidays. They do not guarantee that they will find a job for anyone, and they cannot be considered the sole source for a job search. The terrible truth is, there aren't many jobs out there of any kind. Unemployment is not based on how bad you need it, how poor you are, it is not a "needs based" welfare program, but if you are entitled, it is required by the federal government that you be paid in a timely manner. It will be interesting to see how the feds deal with these massive infrastructure collapses that will happen in almost every state in the union. And they want us to rebuild Iraq?!?!?!

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Ha !!! This is nothing !! Wait and see what happens when the big three are shut down!!!
Do you realize how many people have jobs that circulate around just GM ? Police, Fire Dept, schools, Barbers, Bakers, Little sandwich shops.
=I wouldn't want to support the US auto worker either !!! =
Maybe now the public Can See What they have been trying to say all these years buy AMERICAN where are all are jobs ?
That's right over in some other countries fat pocket book!!!
for every action there is a reaction
Have the American public forgot their history it's called boycot to make changes to get what you want.
You want cuter little cars that's what you boycot till you get it -- not buy from some other country !!!

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They are giving all the were rich all the money, I mean why is a car important when people have no jobs, cant pay thier bills, buy food, but wait! Obama promised he would help us all, well I cant wait to see you obama voters faces when he does step up, hes going to look alot like bush and all the others. Then what you gonna do.................

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HEIDI, Maybe people would buy American if the American Big 3 would stop outsourcing their jobs to Mexico , Canada, and God knows where else. Also, they have always had a problem with their phones at the Job Center, especially in Dayton Ohio. It takes an hour , always has, just to get somebody on the phone and then they will not transfer you to any department, they will just take a message, and by the way, good luck on hearing back from somebody. They have a lot of incompentent people working there.

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Who really believes these states are broke? Trust me, each state has billions of dollars saved for future needs.


These states all voted for socialism and should suffer their anti American beliefs.

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"You reap what you sow" Isn't this what Ohioans voted for in 2004, free market without regulation. I am sorry for anyone who has lost a job, but I can't feel too bad when you ask for it. Maybe they should call Mr. Blackwell instead.

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They can bail out all these idiots, but until we create some jobs they're just beating a dead horse. It's hard to believe these states are broke. I live in a very rural area of NY State. My taxes are 4500 a year. We have one of the highest gas taxes, we have a high state income tax, high sales tax, and they make millions on the lottery. How the hell can NY be in financial trouble.

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Wake up America we are now heading for a communist country, If you stop to think about it , when you buy a house , you are not buying a house you are leasing it. You will never own a house as long as there is a property tax , which was only installed a few years ao ..meaning 50 plus years , The goverment owns your home! I believe once you have paid your mortage in full , you should never have to pay property taxes again and then you really own your home, until that happens you are leasing it ! but beThe government has over taxed us, we have federal tax , state tax ,social security tax and a few years ago they added a Medicare tax, which social security was suppose to take care of . The insurance company has over burdened us with high rates for car, medical and home. To where a lot of people can’t afford them anymore, its either feed there kids and try to keep a home over there heads or pay for insurance of any kind. Even with contributions from companies where people have jobs. the co pays are outrageous to where a lot of people cant even afford the medications the doctors want them to take, They take one prescription and make it last 2 months even if they need it every day , or don't get them at all because they cant afford it.. Never mind the people who don't even have insurance. The government people don’t have to worry about it cause them and there spouses are covered for life and with a lot better plan then most of us have and we pay for it. The government has subsidized large company's to created jobs for Americas , but the Company's take that money and get work visa for people over seas and bring them here to work for cheaper wages . We have CEO's taking money from the company and get highly paid and then they turn around and tell you there’s no money for a raise or they give you a cap of 3-5 percent a year when the cost of living rate has gone up 10 percent. The government wants to stop overtime pay , but a lot of Americas rely on that to make ends meet, it use to be a man only had to work to support a family and have a home , now its you have to have 2 people working to make ends meet. So most kids end up in day care a lot sooner than if the mom could stay at home and nurture them. . We send billions of dollars overseas to help everyone else and we have kids and elderly and low to middle income family’s (if there is such a thing as middle income anymore) starving and without medical in our own backyards, The elderly who have paid taxes all there lives cant even afford to eat 3 square meals a day and have there medicines they need to survive the rest of there lives. The golden years are no more it’s should be labeled the copper age. Also let me say I think it is so sick that every branch of the government, welfare, food stamps, housing, drivers license bureau each have been busted in some sort of scandal, where the benefits where suppose to go to the needy and it went to the workers family and friends, and the drivers license bureau, if you paid the fee you could get a licenses even if you didn’t know anything about driving or the rules of the road.
We have people suing everyone in order to make a quick buck, because they are tired of struggling and the courts and lawyers encourage this ,as it makes them a good income. We have people suing Oreo because he got fat pleaseeee or suing McDonalds cause there fat or there kids are fat, please no one dragged you there and made you eat it, it was your choice. Everyone is so quick to blame someone else no one takes responsibity for there own actions. The blacks were free from segregation many years ago , when they are born in the united states they have ever opportunity as everyone else, they wanted to be equal so it was done, and now they are putting them selves back in segregation cause when ever they don’t get there own way or something happens to them they cry racist. It will get to point only blacks and can deal with blacks, whites deal with whites, and Hispanic deal with Hispanics in every aspect of life even the law that way no one can cry fascist anymore. Another topic I am going to hit on which really makes me mad is the topic of smoking, smoking is not illegal!!! it is a freedom or choice to do what you want, It use to be you could smoke where you wanted, then they separated smokers and non smokers in separate rooms in restaurants , meeting place etc now you cant smoke any where what happened to the rights of smokers ,they don’t have any!!!! They even wanted to take away smoking in parks!!! Its open air!! BUT what about when I am on the road and a car whose exhaust could chock a horse is pouring its fumes into my car, or when I go into a city where they have smog alerts where are my rights then!!!! It has come to a society where they have a rule or law for everything, I am sorry but if you look around to where we came from and were we are heading wake up America we are in a communist country weather you know it or not !!!!! The government has everyone worried about weather we can feed our kids day to day or what’s going to happen to them if the get sick or hurt , or what are we going to do with grandma and grandpa, as no one is home anymore to care for them or have the finances to take care of them If you think you have the American dream of owning a house and having kids you really don’t, you are leasing the home, cause if you don’t pay your property tax , again I say tax , because you have to feed your kid or have oil or electricity to keep your home warm, the government can come and boot you out and sell it to pay the taxes. And if you want to raise your kids with morals or respect you can’t because you can’t discipline your own kids I am not talking abuse I am talking discipline the government will come and take your kids away then ask questions. And hitting on electric, the electric companies are getting to be outrageous with there costs and the same with the cable companies and gas companies, Gas just 20 years ago use to be 25 cents a gallon now its almost 2 dollars a gallon, before the war it went up, because they say there will be a shortage because of the war, well the war is over and the prices haven’t fell that much WHY?? Cause government especially (Bush) and other government personal have big stock and interest in the gas company, oil, companies and insurance companies hummmm well I will get off my soap box, I hope you have enjoyed this and I could go on about many other issues but I will get off my soap box and say I hope it has opened your eyes to what is really going on with our government, that we pay out of our pockets every day!!!

