Summer Help
 

My wife and I had lunch at Giuseppe’s yesterday and our server was a very nice young woman from Romania. I was very impressed with her attentiveness, her outgoing personality and her fluency in English. She’s here for her second summer during her college break which resumes on October. I started to think that we are very lucky to have young people like her come here during the summer as staff in our restaurants and hotels. We’d be lost without them.

Many local restaurants hire eastern europeans . American students want to leave in early august too soon for most businesses

Unfortunately not that they want to leave, they need to leave as many college dorm move in days are mid August and many schools also begin classes before Labor Day


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We had a server at the Weathervane either last year or the year before who was from China. She said she was here to learn English. Her service was ok but had a lot more to learn.

Pictographs, Maybe?
 

Last season, we also had a waitress from China, but to order, we had to point to the choice on the menu! :eek2:

She then wrote it down in...um...um...Chinese cursive...

字
小
雪

.

Summer businesses
 

Yes most of the seasonal businesses in the area hire foreign students. They are workaholics and very friendly to tourists. This year you notice every business is short on help and some open late and close early due to lack of employees.

Recently business owners had a round table discussion with state and national politicians regarding employment. The biggest problem is lack of a workforce for the demand. Why unemployment is low in NH.

Biggest reason is lack of housing for students and blue collar workers. Need to be addressed as low and middle income housing is seriously lacking. Developers and builders pay a premium for lots. They can only make money if they build expensive homes. Today because of changing demographics, the demand for higher end homes have dropped. I know of one student who wants to work in the Lakes Region and could not find housing. To commute from Bethlehem NH, will cost him more than he would make!

Second reason is green card availability. The current administration drastically cut the visas this year, so it is difficult for the seasonal businesses to staff for the season. With low unemployment, the cut came at the wrong time!

You will notice room, meals and grocery prices have increase, mainly because wages have gone up to attract help. Establishment has also notice a decline in business because of increase prices. There have to be a balance between attracting employees and attracting business.

When the city of Seattle increase the minimum wage to $15 in the city, many hospitality businesses have either went belly up or move out. People just can't justify spending that kind of money!

The young woman from Romania who waited on us said she and her cousin were renting from the Giuseppes's owner. I asked if she had any help from the state in finding a job and she said she did it on her own. Seems that the state should be actively involved to make sure we have enough summer help for visitors to NH to have a great experience and keep coming back.

We went to El Jimador at the Weirs the other day and needed a translator. It took much longer to order and then the manager had to come over to make sure the server took our orders correctly. I think he came to the table three times. Wasn't a good dining experience.

Why must we continue with the same old things? The lakes region has seen a tremendous growth in the retirement population, me included. Should not the local businesses change their business model to support this growth. Yes, many restaurants are saying they can’t get help, but have you tried to find a table on a Friday or Saturday evening.


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What would you have them do?

It's a matter of availability.

Perhaps retirees could reenter the work force to help fill the gaps?

That's the point--many restaurants are hard to get into not because they're full but because they don't have enough help to fill to capacity. I know every time I eat at The Bob House, Canoe, etc. they aren't full but tell people they can't take reservations.

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I agree. We went to Canoe with a party of 6 monday and the place was filled except for the porch downstairs which was closed. I asked my server and she said the servers would not be able to handle the additional tables.

My service was very efficient and BTW had one of my best meals I have ever had there. Additional tables with the same help definitely would have been an issue

Many students start early here in the states. Our Granddaughter going back this weekend as she is working during orientation. When we lived on Cape Cod many of the summer help were from Ireland. Really great kids happy to be here and learn first hand about our great country. Those native to the states also want to take time to relax and o some back to school shopping prior to returning to college thus they leave in mid August.

----------------------------------------

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

This was a headline story in yesterday's Boston Globe, with a focus on teens working at Canobie Lake Park.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business...SGI/story.html

Don't get me started
 

Seasonal or year-round help in this region is a challenge for many reasons. I've seen busy restaurant choose to close because they were under staffed.

