anyone else not notice or care about the recession?

Sea Filly

Kaner2004 wrote: »

Anyone tells me they knew it was coming the first thing i say is "Did you buy a house and invest in the markets before the boom you saw coming and then sell before the bust you saw coming? If they say no, then they did not KNOW anything

Or.... they weren't in the position to invest in a house or the markets?

tallus

Bought my house in 1996 when I was living within my means.

I'm a printer by trade, which paid quite well at the time, but alas it started goind downhill in the late 90's. I took voluntary redundancy in 2005 and got a job working for a relative that didn't really work out, so I ended up living off my redundancy money. A stupid move I know, but the printing trade was gone to pot and it was very hard to get a job there. It was the only thing I knew at the time.

Eventually the money started to run out and I had to sign on the dole (something I had never had to do in 30 years of employment). The social welfare folks put me on to FAS, and I ended up working on a Community Employment Scheme for close to two years, with an average weekly pay of around 220E.
I did several courses while on the Community Employment and learned some new skills which eventually led to my current job. (Managing a database for a marketing company in Naas. It's a bloody hard job with very low pay and I'm just about existing financially at the moment. I haven't had a rise since starting here due to the recession, quite the opposite, as I was on the back to work scheme which pays on top of your wages, 75% of your dole for the first year of employment, 50% for the second and 25% for the third year, and none for the final year. So my income has slowly declined over the last four years, which has not been helped with rising prices everywhere etc.
I can't afford to go out to the pub, as it's too expensive, but I do get a few cans or bottles on weekends and visit relatives for a social drink or two.

I can barely afford to pay all of my bills at the moment, and I'm a little bit behind on my mortgage but it's nothing too serious.
So to answer the OP, I don't think I'll be getting over it for a while to come, and I think you would probably have a different attitude if you were in a similar position financially. (not taking a dig at you by the way, but just expressing an opinion.)

Dangerous Man

onlyrocknroll wrote: »

Reminds me of cancer.

I don't suffer from it personally, so I wish that those people boring people who do would just get over it.

Are you mentally retarded? WTF is wrong with you?

xflyer

This thread proves what I've been telling everyone around me for some time now. Not enough people in this country have yet been hit hard enough by this recession. That's why we haven't had riots and real mass protests as seen in other countries.

Judging by the smug comments here some of you are very shortly going to get the shock of your lives. Each budget in the next few years will have to raise billions. The government so far has hit all the easy targets. The 'low lying fruit' to use their own words has been harvested. Don't worry OP your time will come. You can be sure you will be paying a lot more tax in future years.

Plus once the government starts to hit the public service hard. The real fun and games will start.

Even if they recession ends elsewhere we will still owe all that money. Your taxes will be used to to prop up the banks and pay back the EU and IMF.

For those who say 'What recession'. Well you need to get out from your Ivory palaces. It's all around you. Have a chat with Vincent De Paul or visit the local dole office and abuse the lazy unemployed. A trip to airport might be in order too. You can enjoy watching tearful families seeing off their children to all points overseas.

Gits!

Kaner2004

xflyer wrote: »

This thread proves what I've been telling everyone around me for some time now. Not enough people in this country have yet been hit hard enough by this recession. That's why we haven't had riots and real mass protests as seen in other countries.

Judging by the smug comments here some of you are very shortly going to get the shock of your lives. Each budget in the next few years will have to raise billions. The government so far has hit all the easy targets. The 'low lying fruit' to use their own words has been harvested. Don't worry OP your time will come. You can be sure you will be paying a lot more tax in future years.

Plus once the government starts to hit the public service hard. The real fun and games will start.

Even if they recession ends elsewhere we will still owe all that money. Your taxes will be used to to prop up the banks and pay back the EU and IMF.

For those who say 'What recession'. Well you need to get out from your Ivory palaces. It's all around you. Have a chat with Vincent De Paul or visit the local dole office and abuse the lazy unemployed. A trip to airport might be in order too. You can enjoy watching tearful families seeing off their children to all points overseas.

Gits!

The people who the recession hasnt hit are the ones best equiped to just up sticks and leave the country. Who will pay for the country if they are "persuaded" to leave when taxes hit the tipping point.

PrincessLola

anhedonia wrote: »

rollcall, anyone else not buy a ridiculously priced house in the boom years, and still have a job?

the IT sector hasnt been hit, so there must quite a few techies here on boards?

the recession is mentioned in nearly every thread I read, yawn, and Im thinking jesus get over it!

