Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[Alan Klein]

Supply and demand would then require that they offer higher salaries to attract the talent, shouldn't it?

Yes, that's true.  In fact, many were offering way higher salaries than they would have including hiring bonuses and payments for just coming in for an interview.  Unfortunately, the government unemployment payments were higher than most restaurants, fast food places, etc. could afford.  Now that these payments are stopping, at least on the federal but not necessarily the state levels, these jobs will start to be filled. 

[Alan Klein]

Speaking how the US government shoots itself in the foot, we are now importing 800,000 barrels of oil from Russia when under the last administration we were oil independent.  Interesting that when the XL pipeline would have got going full speed if Biden didn't shut it down, it would be processing 800,000 barrels of Canadian oil, the same that we are now importing from Russia. So all we've done is send dollars to other countries like Russia and the Arabs rather than keeping it here in our own country and losing thousands of American and Canadian jobs in the process. 

On our southern border, Biden's considering returning to the Trump plan of sending illegal immigrants to wait in Mexico, another thing he stopped.

Unfortunately, everything Trump did is "bad" politically according to democrats, which is a foolish way of helping the country.  Apparently, politics makes for bad decisions with Biden.  If he would start thinking about what's good for the country rather than himself and his party, the USA would be a lot better off.   Maybe his lousy poll numbers will wake him and his party up.

[Robert Roaldi]

... Unfortunately, the government unemployment payments were higher than most restaurants, fast food places, etc. could afford.  ...

I find this difficult to believe. In Canada unemployment insurance is just that "insurance". Employees and employers pay into the system and when you apply to receive it, the amount is pretty limited as is the duration, that is, you only receive benefits temporarily. What you're describing seems to be different from that. Is this the case?

During Covid, special disbursements were provided to those in specific circumstances. Those were separate from what I call unemployment insurance.

Are you conflating different sources of money?

[Robert Roaldi]

Speaking how the US government shoots itself in the foot, we are now importing 800,000 barrels of oil from Russia when under the last administration we were oil independent.  Interesting that when the XL pipeline would have got going full speed if Biden didn't shut it down, it would be processing 800,000 barrels of Canadian oil, the same that we are now importing from Russia. So all we've done is send dollars to other countries like Russia and the Arabs rather than keeping it here in our own country and losing thousands of American and Canadian jobs in the process. 

I think you're being cavalier with the facts. Even if pipeline building had gone ahead, it would not already be delivering oil to anyone. I don't know the timing, but I don't think you can build a large pipeline in a few months.

So the question is, what has happened in the US that your self-sufficiency in oil has so quickly disappeared because that doesn't seem realistic. What are you not telling us?

[digitaldog]

Speaking how the US government shoots itself in the foot, we are now importing 800,000 barrels of oil from Russia when under the last administration we were oil independent.  Interesting that when the XL pipeline would have got going full speed if Biden didn't shut it down, it would be processing 800,000 barrels of Canadian oil, the same that we are now importing from Russia.

Half True; for you, an improvement sir!
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/aug/23/facebook-posts/us-importing-large-amount-russian-oil-facebook-pos/

Our ruling
A Facebook post said the U.S. is "now importing 800,000 barrels of oil from Russia," but that this could have been prevented if the Keystone XL pipeline hadn’t been cancelled.

The amount of oil being imported today from Russia has reached a record level of more than 800,000 barrels a day. That does roughly equal the transport capacity of the Keystone XL pipeline — but it’s not as simple as substituting one source for the other.

The pipeline would have required years of construction and likely more legal challenges, so it couldn’t have solved today’s demand needs. Even in the future, there would be no certainty that the pipeline could produce a net increase of 800,000 barrels a day, rather than just transporting oil from Canada that is currently being transported some other way. Nor would producers be obligated to sell that entire amount to the U.S.

We rate the statement Half True.

[digitaldog]

I think you're being cavalier with the facts.

Half the facts but for Alan, that's impressive! 

