Just saw most of it today. Very interesting documentary detailing the virtual impossiblity of meeting life's most basic needs on a low wage job ($8-12) It's honest and blunt, showing both the stark extreme of the class divide that the right wing is trying to create and the poor decisions that people make who suffer the consequences.
Reminded me of 'Country Boys' which I'm looking forward to watching tonight. Anyone else catch part one last night?

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Not last night's episode but I have watched several others. I have lived at minimum wages and I think that show does a good job of providing a sample of the exhaustion and hopelessness.

But what it fails to show is that there is also a HUGE incentive to get out of that rut. Take a second job, whatever. That's what Mrs B and I did. It sucks to work 60-80 hrs/wk and barely get by when you know people are working 3/4 of thsoe back-breaking, mind-bending hours and earning 10x. I have nothing but sympathy for folks who are in that situation. But I also know, from personal experience, that you can work your way out.

B

Of course it is impossible. Those jobs are for teenagers.

It isn't practical for every job to buy you a house, car and support a family off of. We don't live in a communist society.

Besides most (not all) of the 40+ year old adults I get the pleasure to work with at my supermarket job are for lack of a better term, losers. They are not to brite and don't have any ambition.

At least in my area a monkey can get a job at Stop and Shop with medical benifits and in a couple years get $20 an hour. At 50 hours a week you can live off that.

If you are not smart or ambitious enough to support yourself tough, life ain't easy no one owes you anything.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Convenience store clerks in CT make $20 an hour plus benefits?

No min is up to $7.40, but the average for a clerk is $8-$9.

You work you way into the back room counting money, doing paperwork, or customer service again it ain't rocket science. Stop and Shop has a good Union they get medical benifits, maybe even a 401k.

Costco and Trader Joes also pay well, a stock worker can get $10-$12 no problem.

You know what a stock worker does? They take stuff out of a box and put it on the shelf, my god you need a high school education to do that!! Thats what I did for 4 hours today, I think I'll go study real estate some more before I have to endure that mindless turture to much longer.

My point is with the slightist bit of ambition and flicker of intelligence you can make $20 an hour, at least in my area. This country is great that way.

Now cost of living is a different story all together. Most people that I know that do this commute from cheaper places to live. Considering in my town tax's are very high and a starter house that needs TLC is $270k+ you are not getting one at $10 an hour.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Security guards (one of the persons in the film) are not typically teenagers.
Should other societies besides communist societies strive to relieve the plight of the poor?
Life owes no one anything but capitalism delivers the dumb and listless to the rich for their exploitation. Is it human to be happy exploiting the poor for your own interests?

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

One of the compelling parts of the film is that it is quite clear that poverty is closely correlated with a lack of Mr and Mrs. Almost all the poor in the film are single. One woman takes herself out of poverty with a Mr.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Yes, though they are not necessarily happy doing it.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

Well I guess I just don't have the zeal to save the world.

For example lets say you wanted to invest money in a company that makes a widget in a factory in China, India ect. This investment was going to be $500k with a potential return of $10m. Would yo do it?
Lets assume this factory in China was using child labor as a lot of them do. We all know those kids work for nothing in pretty bad conditions.

Would you?

Personaly I would and be able to sleep at night, here is my thinking.

1.All countries need to go through this part of development in order to improve. Those kids grand kids will probably be better off.
2.In that country that is a good job, not everyone thinks like we do. Those kids are probably helping support their famlies.
3.Investing money in a country is usually a good thing for them, they gain better infistructure. Also this factory will expand and employ more people, employment is usually not a bad thing.

Will I be a greedy monster that exploits the poor kids? Well thats one way to look at it, certainly not the only.

Or will I be a great man who gives employment to many people that otherwise wouldn't?

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I'd be real curious for you to actually document that someone, other than the store manager is making $20. per hour at Stop and Shop.

Food stores are not too fond of paying much to anyone..........especially monkeys.

I went to my favorite Stop and Shop with a rain check for some pork chops. The sale price was $2.99 per pound and the price on the package was $6.29 per pound. The difference had to be calculated by hand.

Since they could not multiply $2.99 by the weight on the package, they hauled the three packages back to the meat dept. and had them relabel them.

But, this was NG because they has already rung the original prices on the scanner.

Do you think that there was any employee in the store at 7:00 p.m. that could do the calculation? The only person who could do it for them was the customer.

I believe this demonstrates how little skill and training it takes for folks to rise above minimum wage.

You'll not make me feel guilty over those who chose to not take advantage of the educational opportunities available to anyone in this country, and thus learn how to make themselves valuable to an employer.

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1989 300 SEL that mostly works, but needs TLC

There was no intent to make you feel guilty.

It was simply an anecdotal story to show the pathetic lack of education that any of the 18-25 year old's have attained.

The educational opportunities are available, however, the understanding of the need to take advantage of them, while the age is young, is not.

Ok this is slightly off topic but talking about grocery stores and employees reminds me of my job. I also work in a grocery store. I mostly stock but occasionally I work at the customer service desk or check. Working at the customer service desk puts me in charge of several teenage girls. When they come up to buy food from me its sad how the simple act of counting back change blows their mind. Even my gf, who works there and is ranked #2 in my high school class can't wrap her mind around it. I swear I'm the only one under 30 there that can do it. Another thing that drives me crazy is when they call me down because, for example, something cost $1.69 and they accidently press $20 instead of the $2.00 that was given to them. I just stare in disbelief and ask them if they honestly can't count from $1.69 to $2.00. Most of the time they freak out and grab the nearest calculator. It never ceases to amaze me.

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Seth

1984 300D 225K
1985 300D Donor body
1985 300D Turbo 165K. Totaled. Donor Engine. It runs!!!
1980 300SD 311K My New Baby.
1979 BMW 633csi 62K+++? Dead odo

The 'guilty' thing wasn't aimed at you personally. Rather, it was a shot at the whole Oh-dear-an-unskilled-barely-employable-peon-can't-buy-house-Cadillac-Nike-colorTV-on-minimum-wage mentality.

Though not your intent, it also shows how little ability it takes to exceed the minimum wage.

And whose fault would that be? IMHO, we've created an entire class of people who know nothing of advancing their lot in life via hard work and education. Rather, we pay them to do nothing, try nothing, learn nothing, be nothing.

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1989 300 SEL that mostly works, but needs TLC

Now, that's really the question. It's tempting to simply blame the class of people..........they are the lazy SOB's that won't put their efforts into a proper education and/or proper skills for a trade.

But, people of that age were no different than we were. They are framed by their environment. What's the difference in the environment of today versus the environment of 30 years ago??

Are the basic teaching skills different in the classrooms of today? Or is the home environment completely different than 30 years ago? My father earned $20K per year.........in 1983, the last year he worked. So, you can imagine the effort required simply to survive in the world. It appears that this effort is not present today because the country is wealthier and the kids can have anything they want simply by whining a bit.