[A. Pole]

At $50,000 that employee is getting dangerously close to the level where he can obtain government programs like CHIP and food stamps.

$50,000 is a good pay. What about $20,000 ?

[FITZ]

$50,000 would be considered very good pay in this area where only 1 out of 3 people makes over $10 an hour ----but it's not too much over the level you can start collecting some of the freebies like Medicaid and Food Stamps.

"Budget writers agreed to keep CHIP income eligibility as it is now: families who earn twice the poverty level, or $36,800 annually for a family of four."

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20030525-117411.shtml

[FITZ]

$20,000 a year gets you counted as employed but with that you and your entire family will qualify for the "earned income" welfare, food stamps, free lunch and breakfast at school, Medicaid and many others. You might just as well be on welfare for all that.