[Alan Klein]

I find this difficult to believe. In Canada unemployment insurance is just that "insurance". Employees and employers pay into the system and when you apply to receive it, the amount is pretty limited as is the duration, that is, you only receive benefits temporarily. What you're describing seems to be different from that. Is this the case?

During Covid, special disbursements were provided to those in specific circumstances. Those were separate from what I call unemployment insurance.

Are you conflating different sources of money?

States have unemployment insurance.  But there was the additional payment made by the federal government.  It was $600 originally when covid started and then reduced to $300 which stopped yesterday.  So let's say you made $350 from the state (up to 52 weeks in many states) and $300 from the Feds.  That's $650 a week.  Why would anyone work for $15 an hour to make $600 a week if you can get $650 from the government and sit on your butt?  Even if you could earn $20 an hour.  That's only $800 a week or $150 more than not working at all.  Why work?  Also, there were child allowances into the thousands of dollars, etc in addition to unemployment payments.  Now the pressure is on because the federal $300 stopped.  I don't know what happened to the child payments though, whether they were stopped or not.  State benefits also end eventually.

Here in central New Jersey, I've seen so many signs on most fast food places, restaurants, even Home Depot, and supermarkets.  Of course, these are not high-paying positions.  But workers are needed and people will be forced to take these jobs as government support ends.

[digitaldog]

Maybe his lousy poll numbers will wake him and his party up.

Didn't wake up your party.
Here's the highs and lows of each; your guy (top), not so great! Highest approval, 5% lower.

[LesPalenik]

Supply and demand would then require that they offer higher salaries to attract the talent, shouldn't it?

It's more the nature of the jobs than the salary levels. They can't find enough cooks and cashiers, but have many willing movie extras and astronauts.

[Alan Klein]

Half True; for you, an improvement sir!
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/aug/23/facebook-posts/us-importing-large-amount-russian-oil-facebook-pos/

100% true.  We were oil-independent before Biden.  In addition to him shutting down the XL pipeline, he stopped drilling many places elsewhere domestically which now requires even more foreign oil imports.  Also, the XL would be up in a year or two and other new domestic drilling, now stopped by him,  would help.  So now there's no hope even of getting back to being oil independent even in a couple of years because of Biden shutting so much down. 

On top of that, Biden approves a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany a key NATO ally making them dependent on Russian gas.  In the future, in a tense situation with the Russian, they'll threaten to shut off gas transmission during the winter, and our NATO partner will give in to their demands.  Another policy Biden reversed after all the complaints Democrats made about the Russians.  Trump was tough on Russia.  Biden folded just like he folded in Afghanistan.  No one will respect Biden or America.  It's going to lead to dangerous situations with our adversaries as they test our fecklessness.

[digitaldog]

States have unemployment insurance.  But there was the additional payment made by the federal government.  It was $600 originally when covid started and then reduced to $300 which stopped yesterday.  So let's say you made $350 from the state (up to 52 weeks in many states) and $300 from the Feds.  That's $650 a week.  Why would anyone work for $15 an hour to make $600 a week if you can get $650 from the government and sit on your butt?  Even if you could earn $20 an hour.  That's only $800 a week or $150 more than not working at all.  Why work? 

You have this odd habit of asking questions of others, when your posting history and agenda show/prove, you have no desire or ability to accept any answer. No need to ask.
Thank you sharing with us your strong opinion about a subject you’ve demonstrated you know nothing about.
https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=136697.msg1223432#msg1223432

[Alan Klein]

Didn't wake up your party.
Here's the highs and lows of each; your guy (top), not so great! Highest approval, 5% lower.

Who cares about Trump's polls?  It's Biden's that are important.  He's the president now.  People are finally realizing what a mistake they made voting for him.  He's weak and incompetent. 

[digitaldog]

100% true.  We were oil-independent before Biden.

