“After taxes, the 9 hours might pay for a tank of gas, plus a few candy bars.”
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MAYBE a tank of gas if they have a car with a small tank, in this area a job that is not very close to your home is likely to not be worth taking.
Let’s tell it like it really is. I just turned 70, when I was 23 people thought me strange because I was still single. The norm for young men who did not go to college (which was most of them) was to finish high school, go to work and be married with at least one child by 23. It was possible to do that then and be paying taxes rather than expecting the taxpayers to support your kids. Now anyone who tries to do that is out of his mind.