Unemployment

[shootcam]

I feel like I've been stabbed with a sword dipped in FEAR! What could be worse? I'm not even dead. They have given me a number and taken away my NAME! Chief Photographer..The look of astonishment is still molded on my unbelieving face. I was given 30 days notice as was the whole newsroom. Management was closing us down. Fair amount of warning everyone may think. Hello, they could of just shot everyone where they stood and WHAMMO-GONE-GOOD BYE- HASTA LA VISTA-SIANARA-SEE YA SUCKER! That's it. IT is O-V-E-R..Done. All is fair in love war and TV news. All at will employees please take one step closer to your financial security blanket and watch it BURN! Toast! The maddness, the HORROR of forced UNEMPLOYMENT! Learnin the government handout,shuffle dance, in 4-4 time. "Next please," the raspy, invisible voice, of a crow caws. My mind is as numb as a bottle of tranquilizers. I am having an out of body experience, standin in this line. No, my "CAMERA BRAIN" is racing around the UNEMPLOYMENT office, shooting ANGLES, CLOSEUPS of people, of ME! My CAMERA has been taken away! Now I stand alone to face the day... No black and white viewfinder image to check my ZBARS on, No house fires or hurricanes cold and hot, No feeding DEADLINE video from a parking lot, The clock is ticking till I get home, the sounds of silence creep into my cellphone, no deadlines left to meet or awake me from my dreams, I know not if it"s dark outside or light....FINI

 

[Nooze Hound]

Ouch man, That really does suck!!

At least you got 30 days notice. I was called in to my ND's office and told that it was going to be my last day. Then she asked for my key. I said, i'll still need it if it's my last day.

She apparently meant it was my last "morning." there.



Small consolation, she was "let go" a couple months ago. You couldn't imagine the size of my grin when i heard the news.

 

[Dink]

Learnin the government handout,shuffle dance, in 4-4 time.

WRONG!

Unemployment is not a government handout. It is an insurance program funded by your employer. Part of the compensation package you get from your employer is payment into this insurance program. The insurance is there for you because you own it. You earned it as compensation for your work.

Your employer probably also provides you with a free $50,000 death and dismemberment policy. Most companies of any size do, because they get a tax benefit for doing so. If you die, would you consider the payout to your family to be a "handout"? No, you wouldn't. But you didn't pay for it, right?

It is true that unemployment insurance is mandated by the Federal government. But it does NOT come from tax dollars. It is an asset that you own, because it has already been paid for, in your name, by your employer on your behalf.

Companies want to perpetuate this myth that unemployment insurance is a welfare program. That's horsesh*t. If you need it, USE IT, and don't feel guilty about it in the least. And don't EVER call it a handout, because doing so is a slap in the face to every American who ever lost his job through no fault of his own.

 

[skeyworth]

Chance,

Which station is shuttering the news dept?

 

[backfocus5]

Is it Sinclair?

 

[Grangeway]

WRONG!

Unemployment is not a government handout. It is an insurance program funded by your employer. Part of the compensation package you get from your employer is payment into this insurance program. The insurance is there for you because you own it. You earned it as compensation for your work.

Your employer probably also provides you with a free $50,000 death and dismemberment policy. Most companies of any size do, because they get a tax benefit for doing so. If you die, would you consider the payout to your family to be a "handout"? No, you wouldn't. But you didn't pay for it, right?

It is true that unemployment insurance is mandated by the Federal government. But it does NOT come from tax dollars. It is an asset that you own, because it has already been paid for, in your name, by your employer on your behalf.

Companies want to perpetuate this myth that unemployment insurance is a welfare program. That's horsesh*t. If you need it, USE IT, and don't feel guilty about it in the least. And don't EVER call it a handout, because doing so is a slap in the face to every American who ever lost his job through no fault of his own.

Don't forget that unemployment insurance is taxable income. I'm not a CPA nor tax attorney but I believe it's considered Form 1099 Miscellaneous Income so plan on holding back about 20 to 30 percent in a savings account to cover your tax bite next April 15th.
Talk to your Human Resources rep to get a better idea of all the tax issues you face when you get riffed.

 

[shootcam]

I will call unemployment whatever I feel it is. The operative word here is FEEL. feelings are not facts. And you sir have plagerized some facts and are trying to sell them off as your own. Shame on you. I do not need an education on Unemployment Compensation from you or any body else. I speak for myself as an artist." Were a rose called by another name, "would still smell just as sweet." William Shakespeare..No go back to your government cubicle and take a breather...DINK

 

[Dink]

I will call unemployment whatever I feel it is. The operative word here is FEEL. feelings are not facts.

So if I feel that you were fired for molesting a child, I can say you're an unemployed child molester without being corrected?

You called the collection of unemployment a "government handout," which it clearly is not. It is a FACT that it is not a government handout, regardless of what you feel.

And you sir have plagerized some facts and are trying to sell them off as your own. Shame on you. I do not need an education on Unemployment Compensation from you or any body else.

What the hell are you talking about? I didn't plagiarize anything. If you think I did, feel free to cite the source I copied. I don't believe you actually know what that word means.

And obviously you DO need an education on your unemployment benefit, because you have demonstrated by your own words that you don't know what it is.

I speak for myself as an artist.

That's supposed to be art? I thought you were just drunk.

 

[shootcam]

unemployment

I guess you really told me. Now I guess I won't feel so bad about taking my government handout.

 

[Dink]

I guess you really told me. Now I guess I won't feel so bad about taking my government handout.

Oh, I guess I misunderstood, and you mean that you're on food stamps. If that's the case, then it's probably good you got fired, because you weren't making what you should anyway.

By the way, do you consider Social Security payments to be a government handout?

 

[photo776]

unemp

Sorry to hear that. That is awful.

What station is shutting its news op?

 

[Dedline]

who cares if he's drunk. don't need to kick the guy when he's down. make your point, move on. But shootcam plz answer the 64,000 question.... which station? don't make me look at tvspy... ewwww

 

[JOBLESS]

Why does most everyone here think that they are artists?
this is a job just like diging a ditch it has to be done.
We had a photog like you here a while ago and while breaking news was going on he was editing a feature piece that would air at a future date, well he came out the edit booth screeming that he was an artist and this was his canvas and that he could not be bothered at this time.
by the way it was friday at about 4:30pm
this is crap!!
creative yes, but painting a F#@king picture give me a break.
get over yourself.
maybe now you can go paint a real picture.
"WAhhhhhhhhhh"

 

[leftcoastphotog]

Shootcam,
Maybe it's just me. But i really didn't feel like dink was slamming you, He was just being realistic and pragmatic.
Good luck finding a new job i am sure you will. but i do have to agree about using all available resources until you get the steady paycheck. i doubt either your landlord or mortgage company care where you got the money as long as you pay them. I have yet to ever claim unemployment but believe me if i ever had to i would.
i have been paying into the system for over 20 years and have no problems getting a "hand-up" i dont consider it a "hand-out"
again good luck,
lcp

 

[Brock Samson]

Hey, even DaVinci had to paint some portraits for his clients to get by... but he was still an artist.