Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire the unemployed voters -

After 27 years with a large publishing firm I found myself bereft of my executive position. Unlike many of my friends in similar circumstances I did not scramble to send out hundreds of resumes and sit back and wring my hands. No, I realized that at 51 no one was going to pay me anywhere near what I was making.

So, I decided to make the very small publishing company I had been running parttime my fulltime job. Best damn decision I ever made. We are now the largest distributors of nautical books in the world.

I say this not to brag but to inspire.

Pretty much the truth.

# friends of mine, all college educated, have been unemployed for more than 2 years. I have found and offered jobs to all. Decent paying jobs I might add. All 3 three turned down offer because not the type of work/career of their dreams.

I have moved 11 times and went back to school/ university 3 times for work.

People have become lazy

Problem is many will not take work that is "Beneath them".

Gee, I guess when you grow up in a society where worthless non-working con men who blow all the right horns are the quintessential success story, the learned attitude about work become what they are...

Interesting statement, not sure I get your drift. Care to expand?

Are you saying that I am a "...worthless non-working con man..."?

No, not at all...as a matter of fact your story is one I love. Working for yourself and being successful says it all!

The people I'm talking about are those that are being paid large sums of money and failing to produce anything or succeed in a worthwhile endeavor. In this group, CEO's of bailed out companies, upper management high paid government types that have no impact on outcome, Congress, and those who have made millions by skirting laws or manipulating money. I could go on....

In your case, you understood a business (publishing) and a market (nautical books). Also, specialized publishing does not have large, initial capital requirements; you can start small and expand. I'm glad for your success.

But many people who are technically competent (engineering, software design, CAD/CAM, CNC machining, etc.) do not have an understanding of how a business works, marketing or access to large amounts of capital. I know a man who is a software engineer for a large aerospace company; he designs large systems required for the manufacture of aircraft - he has no idea as to how to design a small system and would be lost if his employment ended (he's a tech nerd and there's no crime in that).

Also, many do not have an entrepreneurial spirit and have no idea as to how to start a business. I once taught business (focused on start-ups) in an educational environment and realized that true entrepreneurs do not need classes in this and those that do will never get it, regardless of the instruction. Some people are just born to work for someone else and there�s no crime in that � just a different skill set.

day labor always hires. taking advantage of the system is taking advantage of the system period. regardless if you are a crack mama or educated whiners who cant find a 75,000 dollar job so they sit at home and kick it while the rest of us support them.

something i noted this year. on two occasions i took off a day in the middle of the week to fish to " get away from the crowd" the lake was full both times ! not with retired folks but 20-40 somethings. i talked to a guy who worked at a bar by the lake and said it's always like that and when they come in they are all on the dole from work , laying low on unemployment.

there is looking for work and there is looking for work. if your azz is about to lose it all you will find work period....when i moved i washed dishes for 8 months. 20 dollars an hour less than i was used to. i found a job in my trade and things are great.but i am glad i did it it gave me a new perspective. socialism is the same for all , even the ones who think they are too good or to educated to be lumped in with the crack mamas. my 2 pennies

I can agree with most of this but it seems to me anyone who can design large systems has the brains to design small systems or re-educate himself to find other high level technical work.

Although I never thought of it that way you are right about the entrepreneurial spirit. I was always thinking about running my own company. Now my son is running it. He started several businesses before coming on with me. He never had a job working for someone else.

Yes, publishing, at least in the early stages is not capital intensive, but once you have several books in the pipeline it becomes very capital intensive. We usually have 10-15thousand invested in a title for maybe a year before we see any return. The money goes out in large chunks and comes back in dribs and drabs. The distribution side also requires capital and labor to keep 3,000 titles in inventory and to ship in a timely fashion.

With the internet there are many opportunities. My Wife has her own business editing, designing, and formatting books. She has clients from all corners of the globe and, of course, she does almost all our books.

She can and does produce income from wherever she has a WIFI signal. Right now she is in bed drinking coffee doing billable work on a book about commercial fishing in Alaska.

Many are unwilling to re-invent themselves or move to where the jobs are.

And there is the very crux of the problem. Unwilling. Period.

Hunts....amen. Cut em off and they have to make changes and go to work. I had to three times as the textile business in my area dried up and my degree became crap. I restructured my lifestyle and made the hard choices. After about 5 yrs I found a good job and I had downsized and managed myself to where I am so much better off. The cuts hurt and it wasn't easy but now Im financially stronger and debt free. Make the hard choices and yes take the government tit out of these peoples mouth and they have to make the changes. But no......keep enabling them to do nothing. Ive been unemployed three times....it can be done.

I certainly agree with this statement. In the 1930's and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and the NRA (National Recovery Act), people picked up and moved to Nevada (Hoover Dam) and Washington (Grand Coulee Dam) and other places for work. Somehow, we've just gotten away from this survival mentality today.

It must be more than Unemployment Insurance and Welfare; they just do not pay enough to support someone, let alone a family.