I wonder to myself about our future.

I hate to sound like one of the two old guys from the Muppets that would sit up on a balcony and laugh at how the world is changing around them. Guess though that is what I am doing. This hits home as it impacts the number of qualified applicants I will get.

Like many people on this website, I wonder if Americans are loosing the desire to go out and find work. Are we loosing our work ethic? Maybe that is true at some level. At a different level wonder why there are so many now hiring signs overring bonuses on top of the hourly rate.

Many state are turning down the federal $300/week kicker. Others are embracing the kicker as free money helping out folks impacted by COVID. If you see how these states break down politically you will see those who support raising the minimum wage to $15/hour also embrace the extra federal money.

I have to wonder if this isn't the logic behind the kicker money, effectively setting workers expectations to the federal kicker level. It is an interesting social experiment for sure. I am just looking forward to knowing what the normal will be and when will it come?

Earlier this week I posted about stagflation. Interest rates are not high now and that is why we are not stalled out. But if the norm on wage sticks suddenly at double where it is at now, Interest rates will go up to battle inflation.

As landlord indeed it will mean that we will have to pay more wok to get done, but it also means something much bigger. If wages double - what happens to your rents?

Just my random thoughts for a Sunday afternoon as I put off mowing my large lawn (it is too hot - can't be June....must be Global Warming)

Many of America's people have NO work ethic. Work, what's that??

In contrast, we were at a favorite restaurant yesterday. Our waiter was a kid who we meet in a ministry seven years ago. He was ten then... He's been working at this restaurant since he was 14. His words yesterday "it's hard work, but I'm making money, and I'm doing something good".

His parents are both non citizens. He was born here, so he's a citizen.

Was visiting with a friend who walked by. The local DQ is paying $13 an hour to start. They still are struggling to hire people.

There is no shortage of jobs, only a shortage of people actually willing to work. I’m glad m y state decided they were no longer going to accept the federal extra, and people were going to have to actually apply for jobs again,

Qoute from a leader from dubia...

My father was on a camel, I'm in a Mercedes, my son is on a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to be from Land Rover, but my great grandson will be back on a camel," he purportedly said.

According the post, the interviewer followed up asking him to clarify the statement, to which Sheikh Mohammed replied: "Tough times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create tough times. Many won't understand but you have to raise warriors, not parasites.”

Well, this is an interesting subject. To many people earn more money sitting home on their butts playing video games, etc. cause the government is supporting them.

They get free rent, free electricity, free heat, free food, free spending money for cigarettes, etc. And on top of that they go to food banks to get more free food. If their car breaks down the government will pay the repair bill.

My sons work. One is a contractor and the other a mason. They do pretty well.

This is the story they tell. Their half brother is 1/4 Indian, on their Dad's side. He doesn't work. They see him in the grocery store and he has lobster, shrimp, T-bone steaks, salmon slabs etc. in his cart. My sons have hamburger, hot-dogs and brats, and maybe once in a while a steak. It makes my sons angry as their half brother says he is "Living the good life."

I also have had four different single parents with children rent from me. All on assistance. Then they try to have a single guy or girl move in with them. They want the assistance, plus more money from the person ignorant enough to want to move in with them. One guy passed the application, moved in with a woman and her kids. They stayed for two years, got into a fight and she left. He was going to stay but couldn't afford it, on his own, so he talked to me and voluntarily moved out. He said he could afford half of everything, like he had been doing. "What do you mean half?, I asked. "She was on assistance and had everything paid for!"

So....after fifteen minutes of conversation, he realized that she was pocketing his half of the rent, half the propane, half the electric, half the groceries, that he paid for.

And one other thing I find. These people get their food allowance twice a month. The 1st and the 15th. The garbage bags become heavy then as they throw away what they didn't eat before to make room for more. This also happens before the 2nd Thursday of each month when the food banks give away food. Half of it ends up in the garbage.

Heavens....I didn't mean to almost write a book! Welcome to the Landlord world and the free government handouts.

It's interesting to watch the hibernation re-emergence from those that have been collecting unemployment for the last year. Not only do they not have a work ethic, they aren't even fully awake and coherent.

Let me give you my Friday morning: I go to Lowes looking for a part and run into one of the guys that has recently come out of hibernation, he has no clue where it is, and worse he doesn't care to help me find it. I explain the situation to one of the old guys and he is extremely annoyed with having to work with them. Then I go by a convenience store, lay my purchase on the counter. The lady there behind the counter is staring off into space behind me. I waited what seemed like an eternity (at least 20 seconds) and said "ma'am" and she snapped out of her daze. Then took my wife to lunch and we were getting quite a chuckle out of the person with the water pitcher, clearly they hired her to fill glasses throughout the restaurant. She was walking aimlessly through the aisles pitcher in one hand staring at the phone in the other. For our whole meal she never once filled a glass.