100% wrong.
The United States imported about 7.86 MMb/d of petroleum in 2020, which included 5.88 MMb/d of crude oil and 1.98 MMb/d of noncrude petroleum liquids and refined petroleum products.
Yes, these were the lowest levels of imports of total petroleum and of crude oil since 1991. But we imported oil, not independent of oil imports.
Seems you can't grasp the concept of oil-independence. 
Meanwhile, share of imports from OPEC and Persian Gulf countries has declined, while the share of imports from Canada has increased.

[LesPalenik]

I find this difficult to believe. In Canada unemployment insurance is just that "insurance". Employees and employers pay into the system and when you apply to receive it, the amount is pretty limited as is the duration, that is, you only receive benefits temporarily. What you're describing seems to be different from that. Is this the case?

During Covid, special disbursements were provided to those in specific circumstances. Those were separate from what I call unemployment insurance.

Are you conflating different sources of money?

In Canada, the maximum unemployment benefit is $595 a week, that's over $56,000 per year. If you add even a small income as a dishwasher or dog walker without receipts, you can expand it to $75,000. Walking the dogs during the day and washing dishes at night could raise the annual income to $100,000.

[digitaldog]

Who cares about Trump's polls?  It's Biden's that are important. 

Don't ask more stupid questions. Apparently you don't care while aiming at Biden's when the facts are, his are better than the last guy.

He's the president now.

 
Not according to about a 3rd of your party.

People are finally realizing what a mistake they made voting for him.

 
More assumptions without a lick of proof. Just speak for yourself for a change.

He's weak and incompetent

"What annoys us about others may say more about ourselves than about them."-C.J. Jung
When it comes to facts and understanding basics of resolution, there is someone here provably incompetent.

[Alan Klein]

I think you're being cavalier with the facts. Even if pipeline building had gone ahead, it would not already be delivering oil to anyone. I don't know the timing, but I don't think you can build a large pipeline in a few months.

So the question is, what has happened in the US that your self-sufficiency in oil has so quickly disappeared because that doesn't seem realistic. What are you not telling us?

As the price of oil collapsed as the Arabs flooded the market a couple of years ago, there was a large shutdown of fracking which is more expensive to produce than regular drilling.  That reduced domestic production.  However, companies are always exploring and we could have increased our supplies domestically.  Even if we had to import foreign oil for a time, if Biden let the XL pipeline and other domestic drilling proceed, then in a couple of years we wouldn't need foreign oil again or at least a lot less.  IF we're going to burn oil, it's stupid to not use our own and send dollars to Arabs and Russians for their oil. Haven't we shipped enough American jobs overseas?   Of course, he's trying to show how he feels about the climate.  But we need the oil anyway for now, so let;s use our own.  That's cutting your nose off to spite your face. 

[digitaldog]

That's cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Ah, at least here is a topic you understand and speak of, from experience. 

[Robert Roaldi]

In Canada, the maximum unemployment benefit is $595 a week, that's over $56,000 per year....

You're leaving out some bits. First, you can only receive it for a maximum period of one year (last time I looked) and that is pro-rated by how long you had paid premiums into the system while working, so it could be less than a year. And you quoted the maximum payout rate, which not everyone receives as it is determined by how much you paid in. The way you phrased it made it sound like a gift, whereas it's an insurance payout.

[Robert Roaldi]

It's more the nature of the jobs than the salary levels. They can't find enough cooks and cashiers, but have many willing movie extras and astronauts.

Not sure what you're getting at. If those are lousy careers and no one is applying for those jobs, then that is that, isn't?

[Alan Klein]

In Canada, the maximum unemployment benefit is $595 a week, that's over $56,000 per year. If you add even a small income as a dishwasher or dog walker without receipts, you can expand it to $75,000. Walking the dogs during the day and washing dishes at night could raise the annual income to $100,000.

Les, $595 a week is $30940 a year, not $56K, still a substantial amount compared to earning $15 an hour or $30,000 a year.  Why work when you can spend your time on the forums?