Once-prosperous family struggling on the edge

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

[dfwgator]

Oh I know, most people will ignore the advice. Society is simply not ready for the vast majority of people to self-manage themselves.

[oceanview]

its not a question of ignoring it, and I am also not saying that it is bad advice.

All I am saying is that the structure and lifestyle of the american middle class, that chooses to work in the private sector, requires the ability to have consistent employment by corporations. That doesn't mean you get a guaranteed job for life, or can't be fired, etc. But there has to be a marketplace for private sector employment for professionals at middle class wage levels, we can't just have Walmart and Starbucks hiring, while all of the other profitable companies in the US employ foreign workers so the executives can pocket the savings. That is what is happening now, it cannot continue. If it does, the political system snaps bigtime.

I fear that snap will come when Hillary is elected in 2008, just like FDR was elected because of the depression.

[oceanview]

they are doomed.

[laconic]

Ravenstar, I return to the point that this woman and her family were offered a home (and apparently work) in New York by her parents, but she refused because the subways are "crowded" and living there makes her feel "claustrophobic". Well, my subway ride is also crowded and I live in claustrophobic circumstances and I'd like to live in an open area with no crowded subway but this is where I have a job, can earn an income and support my family.

[Protagoras]

I drop a few bucks in the can every now and then. I figure that God will judge me by my generosity (or lack of it) as well as the person who holds the bucket.

99% of these scam artists are substance abusers. So while you may feel better after giving them the money to kill themselves with, it won't help them, and I doubt you will be judged well for enabling them in their self destructive bahavior. I guess the question is; "am I doing this for them, or for me?" That's what I ask myself.

I'm sure your heart is in the right place, but there are other ways to look at it.

[Malsua]

>>You know, if these guys actually had a sign that said "Need money for booze," hell I'd probably give them some money just because they're honest about it. <<

Heh, I was walking back from work a few years ago, I was on 7th walking to the port and something was going on at Madison Square Garden...so I cut across like 29th or so to get to 8th. A couple of dudes were sitting there in a doo rway with about one swig left.

The guy looks at me and says "Hey, any chance you could help us out? We just ran out of beer" I started giggling and gave the dude a five. LOL.

That attitude was a stark contrast to this guy that stood everyday on crutches on 40th at Bryant Park tween 6th and Madison and was always wailing at you "Won't somebody Help me please" If he didn't have bum legs, I might have been tempted to cross the street and avoid him every day.


-Mal

[dfwgator]

But I thought that most jobs come from small companies, and not actually from the large corporations.

[Iwo Jima]

Thank you for your compassion. I was beginning to think that FreeRepublic had become composed of nothing but cruel people.

To those who question whether these were real people, PublicData.com lists that Robert and Sheila Wessenberg of Coppell, Texas have Texas drivers licenses. As far as the way the story is presented, keep in mind that they did not write the article and so it may not present their story accurately or in the best light.

Did the Wessenbergs do or fail to do things which contributed to their situation? Very likely so. Since these problems have beset them, have they done everything which they could have or should have done to help themselves? Maybe not. But I fail to see why that should deprive them of all human understanding and sympathy.

By all accounts, this man is doing everything that he can to find work and provide for his family. The mother has breast cancer FOR CRYING OUT LOUD and will likely die within the year. These people have more pluck than most posters on this thread, I daresay.

[Protagoras]

He's not begging, he's an entertainer!

[DanTheAdmin]

"These facts nullify the entire story. All she had to do was move home"

Exactly! I like the next line as well:

"A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Wessenberg says she is resisting the temptation to return to New York City with her family. She worries about being forced to ride in the overcrowded subway again and live in claustrophobic conditions. Whatever comfort her husband and children might derive from being near other relatives would be diminished by such a dramatic culture change, she fears."

So I guess it's not as bad as it seems, HUH? Sorry, but if I was in the condition they claim to be in, I wouldn't worry about such matters. I guess culture change is much, much worse then insomnia and hunger. Sheesh!

[new cruelty]

Well, if anything, they have become a cautionary tale.

[DanTheAdmin]

And, anyway, stories like that simply disappear under a DemoRat administration!

[Iwo Jima]

Yes, this woman would rather die in Texas than move to New York. That's understandable.

Look, this woman can't have more than a year to live. Her children -- who have needs, too -- are born and raised in Texas. Her husband has a far better chance of finding work in Texas than in New York, where it does not appear he has ever lived.

Her decision to not move in with her family is well thought out and unselfish. It in no way invlaidates her story or the reality of her suffering.

[dfwgator]

the days of lifetime employment in any organization (except certain parts of the federal government) are over.

I think most people realize that the concept of lifetime employment in a single organization has been gone for many years now. But what has changed is that now the days of having one career are over as well. Sure people changed companies and jobs, but in general those jobs were within the same job category or career path. Now, people are going to have to constantly reinvent themselves.

[Ravenstar]

It seemed to me though you could be right, that the claustrophobic feeling meant just that. I think she gets a panic attack under those conditions. I don't think, though I could be wrong, that it is just a slight desire for open spaces.

Ravenstar

[I still care]

My husband died a few months ago, and I am reorganizing my budget to live on much less.

If you have some resources, and time, you can set yourself up to live on very little, if necessary.

Granted, we all make bad decisions, and pay for them, and she obviously needs health insurance.

But it seems to me that what people in this article call "strength" or being "a fighter" is pure stubbornness and grasping. By the way, I not only could live on $15 an hour, it would be a promotion.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The guys standing at the freeway offramps get nothing from me. It is the same guys every time and I know their scams. However, I was approached by a fellow in the parking lot of an auto parts store who said he needed parts and money to get home. At first I said no and drove away. But I came back for some reason.

A quick look on my part confirmed that the serpentine belt was shredded and had taken out a water hose. His wife was in the car, asleep. He went right inside and bought the parts. I'm glad I turned around.

[oceanview]

But you can't have the type of huge wave of dis-employment that we have now from larger established companies, and expect small companies to have all the growth needed to pick up the slack.

[Iwo Jima]

I just hate it when I have to sell my mink coat to feed the kids.

Well, la tee da to you. I don't get your point. Are you jealous that when times were good this woman could afford a fur coat? Do you criticize her for selling it when times got bad? Do you think that the fact that she had a fur coat to sell means that she could sell it and feed her family for the rest of time and therefore would never need to do desperate things to put food on the table? What is your point????

So you once played computer games about how cheaply you could feed a family. Guess what? This woman is not playing games. This woman is dying of cancer and taking care of an autistic child who needs 24 hour care. Maybe she doesn't have the stamina, time, and transportation to cruise garage sales.

And $30 for a year's worth of new undies and shoes???? How ridiculous.

[xJones]

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

Last winter, they scoured the neighborhood for tree limbs to burn in the living-room fireplace, instead of using the furnace.

Port, this article is a hoot for Dallas homeowners. We don't have home furnaces in the north central Texas region, Just ask around, that claim of "furnace" in Coppell (a 'burb to the northwest of Dallas) was a giveaway this was written by another northern Jason Blair-type exercising "literary license".

It's funny because home furnaces may be common elsewhere in the U.S., but not at all here. Blast #@j#$#* incompetant non-Texan writers that can't even fill in their lying details correctly....(:)