Hardworking Americans should not be living in poverty

[Klukie]

(CNN) -- When the U.S. economy collapsed, millions of us lost our homes, our jobs, our retirement savings and our faith in the American dream. What we gained was a very clear view of the vast -- and growing -- divide between the rich and the rest of us.
Like many hardworking Americans earning minimum wage, Margaret Lewis knows firsthand what it's like to live on the edge. She works as a transporter for passengers with disabilities at O'Hare International Airport. She wakes up at 1 a.m. to go to work, and spends the early morning hours pushing wheelchairs to gates and helping travelers on and off planes.
With tips, and Illinois' minimum wage -- which is $1 above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour -- Margaret makes about $18,000 a year, or $10,000 below the federal poverty limit for a household of five.
Margaret lives with her four school-age children in a three-bedroom apartment on Chicago's South Side. Two recent shootings on her block make her fear for her children's safety, but she cannot afford to move. Margaret is unable to pay the $850 per month rent, so she and her family perform janitorial tasks for the landlord to make ends meet. The children's clothing is all secondhand, Margaret uses food stamps to make sure everyone is fed and when it is time to buy shoes for school, she has to save an entire paycheck.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/25/opinion/henry-owens-minimum-wage/index.html

[patrice]

1. This is the SHAME of the U.S.A. + People bitching about .10@day out of a $50K income going to

FOOD for those who need it.

Here's a break-down on that $50K income:

http://www.examiner.com/article/a-person-making-50-000-a-year-pays-10-cents-a-day-taxes-for-food-stamps

[whathehell]

3. Agreed...I have a bumper sticker that says

"Freedom isn't free, so stop whining and pay your taxes"!

I would have preferred they hadn't used the "freedom isn't free"

slogan, as it tends to reference the military, but I wanted to

be able to tell people to STOP WHINING about paying taxes

as it's the price of living in a civilized society.

[lunatica]

4. It's an excellent bumper sticker

[whathehell]

16. Thanks!

It's the only sticker I see countering the Right

on taxes, and I get the feeling it does get attention

[patrice]

6. 1+++ & I like "Rommunism: Work harder. Wealthy people & corporations need their tax breaks and

SUBSIDIES."

[whathehell]

17. Good one! n/t

[gollygee]

2. I think this is the whole point of the 99% movement and of Obama's "you didn't build that" speech

That a whole ton of people work very very hard and are living in poverty. People think hard work is what got them rich, and extrapolate from that the assumption that if other people would work harder, they wouldn't be poor. But it doesn't work that way. If hard work alone got people rich, a lot more people would be rich. If intelligence and hard work got people rich, a lot of people who are on food stamps would be rich. There's more to it than that, and to smack down people who are struggling with the assumption that they're stupid and lazy is unfair and ignorant.

[Patiod]

5. +1

You said it better than I could.

I know SO many Republicans who believe that a person needs nothing other than hard work to get ahead. Not basic good health, a head full of good teeth, a good education K-college, upper middle class social skills (NOT the ones you learn on the street), a good money management education, clear and articulate standard English or connections -- none of this is necessary. Nope - anyone can get ahead with hard work.

[Mopar151]

8. Unless you work for them.

They beleive ass-breaking hard work is no more than their due. And you are not going to get ahead with them, no matter the skills, knowledge, or effort. They have family to employ, dammit, and it would never do for family to not be above "the help" - and your ass-kissing skills are deficent, anyway.

[nineteen50]

7. The number one assest

for getting a job in our community is not what you know it is who you know.

[LittleGirl]

9. Not in 'my' communitiy

Husband has an MBA and has been interviewing (intra-company) now for months and it's not about who he knows. He's only been in the company for 2.5 yrs and his job is being eliminated at year end. He's been on at least 30 interviews and the jobs he didn't get were because of one obscure job description item he didn't know or have. The ones that were picked for the job he interviewed for has 100% of the qualifications they were looking for. Competition is tough these days and employers are picking the best one for the position, not who you know or who owes you anything. It's ruthless out there.