Retirees and vacationers have driven rental values beyond affordable.

There is a generation that has been mislead about what a good work ethic is.

What may be that rare occasion that someone makes a mistake or fails to please a customer ends up a headline on an Internet review site. One has to have pretty tough skin to deal with that and the ribbing they take from their peers.

Why work when there are so many ways to live off the dole? More than once this has been the case, People have quite their job with us because the high earnings jeopardize their hand-outs'

College kids do have to go back to school but they also want to get a vacation so they often quite a week or two early.

I believe that the tide will turn soon because the robotic age is about to displace many workers. They won't find jobs building robots because robots build robots. People will be turning to the restaurant business in droves because the money can be very good when done well.

I opened during the great recession and could not keep up with the number of applicants, up until a few years ago. I have had standing "help wanted" ads out all season and am lucky to get an inquirer per week. Then for every ten interviews scheduled I'm lucky to have one show up. Then of every ten I hire, I'm lucky to get one to show for work. Then for every ten to come to work I'm lucky to get one who does work. Consequently I've had to hire some who I likely would have passed on, only to find myself being held hostage to their disrespect at times.

Each year I hire one or two young foreign workers. I wish I could keep them because they have the work ethics and respect for their job reminiscent of the 1970s.

You nailed it Baygo! Amen!

Busy on the weekends, but...
 

Yes, they are busy on the weekends, but unlike years gone by, they do not have the staff to be open 7 days per week during their prime seasonal season. What you do not see now is the "townies" who worked the last 2 years of HS and 2-4 yrs of college. This was in the restaurants, motel housekeeping, etc..

Many restaurants are closed on Mon, Tue, Wed, or a combination of these days. One restaurant in Alton is closed on Sunday, and not for religious reasons. It is all about staffing. We tend to go out to eat for lunch, late lunch or an early dinner on the weekends.

JMHO, yours may vary.

Dave

Very well said, Baygo
 

I grew up in the construction business in the Lakes Region. My brothers have taken over my father's contracting business. They relate the same issues. Many people don't work because it's easier not to. Those who do work are hit or miss, largely miss. No one wants to work overtime, even in the busy summer season where they could work 12 hour days if they wanted to. How do you get ahead in life - hard work, whether school or business.

Thankfully, in my business, we see young people with great work ethics. However, we hire the cream of the crop. Occasionally, we hire someone who feels entitled, but that has always been the case. Perhaps the issue is the lack of entry-level employees, with quality individuals pursuing more high paying jobs. It seems like kids don't want to have summer jobs, so that may contribute to the problem. My kids are grown, but had summer jobs starting when they were 15. Of my peers and their children, my kids were an anomaly.

Anyway, the issue needs to be fixed. Several local employers have petitioned for increased work visas, so hopefully that solves the problem.

Closing on historical slow weekdays, reducing menu items, limiting the number of tables a server is serving to maintain a high quality of service each one of us excepts is a change to one business model. The whole housing cost is a different issue. The costs of housing in Laconia is the same if not lower then surrounding towns. It’s the city taxes that get us all. At the Cape and islands and lower Maine business owners have housing for their seasonal employees. Here, how many can say that.


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Il Faro in the Weirs is closed Mondays and Tuesdays

It's the same issue all over New England. It's even worse in the construction business. American kids don't want to get their hands dirty today.
My son inlaw is a fireman and most fireman have side jobs. He just put a big addition on his house and he used many of his co workers but he told me that the foreigners that he used showed up on time did a better job than any of his fireman co workers. He said his friends did shoddy work, never showed up when they were suppose to and were lazy.

This all sounds like Rome before the fall! Sometimes affluence can lead to complacency. Or perhaps the social safety net strips away the need to toil at the lower pay scales.


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Increase Tips to 25%...?
 

Yes, the state should raise The Meals and Rooms Tax to pay for summer help.
:rolleye1:

.

How does raising tax...
 

Pay for employees salary?