Anyone? Beuller?

This whole recession business is really getting old.

That's mature. Something doesn't directly affect you so you tell people to "get over it".

The recession has not directly affected me either.

But I still care about it a lot, because I have empathy for other peoples problems, because I'm not a sociopath.

Pottler

Dubit10 wrote: »

Yeap big time. Wages have been cut by 40% and have had to cut back on everything after wife lost her job as a care worker. Also one of my friends took his own life after losing everything including job,home and then family.

This ^. I was stunned last week when a guy I knew well killed himself. His family say it was down to money problems. I was honestly gutted as I thought he was a great guy and we had only spoken the day before. I spoke to another friend about it and when I rang him he said he was going to a funeral himself later that day - a neighbour had hung himself. Went to do a job the next day and the other team working on the project was headed up by a guy I hadnt seen in a few years. His crew were a day behind with their work as.. they had gone to the funeral of a friend who hung himself over money problems. Whatever about recession and austerity, this seems to be the huge unspoken cost of the economic fallout, an epidemic of suicides. Totally ****e and it is taking some of the hardest working people who have simply lost hope. I find this sh1tty tbh and it really bugs me. All those men left wives and children............ anyway....yeah, what recession.......

fatfacee

What's a recession?

latenia

The only way you could not notice or care is if you have no friends...

Pottler

fatfacee wrote: »

What's a recession?

It's kinda like a tosser who won't fcuk off, eat sh1t and die.:)

Thrill

The recession hasn't affected me yet, but it's only just getting started.

xflyer

Kaner2004 wrote: »

The people who the recession hasnt hit are the ones best equiped to just up sticks and leave the country. Who will pay for the country if they are "persuaded" to leave when taxes hit the tipping point.

You mean the rich because they're the only ones in that position. If anyone seriously thinks they will be badly hit then they don't know the history of this country. In any case they're aren't enough rich people paying taxes to keep this country afloat. So whether they stay or go is neither here nor there. But you can be damm sure the Labour party will try to tax them out of existence.

No, the people who will be hit in the future are the likes of the OP and others who right now are wondering what the fuss is about. When the time comes they can't leave because frankly everyone's house is now in negative equity. They will have children in school and no desire to go anyway and won't be exactly employable in other countries.

If you haven't been hit by the recession, well thank your lucky stars and start saving hard now. You'll need it. We will all need it sooner or later.

MickySticks

xflyer wrote: »

This thread proves what I've been telling everyone around me for some time now. Not enough people in this country have yet been hit hard enough by this recession. That's why we haven't had riots and real mass protests as seen in other countries.

Judging by the smug comments here some of you are very shortly going to get the shock of your lives. Each budget in the next few years will have to raise billions. The government so far has hit all the easy targets. The 'low lying fruit' to use their own words has been harvested. Don't worry OP your time will come. You can be sure you will be paying a lot more tax in future years.

Plus once the government starts to hit the public service hard. The real fun and games will start.

Even if they recession ends elsewhere we will still owe all that money. Your taxes will be used to to prop up the banks and pay back the EU and IMF.

For those who say 'What recession'. Well you need to get out from your Ivory palaces. It's all around you. Have a chat with Vincent De Paul or visit the local dole office and abuse the lazy unemployed. A trip to airport might be in order too. You can enjoy watching tearful families seeing off their children to all points overseas.

Gits!

This!

People will look back on this thread in 10 years and wish not been able to afford to go to the pub is the only problem they have. It hasn't even begun yet folks!

billybudd

The recession is not exclusive to people who bought expensive houses or indeed lived outside of their means.

It is with devastating effect pushing alot of people over the edge in to an array of disturbing places that a decent society should be ashmed of and not boasting about , some serious dickhead posts in this thread.

Zebra3

xflyer wrote: »

In any case they're aren't enough rich people paying taxes to keep this country afloat. So whether they stay or go is neither here nor there. But you can be damm sure the Labour party will try to tax them out of existence.

Are you for f****** real? Labour tax the rich? Wtf?

Labour are led by a bunch of sell-outs who are now earning big bucks and have no intention of taxing the rich (i.e. themselves).