I referred to them as Zombies in another thread which is exactly what they are acting like. Maybe we need to declare another pandemic, the zombie apocalypse and put all our efforts on another vaccine. Maybe they will come out of the daze on their own in a few weeks, who knows. Clearly they don't have a good work ethic at this point.

It does seem to be getting worse, for a variety of reasons. The general dumbing down of people via over use of technology (learned helplessness). The training of people to be consumers instead of actually learning skills. More people dabbling in hard drugs. Living on SSI becoming more socially acceptable.

I think there are lot of young people out there who want to do something, but have very unrealistic ideas like getting paid to create youtube videos, or becoming an online influencer and monetizing that.

DH and I went out to eat with his high school friend and his new GF last week. GF is a staunch member of "the party that I am not" and her brother is a real bigwig in that party. On the way to the restaurant, we passed MULTIPLE businesses that said HIRING! HIRING! Taco Bell has a big sign that they are HIRING and offer a $1000 sign-on bonus. We still get the local newspaper, and several businesses are offering sign on bonuses.

GF was APPALLED that we all (including her BF) thought that "people just don't want to work", that there are jobs going begging, etc. And why not? If you can make even 2/3rds of what you might make @ a job, stay home on unemployment and you have no child care bill, no gasoline or wear and tear on your vehicle-not to mention-YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORK!

Andrew Yang and other elites have floated the idea of UBI in recent years. These generous unemployment benefits are essentially temporary UBI.

I know that T was in office when these enhanced UE benefits were put in effect... but I don't know who actually came up with the idea though.

It's possible that enhanced unemployment is a test case for UBI. I also think, more than likely, that it's a backdoor approach to implement the $15/hour minimum wage. Essentially, a business has to pay $15/hour to compete with unemployment.

The problem with these temporary benefits is that the people most inclined to sit on them will wait until the last minute (when they are cut off) to look for a job. And then of course they have a stigma in some employers' eyes because they are seen to have been working the system for the last year. For unskilled jobs it may not matter though.

The problem with these temporary benefits is that the people most inclined to sit on them will wait until the last minute (when they are cut off) to look for a job. And then of course they have a stigma in some employers' eyes because they are seen to have been working the system for the last year. For unskilled jobs it may not matter though.

A friend and I discussed this over the weekend. I believe we are somewhat living off the legacy of our past. Just like the "4 Generations" cycle goes (poverty to riches, riches to wealth on autopilot, wealth on autopilot to indolence & reckless spending, indolence & reckless spending returns to poverty), so America is living off the wealth and freedoms earned in our past.

That isn't to say no one is earning today: quit a few still are, but we appear to be in the 3rd stage (indolence & reckless spending). Give it a generation, and we could easily be a poverty stricken nation that looks back to the glory days when we had things like running water and electricity in ever home. When 1 person is supporting 5 who refuse to work, that can only continue so long.

We gave up so much freedom in the past year due to "security". What's that saying against about those who buy security with liberty end up getting neither? So many screamed that "Safety is more important than the economy" while failing to realize it is the ECONOMY that allowed us to shut our doors for months and run at 25-50% capacity and not descend into utter chaos. Now we've cashed that check and drained that savings account. One more round of year-long shut downs will probably be enough to kill the golden goose for good. It will be interesting to see what event precipitates it. Another Covid variant? War in the Middle East? Or will we just spend ourselves into oblivion trying to mandate Green policies and a way-too-generous welfare state?

Bottom line: we can't keep printing money forever and acting like that's the solution, but that is precisely what Washington DC is doing today, and there is no sign of stopping. Republicans and Democrats are both guilty. Both spend recklessly. "Fiscal responsibility" is a joke. So much a joke no one is talking about it except Rand Paul and a handful of others. And like the Montagues and the Capulets, who with their ridiculous feuding killed their legacy, both will be punished.

It’s been painfully clear Americans are getting lazier and lazier through the years. I have several business’ s and it’s harder and harder to get people who have good work ethics and take pride in their work. Everyone wants things just handed to them for doing nothing. People are so lazy now a days. It’s even evident on This site. Look at the people on this site who don’t want to take time to talk to applicants or take time to show their rentals anymore. Americans have lost their work ethics, their morals and just got plain lazy. They don’t take pride in anything anymore. Look At how nice neighborhoods have gone down. Used to be every one took pride In Their house and yard . Put their cars in the garage etc. now, no one puts their cars in their garage, all the neighborhoods that used to have yard of the month contests have that no more. What are they going to call it now? Yard and drive of the month with most cars parked outside? Customer service is non existent every where you look.