You must be a democrat...Pass money through the Govt., who then distributes it to restaurants to pay for their employees? Jeeeez…

How about the restaurant raise the cost of their product to pay for their help? Isn't this how every other business does business?

Open tables
 

I understand the problems, but one thing that really burns my toast is to be asked to wait in the lobby and wait for a table, when I see empty tables available just because they are short handed. I would rather sit at a table and wait for service than stand at the door. JMHO.

How about if the State had an office to help employers find help and help potential employees with the state department paperwork needed to work here? And I would expect that would include coordinating housing. I commend Giuseppe’s for what they do as they found an excellent server and help with housing. I suspect the work visa is contingent on already having a job and housing. Maybe other employers are already doing that but I think it might help to have a central coordinator.

And there may not need to be a tax increase if restaurants can now stay open on Monday’s and Tuesday’s and collect more revenue.

The problem is once people sit, maybe not yourself though, they expect service to begin immediately or grow more impatient because they are sitting and see others served.


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:I was just typing the same thought. Maybe really comfy couches to wait on:):)

At 9% it's already one of the highest in the country

I agree with you on this. I would be much happier to be seated at the table and wait a bit for my meal than wait in the lobby. But when I asked about this, I was told, as joey said, that people don't want to wait and the cook only wants to be seated only those that he can cook for. I do think it is not a popular decision though for most of us. I have heard lots of people complain.

Though some times we fail, I find it hard to believe that anyone in the restaurant business has any intentions other than to please a guests. I earned my first dollar in the business 51 years ago. I've had the fortunate experience to enjoy the tutelage of some very successful restaurateurs along the way. Seating a guest before being ready to serve the guest is universally understood to be a practice that is more likely to lead to disappointment for the guest as well as disappointments for other guest as well as additional stress on staff who hate to see a guest neglected which can lead to other mistakes that consume more time.


Once a guest is seated the clock ticks in double time. The guest who has to wait for the table is left with one complaint whereas the seated guest will now exaggerate the time it took for the server to come by, then the time it took to order drinks, then the time to get the drinks. ect..

My restaurant has a system that I can refer to, to find the actual time every step is taken. I have yet to encounter a guest who stated the time they thought to pass that has actually been reasonably close to actual time.

Yes, there are always exceptions to a rule however when attempting to please the masses it is better to play the odds. We only want you to be happy.

The problem of finding workers is not a nationwide one; out here on the Left Coast there is no staffing shortage that I can see.

Portland has a vibrant restaurant scene with no lack of folks wanting and willing to work there.

I suspect that is due in part to the fact that a lot of younger folks have moved here because it's a "hip" place to live, a reputation fueled in part by the TV show "Portlandia."

Many arrive here looking for and taking whatever job they can find.

I understand the dynamic is completely different in the lakes region, a quasi-rural area.

One question as to the imported workers: where do they live while working in NH for the season?

I assume that the employer provides /pays for their housing?

If so, wouldn't this negatively affect the employer's overall bottom line profitability profitability?

At 9% it’s higher the any county in NYS which includes NYC. Raising the rate will absolutely hurt business.


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The problem is, it's not only YOU that has to wait for service. As people pile up, EVERYONE in the restaurant now would suffer slow service. Frankly, once I have gotten there early enough to be seated, I expect reasonable service at that point. Are you saying once you are seated you are willing to be totally ignored until previous diners are done? If not, than any service given to you cuts out of MY time and all others as well. Now a server has to deal with ALL of his customers being unhappy.

If you really mean that you expect NO service for up to an hour, I think that is magical thinking. Can you image 20 tables of people getting NO service for an hour while I and others finished our meals. I think it would get VERY ugly.

When I go into a busy, popular restaurant and they tell me the wait is an hour, I have the choice of stepping into the lounge, if available, and nursing a drink or two, waiting patiently, or going elsewhere. I know what to expect and no one else is inconvenienced because of my demand for service.

If your car dies, do you expect the dealership to fix yours ahead of everyone else waiting for the limited number of mechanics available? They might have 8 work bays but only 4 mechanics. Sometimes it can take a couple days to get the car looked at and parts received.

