Quote:
Originally Posted by bolillo_loco
Yes, her story is laudable, however, it's not the norm. THere are not enough minimum wage jobs fore everybody out there. The America I was born into is not the 'Merika I live in today. Go to any town in 'Merika and look at all the urban blight created by 'Merikans who bought foreign products. Stories like hers perpetuate the myth that you can make it if you try hard enough. Going to college is largely a waste of time. Furthermore, in the America I was born into, one didn't even have to graduate high school. One could quit school, get a factory job, and support a non working wife and eight kids. Inflation, speculation, and a myriad of problems have made today's cost of living exponentially higher. Just look at housing costs and property tax. Nobody on minimum wage is going to support themselves on it much less buy a house and pay the taxes for it. I honestly think that some of you should wake up to what's going on in this country. I find it sadly ironic that "self sufficient and anti government" people can see the problem, but don't recognize why we have one.
Furthermore, women largely have it made, so I don't find it surprising that some girl worked her way out of the bottom. GOvernment regulations largely hand out jobs to everybody who's not a white man. Try being a white man and going for a job or a hand out.
Cheers,
bolillo
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No, the factory line jobs are gone forever. A combination of bad tax laws, unions, overzealous environmental laws and other inflated costs combined with the fact that transportation has improved to the point we can ship anything from anywhere means that companies will take those manufacturing jobs where 1) The government welcomes business, 2) the labor costs are lower, 3) where they won't be hounded by frivolous lawsuits, 4) where they can reasonably manufacture their products in an environment where they can meet standards and expect those standards to remain constant for more than a couple of months at a time.
I am neither female nor minority, I wasn't in the top of my high school class, I wasn't a sport jock, so I didn't have the option of full ride scholarships. When I graduated High School, I put in for a job with the railroad, as my father and grandfather had before me.
But the maintenance shops were moving out to a different hub, those jobs were gone unless I wanted to move to Iowa.
So I ended up wrangling exotic animals for $5.00 and hour. I saved up and went to trade school and got my certificate in welding, but that was the same time the mines, logging and sawmills in the state were shutting down due to environmental laws.
So I learned to be a chef. Worked my way up to executive chef, then manager.
That restaurant closed due to the people in the area moving out because there were no jobs.
I went back to school and got my degree in Electronics. While at school I worked 2 jobs as well as carrying a full credit load.
Graduated in the top of my class, all the jobs I could find locally paid $8.00 an hour, but one of my part time jobs wanted to hire me full time with benefits. As I had a wife to support, I took the job.
The US Navy came and wanted my electronic skills, so I did a hitch. When I came back I got my old job back and after time, have worked my way up to Business Operations Supervisor.
While doing all this, I maintained the family ranch, (very small family place by Montana standards) and worked there on weekends, holidays and vacations.
I designed and did all the prospectuses, met with investors, sold the concept and created a business from scratch. My partner runs it while I still work at my original job, help with the company and do custom blacksmithing on the side.
I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but I have what I want and need. Just because one avenue was closed didn't mean I gave up or just sat around blaming someone else. If you hustle, are self motivated, willing to put in the hours and sacrifice, anyone can become a success if they want to.
The old "minimum effort for maximum pay" union jobs are gone. Fact of life.
I once tried to join a union, I had 17 years working with a master electrician, (my grandfather) and a degree in Electronics, but the union only questioned my political views and put a female with no practical experience ahead of me for hiring.
I have never had any use for unions since.
It can be easy to find fault with everything around you, that something is holding you down because times change.
I don't like the current economy. If this was back in the 1980's when we had a decent president, I could probably own a yacht and live high on the hog.
But this is 2013, so I make a living in spite of the government, but not too much because I don't want to have to give it all to that same government, so I use the tax laws, invest in long term and hard investments that will provide for me for the rest of my life.
While if you look at my assets on paper I am worth quite a bit, I don't have a lot of liquid assets. I make enough to keep my family fed and sheltered, but my tax returns would say I live right at poverty level.
My wife hasn't been able to find a full time job in over 2 years thanks to the current economy, my parent's are retired and getting older so their medical bills are climbing, but I support all three on my wage.
It can be done, not easy, but possible.
My choice. I worked long and hard for what I have, I don't want to fund any of Michele's globetrotting vacations.
If the tax laws change to promote business instead of penalize it, the money would come back into the country from overseas, and small business owners like myself could expand and hire, but as long as there are the current confiscatory taxes and regulations making it harder to do business in this country, the only way someone will get ahead will be to work long extra hours, educate themselves on how to keep their money from being confiscated, and the economy will remain stagnant.
True survivors learn to live in spite of what is going on around them, part of the adaptability part of self sufficiency.
The golden days are gone. Whether they come back or not depends on if the people will elect representatives and presidents that support economic recovery, or if we stick with the nanny state we have now.
Either way, Self sufficient people will continue to make do with the options they have instead of depending on the government to make things better.
I am not blind to the current situation, in fact, that is the main reason I work so hard at being self sufficient, but I refuse to submit to circumstance. It is easy to be angry, to become jaded, to feel defeated by factors you have no control of, but part of survival is to maintain a positive mental attitude.
So I see the situation, accept it, evaluate and look for ways to work around or outside the system to make sure my family is provided for.
I normally work several jobs, some with a paycheck, some I only get paid when I sell a product or service, but I keep working.
The trick is to work smarter AND harder.
It is up to you if you let the situation defeat you, or if you buckle down, get smart, and find a way to thrive in spite of the situation. Use the assets you have to their best advantage, maximize your efficiency for the best return for your effort.
Work the angles so that you see opportunity where others see only obstacles. You may have no control over the society or the situation where you are, but you do control how you respond and react to the circumstances. No-one is going to give you an opportunity, you have to make them for yourself.
Your choice to sink or swim.
Just the way it is in my opinion.
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