A Sea Of Red

Nice. Hopefully they go all the way and get rid of income tax and other economy killers.

If that state keeps it up... come next Census they are going to pick up a few more electoral votes.

If anyone on this board has the freedom to move and is looking for work, the Bakken is desperately begging you to come hither. I'm hearing crazy stories of teachers and nurses quitting on the spot to make double & triple their money driving trucks. Supposedly there are as many as 20-thousand jobs sitting vacant because of not enough applicants.

This is the real Gold Rush of the 21st Century. I'm not sure how long this sustainable once the drilling phase is completed, but it is quite a ride for many right now.

Sly Fox wrote:If anyone on this board has the freedom to move and is looking for work, the Bakken is desperately begging you to come hither. I'm hearing crazy stories of teachers and nurses quitting on the spot to make double & triple their money driving trucks. Supposedly there are as many as 20-thousand jobs sitting vacant because of not enough applicants.

This is the real Gold Rush of the 21st Century. I'm not sure how long this sustainable once the drilling phase is completed, but it is quite a ride for many right now.

Thinking of getting my CDL renewed.....

Dude, fortunes are being made right now based simply on availability. I'm not sure how long this can last, but is crazy out there right now. Just be prepared to camp out since there is nowhere near enough housing to meet the demand. It is like Dodge City or Driftwood in modern day.

Sly Fox wrote:If anyone on this board has the freedom to move and is looking for work, the Bakken is desperately begging you to come hither. I'm hearing crazy stories of teachers and nurses quitting on the spot to make double & triple their money driving trucks. Supposedly there are as many as 20-thousand jobs sitting vacant because of not enough applicants.

This is the real Gold Rush of the 21st Century. I'm not sure how long this sustainable once the drilling phase is completed, but it is quite a ride for many right now.

I can see teachers doing that. One of my texts in the M.Ed. program listed teacher salaries compared to cost of living by state and ND was bottom 5 several years in a row. Even now their starting teacher pay is something like 24k. Doesn't take much to triple that on a large oil site.

NotAJerry wrote:

Sly Fox wrote:If anyone on this board has the freedom to move and is looking for work, the Bakken is desperately begging you to come hither. I'm hearing crazy stories of teachers and nurses quitting on the spot to make double & triple their money driving trucks. Supposedly there are as many as 20-thousand jobs sitting vacant because of not enough applicants.

This is the real Gold Rush of the 21st Century. I'm not sure how long this sustainable once the drilling phase is completed, but it is quite a ride for many right now.

I can see teachers doing that. One of my texts in the M.Ed. program listed teacher salaries compared to cost of living by state and ND was bottom 5 several years in a row. Even now their starting teacher pay is something like 24k. Doesn't take much to triple that on a large oil site.

24k for workigng 7 months out of the year is not too terrible, cant imagine the cost of living in ND is very high either

bballfan84 wrote:24k for workigng 7 months out of the year is not too terrible, cant imagine the cost of living in ND is very high either

Those ratings were based on a combo of cost of living relative to the salary. There are few, if any, places in the US where 24k is enough to live on.

NotAJerry wrote:

bballfan84 wrote:24k for workigng 7 months out of the year is not too terrible, cant imagine the cost of living in ND is very high either

Those ratings were based on a combo of cost of living relative to the salary. There are few, if any, places in the US where 24k is enough to live on.

I would humbly disagree with that. Ask anyone who works for LUOnline. If you are debt-free, 24k can be enough to own a home and raise a family. Of course, individual circumstances dictate everything.

ALUmnus wrote:

NotAJerry wrote:

bballfan84 wrote:24k for workigng 7 months out of the year is not too terrible, cant imagine the cost of living in ND is very high either

Those ratings were based on a combo of cost of living relative to the salary. There are few, if any, places in the US where 24k is enough to live on.

I would humbly disagree with that. Ask anyone who works for LUOnline. If you are debt-free, 24k can be enough to own a home and raise a family. Of course, individual circumstances dictate everything.

Also teachers are off about 5 months out of the year which means you can get another job during the summer if need be...and benefits are insanely good and impossible to get fired

ALUmnus wrote:

NotAJerry wrote:

bballfan84 wrote:24k for workigng 7 months out of the year is not too terrible, cant imagine the cost of living in ND is very high either

Those ratings were based on a combo of cost of living relative to the salary. There are few, if any, places in the US where 24k is enough to live on.

I would humbly disagree with that. Ask anyone who works for LUOnline. If you are debt-free, 24k can be enough to own a home and raise a family. Of course, individual circumstances dictate everything.

Possible but it would be rough. In 2010 poverty line was defined as $22k for family of 4.

Sure, but I've always thought the "poverty line" was always absurd and kind of artificially imposed.

My wife and I joked about moving out there to teach and then drive trucks in the summer. Then she saw how cold it gets in the winter!

Yeah, the weather is atrocious and it is flat out ugly. The cost of living in the Bakken is going through the roof due to supply & demand.

ALUmnus wrote:Sure, but I've always thought the "poverty line" was always absurd and kind of artificially imposed.

The poverty line should be variable according to the cost of living in the area. The poverty line in DC should be much higher than it is in Lynchburg.

bballfan84 wrote:

ALUmnus wrote:

NotAJerry wrote:
Those ratings were based on a combo of cost of living relative to the salary. There are few, if any, places in the US where 24k is enough to live on.

I would humbly disagree with that. Ask anyone who works for LUOnline. If you are debt-free, 24k can be enough to own a home and raise a family. Of course, individual circumstances dictate everything.

Also teachers are off about 5 months out of the year which means you can get another job during the summer if need be...and benefits are insanely good and impossible to get fired

5 months out of the year? what world do you live in. most teachers begin working in mid august and are done end of may. that is 2.5 months of off time.

my friend Jennifer just got hired to teach 5th grade at Concord Elementary starting this fall. SHe has about that long to write ALL her lesson plans by the start of school and get all the supplies she is going to need. It is certainly not a complete vacation as RM or anyone else in education on here can attest.

I don't know anyone who gets 5 months off as a teacher. Our last day was May 25 and we go back August 1.

DC just had kids finish yesterday and teachers still have a week to go. They come back during August. 2 months, that's all.

NotAJerry wrote:

bballfan84 wrote:24k for workigng 7 months out of the year is not too terrible, cant imagine the cost of living in ND is very high either

Those ratings were based on a combo of cost of living relative to the salary. There are few, if any, places in the US where 24k is enough to live on.

My pay isn't 24K, but when you factor in the stuff my employer provides like housing, my pay for 10 months comes out to 24K. I live on that. Not comfortably obviously, but i'm not struggling to make ends meet either.

Of course, I go back home to live a bit cheaper for those two off months, but nearly of my expenses have to be covered for 12 months, not just 10. Only thing I really save much money on is food and I averaged spending about $60-70 every two weeks on that, so not saving much. But here in Lynchburg I get better internet, better TV, and a better city.

it really is a regional issue tho... taxes and cost of living, I mean

we do ok but still really have to keep an eye on the checkbook- mainly due to state, local, real estate and school taxes up here plus 6% sales tax on top of it. It's not paycheck to paycheck but we don't have much extra at the end of the week.

A family of 5 better have a household income in the low 6 figures or you're gonna be in trouble. At least around here.