I agree it's disappointing not to be able to get service. I have seen many signs lately to hire cooks. I am sure the restaurants would LOVE to be able to accommodate more people and make more money. It's a hard problem to solve and the current way of dealing with it may not be perfect but I don't think this type of suggestion would work well.

I appreciate your reply. Not being in the restaurant business, I didn't realize that "seating a guest before being ready to serve the guest is universally understood to be a practice that is more likely to lead to disappointment". Until this summer I have never seen half the tables empty at a restaurant and yet there was an hour wait. I, personally, would be very happy to sit and visit with a couple of drinks alcoholic or not, if the server told us we would have to wait a while, rather than wait on a bench. But apparently I am not in the majority. I have heard the chatter and seen a lot of people leave when they see the empty tables and are told they have to wait so it makes me wonder. Probably this is more evident this year because of the shortage of help. I have never seen it like this before, ever.

Next Time...
 

...I may need to use more "eye-rolls"...

:rolleye1: :rolleye1: :rolleye1: :rolleye1: :rolleye1: :rolleye1: :rolleye1:

What is keeping summer help away? Is it the dependence on tips to arm any money combined with the fact that people (in general) who go out to eat up here are poor tippers? 45 yrs ago my wife worked as a waitress at a restaurant on Cape Cod & I worked in a factory. She made 2 times what I did over the summer and 90% of her $ came from tips.


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Actually, things have gone it the opposite direction. 45 years ago the customary tip was 15%, then 25 years ago or so it moved towards 18%, today its 20% and even higher in a restaurant where the staff is more knowledge for food allergies and sophisticated wines lists.

Today we even see people tipping for counter/take-out service.

Limited availability of low cost housing is a major factor into why summer help and blue collar workers are in short supply this season. But, not for the reason most believe. Laconia is the section 8 housing capital of the Lakes Region. Owners of multi unit housing in the region prefer a check from the government rather then chasing down renters. City leaders over the past 20 years have also been seeking government dollars by moving public housing to section 8. Those qualified for section 8 housing rarely join the work force. This trend needs to be stopped for the region to grow. I ask you to think before you add to the “tip jar” that has been floating around the local businesses this summer


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I recall a friend on Cape Cod saying that $100 in tips was a poor night. Actually I don't know how many tables she served. That was in the 80's. She also worked full time. Wonder what she would make today if still working.

-----------------------------------------------

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

I read this before my morning coffee and then again after to see if I could make better sense of it. I read a similar letter to the editor of the LDS a month or two back. I assume you were the author.
I'm struggling with; how does "not tipping" the person who gets up and goes to work (maybe to evolve out of section 8) help the problem? Why are you taking your anger against a politician, out against the "blue collar" who are working?

Summer Help
 

Please let me clarify so you can enjoy your next cup of coffee. The tip jar I was referring to is actually called a Dip Jar from the “no profit” LRCD group. Their charter is to create low cost clean housing for healthy living, however, it is often used as section 8 housing. This organization has made quite a few locals very rich under the heading low cost housing for all. FYI I am a excellent tipper and not the author you read


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Thank you for clarifying. I was not familiar with the Dip Jar.

It is not just part time workers though. Help is very hard to find for everybody. It seems most people who want a job have one.

People that are here are not all bad tippers. Generalizing can get you in trouble. I have been here my entire life and I have always been a good tipper. When I was young I was a server. The tips were always good in the Lakes Region. How do you know that tips are bad? Do you own a food establishment or have you been a server in the area?

Did I say the tips were bad? I asked a question.


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Please list all of the ways school kids can get on the "dole".

Please be specific.

1. Living with parents who have no expectation for their children to work. As mentioned above, my children (26 and 22) were anomalies with respect to their friends, many of whom never worked until after their first year of college, if at all.

Well, suffering from sciatica, I NEED to sit my butt down on some days.