Anyone know how their former leader Dick Spring is doing? A good socialist like himself, what has he been doing since he left politics? :rolleyes:

melekalikimaka

Zebra3 wrote: »

Are you for f****** real? Labour tax the rich? Wtf?

Labour are led by a bunch of sell-outs who are now earning big bucks and have no intention of taxing the rich (i.e. themselves).

Anyone know how their former leader Dick Spring is doing? A good socialist like himself, what has he been doing since he left politics? :rolleyes:

with that sig, i dont think you can really talk about tax...

that is my opinion as a tax payer

okiss

Having read some of the posting here I would like to say that some of you need to grow up. Do you know how lucky you are to have jobs where you can pay your bills, rent/mortgage ect.
This recession has effected so many people and not all of them where living the high life on borrowed money during the so called boom times.
I was speaking to a guy I know in his early 30's and he told me that a lot of his friends have left Ireland or are on the dole as they can't get work. I also know of couples where both have lost there jobs so they are trying to live on the dole, bring up kids on this worrying about how long more they will keep the house they live in. Many so called secure jobs have now gone and money worries are leading to health problems ect.
I know people who are still in jobs and working hard to stay in work and they tell me I am lucky to be working when the it not the case for so many.
No one can afford to look down on any one at the moment because things may be good for you now but you don't know what will happen in the future.

patwicklow

Any fool could see it coming i always said the bubble would burst like 600-700k
for a house that is thrown up was just laughable and people queing up for them.

Thefirestarter

xflyer wrote: »

This thread proves what I've been telling everyone around me for some time now. Not enough people in this country have yet been hit hard enough by this recession. That's why we haven't had riots and real mass protests as seen in other countries.

Judging by the smug comments here some of you are very shortly going to get the shock of your lives. Each budget in the next few years will have to raise billions. The government so far has hit all the easy targets. The 'low lying fruit' to use their own words has been harvested. Don't worry OP your time will come. You can be sure you will be paying a lot more tax in future years.

Plus once the government starts to hit the public service hard. The real fun and games will start.

Even if they recession ends elsewhere we will still owe all that money. Your taxes will be used to to prop up the banks and pay back the EU and IMF.

For those who say 'What recession'. Well you need to get out from your Ivory palaces. It's all around you. Have a chat with Vincent De Paul or visit the local dole office and abuse the lazy unemployed. A trip to airport might be in order too. You can enjoy watching tearful families seeing off their children to all points overseas.

Gits!

Have you a knife I can borrow? Bloody hell.

Some positive thinking would do people good on here. I'm not sure what you advantage it would be to wish unemployment on others as you suggested, or what sort of satisfaction that would bring to yourself, just so you can "Told you so!". Now, that's not to say I don't feel the recession or acknowledge it, that a section of our society is going through some really tough times and more face that possibility.

This thread may be an oxymoron, but let's not get ourselves down with this talk.

Onwards and Upwards.

smokedeels

Nope.

That said, I think I'm one of a few people to actively get out of the IT sector in the past year.

Zebra3

melekalikimaka wrote: »

with that sig, i dont think you can really talk about tax...

that is my opinion as a tax payer

Well as a taxpayer who is totally p***ed off paying for the pensions of corrupt politicians and private gambling debts, I couldn't give a toss what you think.

If you wanna keep handing your money over like a fool, go ahead....

xflyer

Firestarter, positive thinking won't change the numbers. I don't wish this on anyone. But judging by this thread a lot of people seem to think they've escaped the worst of it. It's not just the recession here that's the problem. Even if the whole world economy picks up. We as in WE will be picking up the tab for the mess in this country for years into the future.

The government austerity programme has only started. Every year they wil have to take another few billion out of our pockets and we'll need another bail out.

I really don't think some you understand just how bad the situation is.

Even if the economy picks up and unemployment begins to drop. Taxes will stay high and get higher and there will be continuing cuts into the future.

What I'm saying is get ready for it if you are in the lucky position that you haven't yet been affected.

NiallFH

Still in uni so it wouldnt really have an impact on me, always been able to get part time work and managed to get a placement for my year out. Doing CiT so shouldn't really hit me even when I graduate, plenty of jobs in my sector.

The mother and her husband never lost their jobs, still have the house and plenty of luxaries, really cant complain.

The da on the other hand can get hardly any work so I would probably feel it more if I lived with him.

