General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: A segment of DU is very invested in painting a dystopian picture of the US [View all]pasto76
(1,589 posts)is in the COARNG in a technical position....which translates nowhere to the civilian world. He works at Denny's, for minimum wage. They make those employees clean parts of the restaurant BEFORE they clock in. As one of his NCOs, Ive seen his pay stubs and he is, in fact, paying for health insurance. When he called a few weeks ago to see how he could use it, they told him that he 'isnt signed up'.
I work in skilled trades. We have health insurance, which is better than none. it works for the single guys who only go to the ER for chronic pain and serious medical issues. For a family it sucks.
My wages have been stagnant for a decade - despite increasing duties and 'required training' (read do it on your own time for free) while wall street posts record profits.
On the national guard side. Fuck. Barely any money to do anything for us. Schools are hard to get which means promotions are scarce. Im required to do all kinds of online training - like 80 hour courses (SSD if you are in the know, not correspondance courses) and receive zero pay for it. But it is required. Safety certs. Awareness certs. All for free.
Glad everything seems so rosy for you. Out here in reality, its still pretty grim.