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My dad had a different philosophy. he grew up in Brooklyn, NY IN THE 20’s & 30’s and worked (including the Army during WW2 & putting himself thru college) every day until he passed away. I wanted to get a job burning high school and he didn’t want me to. He told me, “You are going to be working the rest of your life. I want you to enjoy being young.”


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Baygo has added some good perspective to this thread. Thank you.
Some thoughts that might help, but are not universally applicable.
In my day at summer jobs, 2-4 kids would rent a cottage for the summer and share. Sometimes this was at a campground. Some resorts had and still have,. accommodations for staff.
I'd recommend a bonus at the end of the season for staff who stay through an agreed upon date.
The McDonald's example above for tuition assistance is great, but harder for independent restaurants. They could offer signing bonuses to get good workers to come back next year.
For diners: Going to a restaurant cold and expecting a table immediately is probably a thing of the past. Learn to make reservations. If the establishment doesn't offer that service, go someplace that does, or be satisfied waiting in line.
More restaurants should be taking reservations online. Even my barber shop does this. It's a great convenience as well as a good tracking tool for management.
Learn to serve earlier. Learn to eat earlier. You don't have to be over 70 to seat for the early bird special. Same applies for those who might be able to eat at 9:00. Give them a special too.
The Common Man, and others, puts out cheese and crackers for customers to serve themselves as they are seated. Takes a little timing pressure off clients and servers. Remember when salad bars were popular? Same purpose. Why did those go away?
Don't forget that it is not only the servers who are limiting the number of tables that are open. Kitchen staff only has so many burners and ovens on the stove, and food won't cook any faster because the dining room has a waiting line.
Maybe this happens and I don't see it: Schools that offer hospitality industry curricula could be more formal in giving credit for seasonal related jobs that would allow work in May and September. There re schools that offer the month of January for independent study. Could the ski industry benefit.

I repeat my favorite: ONLINE RESERVATIONS benefit client and management.

I'm not going to criticize the approach. Every case is different. You were obviously mature enough to handle it and to appreciate the gift your dad gave you. However, I will mention that there is a certain amount of dignity in work. Also, the pride of doing a job well can give a young person self confidence.

We had a 19 year old work for us for three days and average $250 per day. His parents told him to quit because they would lose section 8 housing because of the increase to household income.

I agree with you. Developing that self confidence transfers to everything you do thru your life. There are a lot of kids that never earn it and, unfortunately it effects their lives negatively. I was lucky that I had other avenues to go down to build it when I was in my formative years.


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Great lesson in life from the parents...….better to be on the dole than work hard and have pride.

Really? They would count the 19-yr-old's income as "household income"? Interesting. Well, I guess if he's living there...

Did the 19 yr old end up quiting or did he stay and maybe get some advice about how to help his parents and still work for you. He must have been a good waiter to make that much in tips.

As a high school teacher, I often see students working too often, especially for what they are using much of the money for--cellphone bills, clothing, etc.--and what they're missing--full involvement in sports, activities, social and family life, etc.

Jobs can provide good learning experiences, but too many hours can be detrimental.

Edit: remembered this was a summer job posting. I'd like ALL my students to work during summer, but then cut back a bit during school.

Peace!

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They don’t count income from family members 18 and UNDER . But do count the income on members 19. Before you are so self righteous about being on the dole keep in mind that they may be on assistance because of disabilities. The loss of assistance could include other family members health insurance and the property could be section 8 only and they could be required to move. The temporary summer income could cause a family with genuine issues to be on the street.

Not everyone on assistance is trying to steal your tax money. You lack all the facts to make comments

True, not all people on public assistance are out to milk the system but there is a portion of the population that do just that and it costs those of us that have worked well in excess of 40 hours a week for years and have made many sacrifices such as missed school concerts, working on a holiday if needed, weekends as needed and generally whatever it takes to get ahead, a lot of $$$. I can’t blame any successful hard working individual for being suspicious when it comes to individuals requesting public assistance. Public assistance is something that defines us as a civilized nation but we need to guard against the abuses of the system so that it retains it’s integrity and original intention, a short term safety net, not a permanent lifestyle.