People are all about number 1 nowadays and dont care about anything else for the most part. Not everyone but an awful,lot. Business’s are begging with good jobs to be had for people to come work but it seems a lot of people would rather sit hame and get their handout. Many , if they do go to work only do as little as possible to get by and could care less about the quality of their work.

I think we have been living in this stage for a while. This was a growing problem before COVID and has just been strengthened by the UE.

I think J pretty much nailed it with it being related to tech in the beginning. For years now, everyone of the younger generations have been learning to work from a computer because it is easier and pays more and you are in a climate controlled environment. Now most can work from home and have no clue how to do anything else. Most people seem to not be able to work outside in the heat due to there being used to A/C.

Companies have refused for years and decades to pay descent wages to the blue collar workers who are the ones working the hardest in the worst conditions and out in the weather. The blue collar workers are the ones that do the hard labor that brings in the money to pay everyone. Yes, it takes the intelligent people that know how to make money by using other people's labor, blood, sweat and tears. It takes the office person that knows how to use a computer or do the paperwork and it takes investors and others of the white collar world but, the reality is, is that it takes everyone to make it work. It is the team that makes it happen but the hard laborer is the one that is looked upon as worthless. I think now, it is coming back to haunt these companies and others who have not been willing to pay the laborers, who pay the highest taxes, and do the hardest work and dirtiest jobs. Maybe now everyone is coming to the realization that all parts of the team matter.

I believe COVID has been a bunch of bull and a real disaster but I also believe that it has been an eye opener.

Maybe we should ask the question, how do we correct this problem?

Mike/TX, a couple of things:

Not wanting to waste time with losers to whom you will never rent is not lazy. It's putting a value on YOUR time. I can be a lot more productive working on my business rather than showing a house to someone who doesn't qualify and never will or listening to stories that are both heart-breaking and ridiculous at the same time. Those kinds of people don't get to take MY time away from me.

American lawns: we spend billions on them and really, MOST areas are not suited to them naturally so we fertilize and mow and rake and for what? To emulate some long-forgotten style imported from Merry Old England. Probably we'd all be better off if our land - even small patches - were cultivated with food, either for us or the birds or the bees.

Gee Mike that was rather hostile.

I have plenty of ME time these days. Too much so, in fact, because I ended up pretty severely disabled this past year and don't get around much physically right now.

Ray-N-PA, I think that some younger people view a work ethic as a relic of the past. These same people are having rude awakenings when they don't have everything that their parents/grandparents do/did - because their elders worked/scrimped to get there.

One of my millenials has been totally on board with a great work ethic since graduating college 10 years ago. The younger millenial had a bumpier start, parroting what her generation is complaining about ("Boomers" have caused all their problems. But I stump them when I say things like, "See that phone in your hand? Boomers are responsible for it.")

We had to practice tough love with both, making them pay their own way for certain things starting in their teens and gradually ramping that up as they entered college. They HAD to work - and learned to enjoy the rewards that come with hard work.

My kids are in their 30s and 40's (one is almost 50!) - what generation does that make them? They've all had jobs since they were legally able to work with junior permits.

My granddaughters are 16 and 24 (good lord) and they have also worked since they were legally allowed to; youngest one does after-school care for the littles at a Montessori School.

I have pictures of my youngest son and his then-new wife (welcome to the family!) digging huge roots out of a septic system at a place we had just purchased. I mean...it was nasty. But DIL was in there like a trooper. Come to think of it, she helped lay French drains at another place when they were just engaged, and floors at others.

I wish I was not so busy, it would be fun working for some of you.

I enjoy work, solving problems and good customer service.

.....and lately...I clean the windshield in my truck. (Ran out of t shirts to fold).

After reading through the posts. I'm somewhat appalled by a 22 year old kid who says he can't find a job.

I want him out. I think he has conned me while I was busy working.

I listen to no news, I have no clue to any current events.

I do see the help wanted signs. If I were to guess, there probably is a record being established now with employers desperately seeking help.

Ray, I never put two and two together, really, but sometimes people ask here about renting to young people. We've been really lucky with that demographic. But now that you mention it, the young couples I rent to always seem to have that strong work ethic.

In fact I've got one guy moving in soon - left high school, was home-schooled and finished online - went to work right after as a helper with an HVAC company and has just been promoted to lead installer. That's a big deal! He's set for life with a good trade now.

We had a couple downstairs: he managed the local bowling alley for his family and she has her own gymnastics/cheer school (a successful one, too.) They were BABIES when they move in. They got married while here and three or four years later bought a house, still going strong years later.

Most of our youngest renters have work hard and have great jobs.

I see the differences when I teach at the local U as well as in the rentals. Some of our young people have been taught to work, while others have had it all handed to them.