Re: MSNBC (Oberg) - Deadly space lessons go unheeded

From: Rhonda Lea Kirk (rhondaleakirk_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 01/30/05 

Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 19:47:39 -0500

JazzMan wrote:
> I challenge all you allegedly intelligent people here
> to
> sit down and write out a simple budget using real
> world
> numbers and show proof that someone making minimum
> wage can afford health insurance and live a minimal
> life
> out of the rain on at least 1,600 calories a day.
> Electricity,
> phone, entertainment, and education costs extra, of
> course.

I think I can do that, actually.

When I left my job in New Jersey (it paid reasonably
well--my income at that time was about $50k/year ), I
took a job that paid $7/hour (because I wanted to work
in skydiving). Now, I grant you $7/hour isn't minimum
wage, but I had a teenager to support (and yes, her dad
paid child support, but it didn't cover much), and I
rarely worked a full 40 hour week (a rainy day on a
dropzone is a day you don't work). My employer made
health insurance available, but I had to pay the full
premium. And I did. (Which is a good thing, because it
costs $1400/year to treat just my hypothyroid
condition.)

I'm actually have some of my budgets from those years.
Because my income was so low, and because I had a
child, I qualified for public assistance--full medical,
food stamps, housing and so on--but I chose not to
apply for benefits. "Death before dishonor" or
something like that.

rl

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