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Sports, social and family life are all important for sure but how about teaching kids a good work ethic? There is great satisfaction to earning your own money, to be appreciated on the job and the comradery that comes from working with others.
Most small business' rely on summer sales to get through the year and we rely heavily on seasonal staff.
I've noticed over the years that schools give little thought to the needs of local business, often scheduling activities on weekends and busy holidays.
We all happily support the schools when they seek donations for sports activities, after prom parties, school trips and many other requests.....wish they would work a little closer with the business community.

Unfortunately there are individuals from all walks of life, economic and social strata that scam the system. From politicians to public safety to teachers to landscapers. Whether it be skimming tax dollars, cheating on overtime, or not reporting cash income, it is all the same. I guess we really need to guard against scamming in all “systems” and not just focus on what we may feel are just give sways.


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Don't forget corporations and corporate welfare, too!Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

In my school's town, there is a strong connection between businesses and student workers. The issue is that there is just so much time students have and, for most of them, the financial reward for sports, activities, and academic scholarships is greater than the money they can make in part-time jobs. Add to that the increased chances of getting into their chosen college(s) via the diversity offered by those activities, and it becomes a hard sell for students to work a lot.

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The government thinks of us senior citizens as being on the dole also. Even though the working class has paid into it for their whole life we have to fight to keep SS alive. Unlike the people that haven't worked and get everything for free anyway.

In the spirit of inclusiveness, don't forget about civic welfare with all the do nothing government jobs.

I'd like my more educated brethren explain to me how corporate welfare works. Corporations obtain tax breaks and incentives to keep more of their own money. It's their money, not ours or the government's. A small price to pay in consideration that corporations provide jobs and feed our economy. What's the payback for social welfare, except more of it.

I think the label "corporate welfare" emerge about a decade ago when the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money was used to prop up the financial system. What many people are not aware of or refuse to bring into the conversation is that TARP was distributed as a loan and the US government made out quite well when it was repaid with interest from those who took advantage of it.

The world has change drastically in the passed two decades. Interest in sports is declining and in many cases a college degree is not worth the e-mail it was delivered by. Our youth are coming out of school with graduate degrees but unable to find employment to pay down their significant dept. If they don't enter the workforce and instead return to add to their degree they don't have to make payments.

I ask you as the educator to please just take one student and promote a solid entrepreneurial work ethic. I believe that student will build for four years and then be in position to provide jobs to those who choose to spend four years in accumulating dept in college.

Educators play lesser of a role in molding success today. The answer to every question is in the palm of our hands. We need coaches/counselors that motivate our youth to understand and take initiative.

If you want to study the entrepreneur, study the juvenile delinquent... the delinquent is saying with his actions "this sucks. I'm going to do my own things" Yvon Chouinard

TARP created the label BAILOUT, "corpotate welfare" has been aroound for many many decades.

To your first point, the majority of our students (scheduling sometimes prevents all) take both business and financing classes. We have a strong DECA program, and what is missed in specific classes is often made up across other disciplines. For example, math classes often use finances, taxes, etc. as material to teach concepts.

To your second point, that's absolutely false. Given the reduction of religion in today's youth, along with the increased need for many (most?) parents to work more/longer hours, students have increasingly turned to teachers, coaches, and other sources of mentorship than ever before. In fact, I'm confident one of the major reasons (some of) America's schools struggle is the reduction of positive influence outside of school. I'm a damn good teacher, but even at my best it's difficult to overcome a home-life marked by parental absence, substance abuse, mental illness, financial stress, domestic abuse, etc.

In the end, however, we agree that's there's real value in learning to have a strong work ethic and financial literacy/entrepreneurship.

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Enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts on the youth of today and welfare fraud, however, the tread was about lack of help for local businesses. The Laconia population is made up of retirees, those needing city assistance and adults with young families. The college age students seem to move away quickly and don’t return. What can we do as a city, business and parents to improve the situation for next season


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The Laconia City Council has already made this decision -- invest in Section 8 housing. Go downtown during the day and you'll see our future. Unfortunately, it's not very bright.

