Posted on 05/17/2014 8:54:15 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
When I woke up to see the news, I could hardly believe it: President Obama is planning a visit to the Mountain View Wal-Mart where I work.
But the excitement quickly passed when I found out the store would be shutting down hours in advance of his visit. I wouldn’t be able to tell the president what it’s like to work at Wal-Mart and what it’s like to struggle on low wages, without the hours I need. I am living at the center of the income inequality that he speaks about so often, and I wanted to talk to him about how to change this problem.
My situation is not unlike that of many of the 825,000 Wal-Mart associates – and many other Americans – who are working hard, but just can’t keep up. Most of us aren’t even paid $25,000 a year even though we work at the largest employer in the country and one that makes $16 billion in profits.
I wanted to tell the president what it’s like working – and living – like this.
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.
Two months ago, I started feeling ill. My doctor told me I needed to take a week off to have a series of medical tests. Every day for a week I went to the hospital and had to pay $30, $60 or $100 in co-pays for each appointment, test and X-ray.
With these additional expenses and without a paycheck for the week I was out, it pushed me over the edge. I didn’t have enough money to pay the rent.
Right now, I don’t have a place to call home.
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.
I don’t wish the struggle I’m facing onto anyone. But sadly, my situation isn’t unique. I know that I am one of many living in the Wal-Mart economy who has no financial stability. We expect to work until our deaths because we don’t have any retirement savings and are concerned about the future in front of our children and grandchildren.
There are so many of us who have it so hard – trying to live paycheck to paycheck. While the president is here visiting my store, I want him to look inside at what is really happening at Wal-Mart.
I want the president to help us and tell Wal-Mart to pay us enough to cover the bills and take care of our families. That doesn’t seem like too much to ask from such a profitable company, a company that sets the standard for jobs in this country. And I hope it’s not too much to ask from a president who believes that income inequality is the defining challenge of our time.
So, so, so much wrong with this lady’s sob-story rant.
Like, if she’s starving to death, why is she spending money on non-nutritious coffee for lunch.
I’m long past the point where I’ve come to this simple conclusion: If 1) you have nothing of value - skills, merchandise, expertise, etc. - to offer to others to earn your way through life, and if 2) your family, neighbors and friends don’t even value your existence enough to support you, then adios.
Yes
Step #2 — Single Payer Healthcare” make it totally free!!
Step #3 ...
Step #3 - Employer goes out of business and employee has $0/hr and no healthcare insurance!! Mission accomplished.
If you don’t like working at Wall Mart. Quit!!! Find a new job!!!
Heard a doctor on Mark Levin who told about the horrible problems his patients are having because of Obamacare - i.e. having to drive 40 miles, doctors not being able to practice at a nearby hospital, etc. etc. The crux of the problem is that these people don’t blame Obama! Instead they blame the doctor, the hospital, the insurance company - anybody but Obama. How crazy is that???
I think that the prerequisite for being president should be at the least a manager of a company employing a couple thousand people.
In that respect Romney had a great resume. Any governor has decent experience if not necessarily the ideology we want.
Obama had absolutely nothing. And he still has absolutely nothing and even worse, his supporters don’t care. Be interesting when the books about how things really were in the WH come out when he’s finally gone.
It's my opinion that hopium abuses her!
FU
Aspire to obtain a job that pays more!
Of course you can’t earn enough to live well and above a non skilled job.
It’s a temp or stop gap occupation.
Quick. Someone dial 822 for the waaaaambulamps.
Ps... Two of my year of college I worked at a walmart. I really enjoyed my job. They worked around my schedule, I made great friends, and dated some great girls that worked in the shoe dept...
The thing is the jerkoff that lives in the WH doesn’t give a darn about this person’s struggles or anyone else’s. As long as he, the mooch and their kids can live the high life off taxpayers, he’s happy. That’s what people like the one in the article don’t understand.
I’m sorry this person’s sick and they don’t make much money, but there are other jobs. You have to look and try to get skills that will pay more.
As usual, just another whiner who has probably never asked why things are the way they are. And who also believes that the burden is on everyone but her to take care of her livelihood.
Vladimir998, strikes at the reality of today’s entitled society. I bet Sam Walmart ate the same way as he was starting WalMart those many years ago.
http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/history/sam-walton
JoMa
Sam Walton was a humble man who took pride in stocking products made in the United States and touted that fact in Walmart advertising.
His heirs were a different story.
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.
CUT! it’s a rap get this to the production people fast.......
“companies like Wal-Mart are taking our country” Here is the punch line, evil capitalist companies taking advantage of people not facist marxist socilaist bastards taking our country down this path
That’s what I was thinking. This person is FORCED to work at Walmart?
All I can afford to eat for lunch is a cup of coffee and a bag of potato chips.
______________________________________
a sandwich made at home would be even cheaper...
When I was a little kid my dad had four kids and three jobs.
He never thought for a second that any of his employers had an obligation to take care of him beyond paying him. He figured he was the one to go get a better job if he could.
The writer of this story is a punk ass.
“However, Walmart jobs are NOT a career, and do not pay career-level wages. They are not a job you should expect to be able to live off of.”
When they opened a Wal-Mart in my town in NJ they had thousands of applicants for a few hundred jobs; in dying Red (communist) states they are one of the few prospective employers left as business flees. While I see many people posting she should either leave for another job or get another part-time job, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend here in NJ that is probably occurring in similar states: A dozen years ago, second-shift work dried up; part-time jobs were the 10am to 2 pm type (not a supplement for a full-time job, but rather a substitute for). Five years ago, part-time jobs started requiring scheduling flexibility that would make holding multiple jobs impossible; you couldn’t be available to work the second one (the part-time jobs were expected to be your ONLY job).
I have no sympathy for this woman, but I’m curious as to how the government intends to deal with people with no future. At first they lashed out by electing a communist president; where do they go from here?
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