[TBF]

10. Sure - especially when you are Bill Gates and your dad gives you the first million

to get you started. Same with Romney. Now, that's hard work.

[dotymed]

13. It is that way in most communities.

Honestly though, is the only difference between a Recession and a Depression is that in a Recession OUR money is given to Wall St.? Ironically (?) when the banksters had to fend for themselves during the depression, that was an impetus to put regulations in place so the banksters could not do that to us (and most of them) again.
Instead, "we" have made sure that they profited by screwing the average person and touted deregulation as a proven panacea. A panacea that will ensure regular Americans will continue to labor for nothing (not even health care) and gives the banksters an "'attaboy" for being unscrupulous and continuing to lower American standards.
The PEOPLE have to seriously demand their country (and prosperity) back at all costs. We have to take our money back (through progressive taxation at least).
The banksters purposely caused this "recession" we (obviously) have to take our standard of living back and make them suffer, and regulate the hell out of them.

[The Magistrate]

11. It Serves the Bosses, Ma'am, And That Is Why

In the immortal words of utility baron Samuel Insull: "My experience is that the greatest aid to efficiency of labor is a long line of men waiting at the gate."

"Romney loves America like a tick loves a dog."

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Nor should the elderly, the disabled, or the mentally ill. Our safety net is in tatters, and our

workers are vastly underpaid.

[livingonearth]

14. Employers have designed it so that no one is full-time anymore.

My son has been working hard, but his employer goes out of the way to never give him enough hours to become full-time. Therefore, he is always paid less, and gets no benefits. The whole place he works at is set up to have a few full-time managers and that's it. The rest of the work force (approximately 100 people) are all part-timers.

[TheMastersNemesis]

18. The Intention Of Business Is To Have All Work Be Contract Labor

[Egalitarian Thug]

20. Kohl's run their stores like that.

The GM is the only full-time on-site employee.

[dotymed]

21. Part timers who usually work full time..

I think they got their business model from wal-mart or Sears.
It is not an isolated case either, it is the way most corporations (especially sub-contractors) screw their employees.
Our local Army base subcontracts everything, including security and entertainment.
For security, they recently fired their (mostly older) wal-mart greeter style force. They replaced them with security gates that require a card to open them. This is one of America's most sensitive bases. It is the home of the 101st airborne brigade and where the special ops people who secretly invade other sovereign nations are housed. It is much easier to get on post than to board a civilian airplane.
My nephew works at one of the AAFES bowling alleys there. He works all sorts of weird hours (as a mechanic) and he "earns" $10.00 hourly, no benefits, because he is classified as "part-time."
"Our" government subcontracts all of these services, pays the Halliburtons, etc..top dollar. They subcontract to smaller firms (not that small) etc..By the time the great money trickles down to the employees, there is nothing left. Part-time, severely low paid jobs that take the security and the employees for granted. The big contractors get obscene money. It trickles down through the subs and the employees are on food-stamps, uninsured and the security is a joke.
Up North, military bases were a good gig. You earned either Union or Davis-Bacon wages. You got benefits and were treated well (mostly), the farther South you go, the worse pay, benefits, etc. are. The good 'ol boys take the money and treat workers like slaves.
These are Federal bases, it should not matter what state you are in.

[lostnote12]

15. The Elite always have those fond impoverished memories while attending college....regrettfully

...very few have grown up emotionally enough to understand the narcissism that they embrace as adults while "castigating other never-do-wells".....

[bvar22]

19. If someone is poor, its their own damn fault.

They should have been Wall Street Bankers
or execs at a Health Insurance Corporation.
That is the "Uniquely American Solution"!

*Manufacture NOTHING

*Produce NO Wealth (Value Added)

*No Warehousing or Inventory Overhead

*Infinite Shelf Life

*Profit off the work of others
(If you are with the Health Insurance Cartel, profit off the pain & misery of others)

The American Dream!!!