At election time we need to change the council


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For instance...
 

...the adoption of Medicare reduced the % of seniors living in poverty from around 35% down to around 12%.

Who pays for Medicare? Taxpayers and employers (FICA-HI)

I look at it differently. We're creating another safety net, and not empowering individuals to take ownership of their own retirement. I'd rather have the money that I've contributed to Medicare for the past 30+ years, invest it, and manage on my own. I would even be willing to pay a percentage (25%) and opt out to manage my own funds. SSN for that matter too.

That's fine for you but if you left retirement up to most individuals there would be a severe senior citizen poverty population. One worse than what already exists.
Life happens and many people dip into their IRA's and 401K's when set backs in their life and work history arises. Not everyone is always financially stable throughout their life time.
If we didn't have SS we would have a lot more senior citizens on welfare which would be far worse.

Guaranteed...to a point.
 

What many miss about Medicare & Social Security when they claim "I paid for it" is that most will receive greater benefits than their contributions & interest would cover. AND its a lifetime guarantee. Much more like a combination of annuity & insurance.
Like any annuity & insurance policy the 'guaranty' is only as good as the guarantor which in this case is the US govt. The risk that these programs will 'run out of money' due to deficit spending, most recently accelerated greatly due to recent tax cuts, are balanced by the taxation power of a nation. I can't even hallucinate a scenario where US politicians would vote in a majority to reduce seniors benefits ... so the taxes will go up & benefits will be paid.

I can and it's not even a hallucination. Consider several European countries that are now on the brink of bankruptcy because leaders over promised benefits to people. Governments have limits on the amount of money they can pretend to have. They go into debt. Someone needs to pick up that debt. If the debt is excessive, creditors will not buy in because they know the government can go into default and they would lose their investment. Think Greece. They have had to be bailed out repeatedly in recent times.

Besides that, there are sneaky government ways to reduce benefits that never require a vote. They reduce the amount they will pay for the benefit. Less providers can afford to do it for that price. Now there is a waiting list that stretches into years. People suffer because they cannot get timely care. They can also deny benefits for various reasons. After you cut through the baloney, the reason they tightened the rules is to cut costs. It's happening NOW under Medicare.

BTW, how did this thread get hijacked from summer help to government benefits?:eek::eek::eek:

Easy, many summer jobs in the Lakes Region are fairly low paying and require fairly low skill levels but are physically taxing. Part of the population that is suited for those jobs finds it easier to rely on a government help rather than filling those positions.


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I started this thread to relate a positive experience about a visiting server and it has been completely derailed to the point of venting about Medicare and Social Security. Nice job.

Surely you are not thinking medicare is free to everyone. If you have little income, it is, but our premiums are higher than we ever imagined, and drug costs are enormous. Many things are not covered. Not seeing a guarantee so far, but one can always hope.

mac

And medicare beneficiaries. A LOT. Why do you think it's a giveaway? If I were working, I'd be furious at that. We pay a high premium and an extra amount on top of that to support freeloaders and others who haven't bothered to save and are now wards of the state. It's not just working people who pay.

I had over 20K of unreimbursed medical expenses last year. I hardly see it as a windfall and I wish younger people understood it better.

You for got the employee who all have Medicare taxes taken out of their checks. Look at your FICA tax


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Bad example. If you look at Greece, and many of the other countries in that predicament, the issue is really their poor record of collecting taxes to pay for their benefits plus to low employment levels.


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I am always amused by the $15 min. wage proposal...
 

Why not go 10X better and make it $150?

Better yet, give everyone $1,000,000 at birth. Everyone is now rich. No one has to work. Everyone can afford a house of their own and a really nice car.

Good news? You're a millionaire!

Bad news? So is everyone else.

Economics works best in a free market. Attempts at Govt. control creates unsustainable results without ongoing support.

Sorry for the caffeine rant...It is that time of the day. Check The Laconia Daily Sun and then go on The Winni Forum to vent...

