Comments about ‘The unemployed need our support not disrespect’

It is demoralizing to get money you di dnot earn. Mow lawns or fix fences while you are temporarily out of work. Don't expect taxpayers to help you. they don't have an infinite supply of money. And you lose dignity getting somtehitn that is not yours.

Wow! And this was written by Republican. One who worked for Orrin Hatch, no less.

Amazing.

Miracles do happen occasionally.

The economy is still improving, meaning there still aren't enough jobs out there yet for every one.

The silver lining of rejecting this money is we now know republicans are serious about taking away government benefits. If we stand idily by social security will be gutted.

Those who have earned it will lose it unless they take steps to ensure it doesn't happen.

We have enough money to save social security if we choose to. We can change SS tax so it applies to all income levels. Currently SS tax applies only on income up to $106,000 per year. The wealthy aren't paying their share.

We had enough money to extend the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy. We have enough money to enter into wars whose necessity is questionable. But we don't have enough money to continue SS?

What can we do? VOTE for people who are committed to ensuring the government keeps the promise it made to you when it deducted social security taxes from your pay checks. Otherwise you will lose what you earned. You will lose what is yours.

higv. I guess you have never been laid off? It is snowing for one thing. Can not mow an lawn. We do not live in the countryside, there isnt miles of fence's to fix.

I guess you also have no idea how the economy and our monetary system works either. Money comes into existence by borrowing it. If people are not getting loans, then the money supply is shrinking. Do you see a demand for getting loans for homes, cars, etc? No. If the federal government does not borrow money to introduce into the economy, the economy would collapse.

The government could issue debt free money into the economy and there wouldn't be any taxes owed on it, but that is for a different discussion.

This is an excellent, eloquent commentary.

Utah lawmakers should be ashamed of themselves for choosing to hurt those who are without work. Perhaps it is time to put them out of work, at the next election.

Maybe a minor lesson for Utah's State politicians from yesterday's federal budget crisis: Politicians from both parties agreed to return to tax payers salary money for whatever time period the government was shutdown.

Maybe our Legislators should forego their extremely generous healthcare insurance until the unemployment rate is at target levels, say, 5%. The electoral process does a poor job of communicating to them the sentiments of the typical Utahn. Maybe a little direct pain would help them with perspective.

Why are so many intent on demonizing the poor as being lazy? Why do they attack the needy for feeling "entitled?" To me the ones who should be attacked for feeling entitled are the rich who avoid paying their fair share of Social Security, income, and capital gains taxes, along with their corporations who avoid most taxes by setting up some phony PO Box somewhere off-shore.

Remember that those who suffer the most from poverty are the children. They may be too innocent to know it, but they are also too innocent to punish for it.

We already have a system that encourages the unemployed to keep looking for and/or preparing for their next job.

Some expect the poor to lift themselves up by their bootstraps, but don't mind lavishing tax-incentives to favored businesses.

The best way to support the unemployed in Utah would be for the state to roll up the welcome mat to illegal trespassers.

I'm sure its very discouraging to Utahs unemployed to have to compete with foreign national trespassers who aren't supposed to be here in the first place.

One of the best things you can do for Utahs unemployed is to ask the Governor why we need a "guest worker" program when we have so many Utah citizens unemployed.

higv | 7:20 a.m. April 9, 2011
Dietrich, ID

It is demoralizing to get money you di dnot earn. Mow lawns or fix fences while you are temporarily out of work.

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The problem with "your" solution is the people who have businesses you suggested,
1. only hire illegals.
2. Pay below minimum wage.
3. and the State of Utah just made it that much easier for illegals, and harder for the legal citizens to get those jobs.

Name ONE yardcare company that would hire a 45 year old 20 year computer programmer "legally" for minimum wage.

You solution is idealistic, not realistic.

John C. C. | 10:31 a.m. April 9, 2011
Payson, UT

Some expect the poor to lift themselves up by their bootstraps,...

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Which would be fine, except the poor don't even have boots!

"The Congressional Budget Office says every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates up to $1.90 in economic growth. The most effective policy for generating growth among 11 options CBO has analyzed."
Do you really believe this Flores? Let's think about how illogical that is. Where did the initial dollar come from? It came out of the economy (either from a taxpayer or borrowed). If that really worked then why don't we put everyone on unemployment? We could nearly double GDP.
The reason they don't want the Federal money is that it has to be matched by the State of Utah and they don't want to bankrupt the State.
I feel for the unemployed but at some point it stops being insurance and becomes a welfare program.

red state pride | 1:21 p.m. April 9, 2011
Cottonwood Heights, UT

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So it's better to let banks foreclose on people, thereby decreasing everybody else's home values, thereby not allowing lending, thereby creating less investment - yet creaing even more economic collapse.

Good plan....NOT.

I rather pay 10 times my current tax rate to get my $250,000 in lost home value and $150,000 in VIP retirement investments back.

Unemployment benefit length and amount are given based on length of employment and highest earning annual quarter - fact.
Employed people contribute to the unemployment insurance fund - fact.

I am less threatened by government workers than by greedy fianciers and gluttonous corporate CEOs that are the crux of the problem.

@lds liberal- you make about as much sense as a typical John Flores column which I usually avoid -it just happened to be the only column in the editorial section of "the incredible shrinking newspaper"
So if we aren't going to allow banks to foreclose when a homeowner isn't paying their mortgage then why would banks make mortgage loans? There would be a lot less risky places to invest/loan money - it's that kind of logic that kills economies.So obviously you place no value on a legal contract between a borrower and lender. I guess Banks should just loan money and HOPE they get paid back.. or we can just keep printing money like there's no tomorrow to subsidize principle writedowns on mortgages- that's really sound economic policy

Don't be fooled. The economy is not improving at all. Peoples unemployment benefits have just run out is all.

red state pride | 3:17 p.m. April 9, 2011
Cottonwood Heights, UT

Unemployment lasts only a few months.
Home Loans are 20-30 years.

What we nee is people getting back to work ASAP,

The less unemployment, the less foreclousres -
The less Foreclosures, the less unemployment.

The Bank bail-outs were to stabilze the economy,
back FDIC bank insurance, and help and stop Forecloures....
Once done, banks could begin lending to Companies and investors, who can create jobs, and employ people to make payments and pay taxes.

The solution to our jobs problem is to establish a strong economy. That means lower taxes on corporations and eliminate all the subsidies. Reduce spending. We don't have the money we are simply printing it and that will not work for long. Wealth redistribution is a communist concept and see where it went. Now Russia is using capitalism and free enterprise and its economy is growing rapidly. Same for India, China, Brazil.

Utah Senate President Waddoups tells them, "It's tax money, and people need to be weaned off of the government paying for everything, "

Does that include the Utah Chamber of Commerce using taxpayer subsidized labor? You fully supported that.

Gov. Herbert believes there are plenty of jobs to be filled

8 out of every 100 Utahns are out of work Gary. And when they do try to find entry level jobs, they have to compete with 140,000 people here illegally. You could of done something about that, instead you signed a couple of bad laws "to send a message to Washington". I hope you hear the message that Utah's voters are sending our one term Governor.

These are real people that need help because of a situation that is no fault of their own. If Utah is not going to fund it, then you have a moral obligation to take the Federal money. Prove a point to Washington by giving up your own entitlements.