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Keep Buying Foreign! Which Ever Way The Big 3 Go, So Goes The Country!! When Are You People Going To Finally Realize This???? Think About It....The Big 3 Are The Largest Manufacturing Hub In The Entire Country!!!

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The economy is SOOO bad and we have heard over and over that the government can't do anything about how much we are charged for gas until it is considered "price gauging"---Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for the price I paid ($1.54/gallon) yesterday. But that was up almost 20 cents in just 10 days. Because OPEC is cutting production due to the reduce in demand and cut into their profit------------sounds like some type of gauging to me-- total control!!!!!!!!!

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Sorry for the job losses. But Ohio voted for Bush-Cheney who told them they would be working in 1999. Say is not the other two states red states also. Is not the old saying you get what you paid for Bush-Cheney was a a very low quality GOP item as there was better and more knowledgeable GOP picks way back then. I'm sure the people in Ohio can make it come back by good old American know how and values. Look to the bright side you can now rebuild your state just do not be blinded by GOP twisted untruthful POL sights to line their own pockets.

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One simple point. The government does not care about you or I. They care about themselves. They feed us crumbs like they feed chickens and pigs, enough to keep us alive (if you call it that) so that they can play self-righteous and say they are taking care of something.
The system is broke as is the country. Simple math: The money "given" to the people was hyped to have been $600 per tax payer. That amount was 90 Billion dollars basis of 150 million tax payers. So far the government has spent 8.2 trillion dollars on the bailout/rescue plans. That is 100 times the amount each taxpayer received. Eventually the government will need it paid back...think now that $600 each one received is going to cost them in pay back about $60,000...plus interest.
on the debt.
Are you earning enough to pay back as well as pay the piper for the future inflation all this stimulus will cause?

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Congressmen and women took a $4,700 or 4% pay raise for 2009, and all federal employees will receive a 5% increase Jan. 4. That is the leadership we now have. People running the government want to take take take and give back to themselves.

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Here in the Detroit area it's pretty bleak! The real estate market is at an all time low, the unployment lines are longer than they've been in decades and people are getting laid off at a frightening rate! All our jobs that are directly connected with the big 3 autos took a dive. The phone lines are tied up for days at a time for unemployment and job services because they can't handle the volume of people coming in. One woman on the news last night said she got in line early, pulled a ticket to be served and it was number 430 something. They were calling number 92 at that time. People were left standing in line for HOURS and anyone trying to reach them by phone never got through. Another huge problem is all the welfare cases that were allowed to live for GENERATIONS on assistance. What the hell? If a person needs help for a little while that's fine but the scum that suck the government dry should have been cut off years ago. We need changes allright! Hopefully Obama makes the right ones.

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I believe these states arew broke as I watch friends family search for jobs and pray daily they dont loose them.

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