To be honest I find it hard to wrap my head around the whole thing, one minute there are plenty of jobs and money and then they all start to dissappear and everyone, countries and individuals owe tons of money, who the heck is all this money owed to? And surely if building projects and what not didnt cease people could get work and pay it back sooner.

Fecking idiots in charge -.-

smash

anhedonia wrote: »

the IT sector hasnt been hit

This is one of the biggest myths about the recession.

Statistician

NiallFH wrote: »

To be honest I find it hard to wrap my head around the whole thing, one minute there are plenty of jobs and money and then they all start to dissappear and everyone, countries and individuals owe tons of money, who the heck is all this money owed to? And surely if building projects and what not didnt cease people could get work and pay it back sooner.

Fecking idiots in charge -.-

Ireland joined the Eurozone and got access to lots of cheap money from Europe. Prior to that, only the more 'secure' countries got the cheap money (ie low interest rates) because they were less of a risk.

The Government borrowed oodles of the cheap money and used it to effectively buy power. They were able to inflate the wages and perks of the public sector and shove loads of borrowed money into the country. All this money trickled into people's pay packets. They kept voting FF. Everyone was happy.

All this extra money, and not enough houses inflated the price of property. Then people saw that the prices were going up at a crazy rate so the speculators entered the scene. They started buying 'investment' properties and a disconnect happened. The prices of property didn't accurately reflect demand and how much people could really afford. The banks then allowed people to borrow more, because they banks were also profiting from the property bubble. The regulator seemed to turn a blind eye to it all.

Then one day someone released that it was all a dream. Irish 3 bed semis weren't really 'worth' half a million. The credit crunch happened. Banks couldn't borrow any more and should have collapsed. The politicians didn't like the idea of certain people losing money so they kindly let the tax payers of Ireland have all the debts.

The aftermath is that the country is still spending too much, thanks to FF and now FG. Taking all the money back out of the country is ultimately resulting in job losses.

melekalikimaka

Zebra3 wrote: »

Well as a taxpayer who is totally p***ed off paying for the pensions of corrupt politicians and private gambling debts, I couldn't give a toss what you think.

If you wanna keep handing your money over like a fool, go ahead....

refusing to pay your taxes isn't a justified response to the issue. Not all politicians are corrupt, the 'private gambling debts' is a buzz term thrown about alot here, and has been discussed alot and no point in going into the merits of the bail out again. I am not in the slightest bit suprised you're uninterested in my opinion.

Statistician

melekalikimaka wrote: »

refusing to pay your taxes isn't a justified response to the issue. Not all politicians are corrupt, the 'private gambling debts' is a buzz term thrown about alot here, and has been discussed alot and no point in going into the merits of the bail out again. I am not in the slightest bit suprised you're uninterested in my opinion.

Refusing to pay taxes is a justified response, indeed it is our duty. I believe that our taxes are being misappropriated.
As long as people are compliant we will continue along this path to our demise. Not paying taxes and charges is may be the most effective way to change what is happening.

onlyrocknroll

Dangerous Man wrote: »

Are you mentally retarded? WTF is wrong with you?

I assume your irony detector is broken. Compare my post with the OPs and you might get it.

Cokeistan

I'm a student in the IT sector that's currently on placement. By the way things are looking, e.g. Apple announcing 500 jobs in Cork, I'm hoping I'll be OK when it comes to getting a decent well paid job after I graduate. My parents didn't seem to be affected by the recession too much, they weren't stupid enough to take out a loan they knew they wouldn't be able to pay back, unlike half the country :P

MadYaker

xflyer wrote: »

Firestarter, positive thinking won't change the numbers. I don't wish this on anyone. But judging by this thread a lot of people seem to think they've escaped the worst of it. It's not just the recession here that's the problem. Even if the whole world economy picks up. We as in WE will be picking up the tab for the mess in this country for years into the future.

The government austerity programme has only started. Every year they wil have to take another few billion out of our pockets and we'll need another bail out.

I really don't think some you understand just how bad the situation is.

Even if the economy picks up and unemployment begins to drop. Taxes will stay high and get higher and there will be continuing cuts into the future.

What I'm saying is get ready for it if you are in the lucky position that you haven't yet been affected.

You're extremely pessimistic. We are an export market, if the international economy does pickup the burden on Irish taxpayers will be reduced significantly as the government will be making money from exports and it won't all have to come from us. Your post suggests you think the state of the world economy has no effect on our situation and thats simply not correct.