Once-prosperous family struggling on the edge

The Dallas Morning News ^ | Aug. 18, 2003 | SHERRY JACOBSON

[ItsOurTimeNow]

While Wessenberg has landed a series of temporary jobs, usually earning between $11 and $14 an hour, they don't come close to paying for the comfortable life the Wessenbergs once knew...

And there you have it...

The story of the Ant and the Grasshopper comes to mind.

[new cruelty]

And, I'm suppose to believe she has no family support anywhere in the USA??? Right.... Liberal lies ...

I can understand and appreciate your lack of sympathy. But is it your belief that everyone in the USA has family somewhere that they can call on?

[Porterville]

Do you believe she just popped up in Dallas on her own like a plant???

[Phantom Lord]

Local radio guy Jerry Agar did a similar thing and was actually able to get several of these people to come on the air with him to talk about how much money they make and what methods they use. All of them said it was common to make several hundred dollars a day and one of them actually quit a real job that paid well to do it because after taxes he was netting less working!

[new cruelty]

Hardly. I am just curious about your comment.

[AD from SpringBay]

Does anybody know how to save money for a rainy day? Her husband's six figure income should have prepared them a little better than this.

[Phantom Lord]

This women does have family to help her. She just doesnt want to move to NYC to be with them. As she said, the quality of life in TX is better than NYC and she doesnt like the crowded subway either.

[MEGoody]

"Wessenberg, 44, says she resorted to panhandling because there was no other way to feed her children after her husband lost his job."

They bought a house a year ago? They aren't too bad off.

[new cruelty]

I understand she has family in NYC. I was just curious about Porterville's comment.

[hopespringseternal]

I can't stop thinking that she is a made-up character in somebody's liberal mind.

This sort of story usually is. The times when it isn't just fabricated out of whole cloth, the liberal reporter has taken great liberties to present a picture that looks nothing like the truth.

[Sally'sConcerns]

I know I don't and didn't have family I could call on since my parents were no longer alive.

My husband contracted chronic lymphocitic leukemia and even though I had great insurance through my employer, we went through all of our savings, my 401k and finally had to declare bankruptcy. We weren't living beyond our means either.

I did an anywho look-up on these names and these people come up as listed.

[Porterville]

My father moved here to America without knowing any English alone... he pulls real cash... I'm broke, I have no money and I'm looking for work while going back to school. Immigrant friends of mine are working in any jobs, friends of mine are prison gaurds who had no family to rely on and are making large amounts of money...

On top of that there are government programs to help people like this..

And your soft strategy to make me say something cold or crass won't work, I'm an A-hole to BS and this is BS, I've voluntared more time then you with physical labor and bodily harm than many. This story is a typical liberal red herring.

[Alberta's Child]

After about the third sentence of this article, I said to myself, "This woman has to be from New York City."

Sure enough . . .

[laconic]

Four points here: first, no one will be denied medical treatment if they need it. Hospitals legally MUST take on indigent care and its paid for by Medicaid or by other patients (or their insurers) through higher bills. Second, she's been given the option to move her family back to New York with her parents -- but won't take it because she likes Texas too much and doesn't like NYC. Well, I'd prefer living in Bermuda to Cleveland but if I could only find work in Cleveland, I think my choice would be made for me. Third, I was unaware that coffee was a necessity. Fourth, I always find it curious that these types of stories DISAPPEARED (along with virtually anything about homeless people, who magically must have ceased to exist) during 1992-2000, when the media's candidate was president.

[new cruelty]

Anywho? What is that?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Very odd story. Sounds contrived.

My sister lived in Coppell for a few years. It was a very nice suburb as I recall.

[Protagoras]

There was a bum who used to work the street in front of my office building a few years back. His line to every passerby was the same, "tryin' to get a sandwich", "tryin' to get a bite to eat". One day, I broke all my rules and gave the guy a dollar as I went up to my office on an errand. As I returned about three minutes later I encountered him again, and he said the same thing again. I said, "Hey, I just gave you a buck three minutes ago!"

He shook his head and said "I gotta start writtin' this sh-t down!"

The guy had a certain panache. :^}

[new cruelty]

Yes, Coppell is a nice place.

[MEGoody]

"Her husband's six figure income should have prepared them a little better than this."

Right. Maybe they wouldn't be in this mess if they had saved the money instead of buying furs and jewels. (And they probably should have moved out of that high priced condo just a bit sooner.)

[FITZ]

This is ALL GEORGE BUSH'S FAULT!

And Clinton's and all the free traders who believe Americans don't need jobs.