I wanted to tell the president what it’s like working – and living – like this

[HomerRamone]

http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/my-personal-walmart-nightmare-you-wont-believe-what-life?paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark

Things have always been tight. After four years working at Wal-Mart in Mountain View, I am bringing home about $400 every two weeks (I’d like to get more hours, but I’m lucky if I work 32 hours a week). That’s not enough to pay for bills, gas and food. All I can afford to eat for lunch is a cup of coffee and a bag of potato chips. I’ve always done everything possible to stretch paychecks and scrape by. Sometimes it means not getting enough to eat.

But then I got some bad news that made stretching my budget impossible.

<...>

I sleep on the floor of my son’s living room because I can’t afford my own place. All of my belongings are in my car. I don’t know where to send my mail.

I used to think, “At least I have my health and my family.” But my doctor thinks I may have colon cancer, and with all of the money I still owe the hospital, I’m not sure how to finish the tests and get treatment. Even though I do have insurance through Wal-Mart, the co-pays are more than I can afford with only $400 every two weeks.

I wanted to tell the president I am scared. I am scared for my health. I am scared for the future for my grandkids. And I am scared and sad about the direction that companies like Wal-Mart are taking our country.

[brer cat]

1. Reading this made me want to weep.

A company as profitable as Wal-Mart can afford to pay a living wage...it is a sin not to. And of course everyone needs access to AFFORDABLE healthcare; there is no healthcare when the co-pays can't be paid.

for Pam Ramos and K&R for HomerRamone. Thanks for posting.

[zeemike]

5. Making 400 a month he can't even afford a catastrophic plan

so no health care for him unless he can get charity help.
Social Darwinism is being practiced.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. $800

The article says $400 every 2 weeks.

[zeemike]

8. Oh sorry.

But still not enough.

[zeemike]

11. Well I am living on SS.

But I own my own home and have Medicare and no car payments...no credit cards, and live frugualy...but I would hate not to have a place to live that I had to pay rent on...I would just not make it.

[L0oniX]

2. This person is not alone ...it's the norm.

[ColesCountyDem]

3. Even more sad is the fact that there are unemployed workers who would KILL for a $400 bi-weekly job.

Mega-corporations, et al, now this. Why do you think they're fighting against raising the minimum wage, etc.? They FULLY intend to exploit the unemployment problem for as long as they possibly can. Follow the REAL money, folks!

[bvar22]

4. At those wages, she should qualify for the Medicaid Expansion in Arkansas,

if she isn't disqualified because she already has Health Insurance?
Can that possibly be the case?
If so, she would have zero co-pay/deductible.
That would b something.

Arkansas Opted In for that Medicaid Expansion (hybrid) thanks to Democratic Governor Beebe.

[Armstead]

6. He'd care personally. But only go so far in actions that don';t upset the Corporate Oligarchy

All of these Corporate Empires and Investor Elites deserved to be called out for their rancid, selfish and short-sighted treatment of the working and middle class.

But we won't get any clear talk from our centrist corporate leaders. Instead the abusers get appointed to government positions.

[randome]

9. Which is why he's pushing for an increase in the minimum wage, right?

I have no doubt that if it was up to Obama, we would have a hell of a better country than we have now.

Wanting to tell the President what it's like? Obama isn't the one we need to convince.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[HomerRamone]

12. When he's the one doing a photo op at Walmart, he is nt

[Armstead]

13. He should be doing more of that more consistently

Face it, the minimum wage is just a tiny silver of the problem.

Yes its important yes its good that he and the Congressional Dems are pushing for it -- although cynically I have to wonder if they're just using it as a convenient issue to flog because it shows what a'holes the GOP are.

But the real problem is the sick and twisted way our economy has become so distorted by many of the same Titans of Industry and Wall Street that the Dems suck up to -- including Obama.

It doesn't just hit minimum wage workers. Everyone who is not in the upper echelon has been getting squeezed increasingly over the last 30 years -- all so the upper echelon can have disgusting excesses of money.

I know Obama and the Democrats cant wave a wand and change that. But face it they echo the same bullshit in slightly nicer terms. I remember when they were singing the praises of the right wing Ayn Rand policies of Alan Greenspan as Fed Chair. And I remember when Obama appointed the head of GE -- the WORST OFFENDER IN CREATING THIS -- to a high level committee on productivity.

They are not walking their very mild talk, in terms of getting this country back on track.