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The Self-Employed Depression

nytimes.com

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Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#2
At the Freelancers Union, Sara Horowitz is pushing for a new kind of unemployment protection fund that would cover the self-employed by helping them put away money that they could draw on in times of need.

We could call it "savings". Then, in lean times, workers could tap their "savings" to make up for temporary shortfalls in income. To minimize the cost of administration for this innovative unemployment protection fund, it could be outsourced to private financial services organizations, hereafter called "banks", which would allow workers to access their "savings" on completion of a routine procedure, up to the limit of "savings" they had accumulated.

"Savings" could be paid for by charging more on an hourly basis than full time employees received in salary for comparable work.

Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#3
post #2

At the Freelancers Union, Sara Horowitz is pushing for a new kind of unemployment protection fund that would cover the self-employed by helping them put away money that they could draw on in times of need. We could call it "savings". Then, in lean times, workers could tap their "savings" to make up for temporary shortfalls in income. To minimize the cost of administration for this innovative unemployment protection f…

Interesting concept, you might be onto something there.

Additionally, if you're "underemployed" to the extent of not being able to pay your bills, I'd say it's about time you got UN-employed and started looking for those unemployment perks.

Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#4
Here's the summary:

A woman with a masters degree is working as a yoga tutor, because the likes the lifestyle. It is hard to be a yoga tutor in today's economy. She owns an iPhone and pays $1,350 a month for her apartment. She is on public assistance now, and has ceased paying for the student loans which allowed her to get the master's degree.

You're supposed to feel sorry for her.

Articles like this probably turn Democrats into Republicans and turn Republicans into heart attack victims. (Since money is fungible, the food stamps are essentially paying her iPhone bill. Phew, I was worried for a second.)

Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#5
post #4

Here's the summary: A woman with a masters degree is working as a yoga tutor, because the likes the lifestyle. It is hard to be a yoga tutor in today's economy. She owns an iPhone and pays $1,350 a month for her apartment. She is on public assistance now, and has ceased paying for the student loans which allowed her to get the master's degree. You're supposed to feel sorry for her. Articles like this probably turn De…

What does political affiliation has to do with financial responsibility?

Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#6
post #2

At the Freelancers Union, Sara Horowitz is pushing for a new kind of unemployment protection fund that would cover the self-employed by helping them put away money that they could draw on in times of need. We could call it "savings". Then, in lean times, workers could tap their "savings" to make up for temporary shortfalls in income. To minimize the cost of administration for this innovative unemployment protection f…

So how does one get away with charging more?

Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#7
post #6
post #2

At the Freelancers Union, Sara Horowitz is pushing for a new kind of unemployment protection fund that would cover the self-employed by helping them put away money that they could draw on in times of need. We could call it "savings". Then, in lean times, workers could tap their "savings" to make up for temporary shortfalls in income. To minimize the cost of administration for this innovative unemployment protection f…

So how does one get away with charging more?

> So how does one get away with charging more?

Do it when the Cheap Police aren't looking.

Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#8
post #4

Here's the summary: A woman with a masters degree is working as a yoga tutor, because the likes the lifestyle. It is hard to be a yoga tutor in today's economy. She owns an iPhone and pays $1,350 a month for her apartment. She is on public assistance now, and has ceased paying for the student loans which allowed her to get the master's degree. You're supposed to feel sorry for her. Articles like this probably turn De…

As much as I'd wish to disagree with you, she reeked of myopic selfishness. One can only hope that, one day, she'll take a moment to look up from her iPhone to see the other occupants of the bread line. That the article had the gall to confuse "middle class poverty" (whatever that means) with a mid-life crisis, seems more appropriate for a satire piece in The Onion.

Re: The Self-Employed Depression

#9
post #4

Here's the summary: A woman with a masters degree is working as a yoga tutor, because the likes the lifestyle. It is hard to be a yoga tutor in today's economy. She owns an iPhone and pays $1,350 a month for her apartment. She is on public assistance now, and has ceased paying for the student loans which allowed her to get the master's degree. You're supposed to feel sorry for her. Articles like this probably turn De…

Feuer’s ex-husband pays one-third of her rent. So she is even more of a leech.

Anyway, qualifying for food stamps means your making no money. So she is getting one hell of a wake up call and I expect she will snap out of it. Teaching Yoga is the same type of crack for yuppies as opening a coffee shop. It seems like a great idea at the time, but the pay which limits it's long term appeal.

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