Whew! Time for a nap!

But we need the money for "space Force".:D

Laconia envisoned as regional hub for drug treatment and recovery
 

Great, now Laconia is going to invest in drug rehab facilities. That should really brighten things up in Laconia.

At least this approach solves the original problem posed by the OP. Summer help most certainly will be found in the Section 8 inhabitants and the drug rehab success stories. I can't wait to go out to eat!

Seriously, I regret building our dream home in Laconia. I wish I had an idea that the City so desperate for money would be pursuing Federal subsidies with wreckless abandon. On the bright side, the Section 8 people and the drug rehab folks will have the Colonial Theater and the WOW trail.

Um, never said it was free. Dont know where you got that.
What do you imagine your premiums would be if Medicare didnt exist? Medical costs are lower in Medicare, at the same age for same coverage, than outside of Medicare. Thats why the program exists. The average Medicare recipient will recieve reduced costs exceeding the amount of money they paid in, plus interest.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.for...r-seniors/amp/

“The Section 8 people”? Give me a break. There but for the grace of God go I.


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You are equating SS and Medicare, which makes no sense. An old person who lives awhile will certainly earn more in SS benefits than he ever paid in, but Medicare isn't an entitlement in the sense that the checks are set and then keep rolling in because one "paid for it." Medicare has premiums, subsidized by many people, now seniors, who paid medicare taxes when working and also by current workers. It's not a matter of "I paid, now I'm entitled," which one hears from some SS recipients.

It's really expensive if you have any income, but many people who are working think it's another giveaway to old people and resent it.

Not sure what the lifetime guarantee is about. If you don't apply within a certain window, you will be subjected to underwriting, which will inflate your premium beyond belief, forever. You are guaranteed to the extent you come on board right away and don't require anything beyond the norm. Other than that, it's out of pocket all the way, especially for drugs.

So tell me...why do you continue with Medicare if you think it has no benefit to you?

I didn't say it has no benefit; I said it isn't some giveaway one earns by being old and having paid into, like SS. It can be quite expensive and many older people join the workers in paying for those who get it for free.

Done being baited here. Find someone else.

Have you ever seen Section 8 apartments? A close relative owned 6 units in Laconia for over 30 years. (He took Federal money to rehab the buildings so he was obligated to rent to Section 8.) Four out of five tenants left the place uninhabitable. They lived like animals. Everything had to be replaced, flooring, countertops, appliances, etc. I had the privilege of cleaning them out.

Of course not all are bad. My grandparents were poor, but they had jobs, worked hard, and lived in a clean place. Unfortunately this is not the case with the people Laconia is attracting to live in these apartments. I agree with your statement, but that doesn’t solve the problem. Instead of feeling sorry for them, we shouldn’t tolerate the behavior.


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That doesn't surprise me. What a shame some people just don't know how to live any differently. You often hear about the slum landlords and I always think, who ruins the places. But the landlords get blamed.

Exactly! My relative sold the places in 2010 because someone called him a slumlord. He was incensed, because he knew first hand what he put up with. It wasn't worth the effort so he sold the on the cheap. Landlords get a bad rap.

That’s what I meant when I said “taxpayers”
Employees=taxpayers, no?

Lol...you reminded me of my cousin, many years ago, who worked for a construction company that had a contract with rehabbing the “projects” apartments in Lawrence, MA
You wouldn’t believe what the “tenants” of these apartments did to them while living there. One that comes to mind is removing kitchen cabinet doors and installing chicken wire over them for your own in-house chicken coop...you can only imagine what else they did...

I remember years ago seeing the deserted public housing in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They had stripped the buildings of everything and I mean everything to sell. All that was left was the brick. I was young and couldn't believe it. Now i can.

Sorry to hear you built in Laconia. It used to be a working-class town....these days not so much:(

Over the last several years I've slowly sold off all my rental units & recently the condo I've lived in as my main residence was sold. I'm out.

Fortunately, I broke even on the properties, but I have a very dim view of the future of Laconia.