Middle America Worker's Story

[cleanspeed1]

Originally Posted by GoGogebic

There is a man from the Rockford Area and for the sake of this story I will call him Mike. Mike spent approximately 20 years working at a factory making parts for appliances. He worked his way up the ladder and was eventually named the Lead Guy. Mike was wise with his money and did an excellent job supporting his family. His sacrifices gave his children many of the things he never had, but after nearly two decades the company he worked for was sold. Almost all the operations were moved to a town over 80 miles north. Fortunately, unlike many people hurt my the 2009 downturn he still had a job, but now it was a 1hr and 45 min drive away. With the unemployment in Rockford hovering around 19% at the time of his company's sale, he didn't have much of a choice.He had to take the job just to survive.

While the drive time affected his family life, the cost of driving hurt just as badly. It cost Mike about $30 dollars a day to drive to work, and while his pay was decent the $6260.80 a year was crippling. This battle between work and family thankfully came to an end after a 1 1/2 years. Mike recently accepted a great job a few minutes from home and His life has returned to some sort of normalcy.

Mike's story is typical of thousands of people around this country, but there seems to be even more individuals who's extreme commuting battle is just starting and isn't ending for the foreseeable future. The missed family time experienced by people like Mike is extremely stressful, but the financial burden can be even more stressful. Especially since many times these people, due to spouse layoffs, are already the sole bread winner . What these people need is the piece of mind that comes from the financial freedom brought by efficient transportation. In some areas this comes in the form of public transportation or ride-sharing, but for many of us this can only come in the form of a cheap, reliable, fuel efficient vehicle. These days car companies boast of 40 mpg, but the 1995 Honda Civic VX got over 50 mpg. So that being said 40 mpg isn't really that impressive.

If so what are your suggestions? I know I have one.

This can potentially get all long faced, but for someone who has been an OTR trucker, the problem will always go back to how quickly you make adjustments to the prevailing conditions. In other words, you gotta pay attention.

The warning signs for Mike have been around for more than a minute, but Mike felt that he could cover the spread. He got comfortable. He has 20 years in an industry where after that much time, he should be able to know enough to have his own, or at least be able to prepare for the new volatility that has been put in the labor market. Mike was already hearing things no doubt from others in the industry and co workers. He didn't move fast enough, so now he has to "do what he has to do".

Couldn't find a way to write off that fuel money on taxes? Need a good accountant.

The answer to getting things back in balance? I think we are all here trying to figure that one out, and, at least for me, it will take basically reengineering something to run like it needs to run for the current conditions.

[slowmover]

Off-shoring, the re-establishment of monopolies, the complete capture of government by the ultra-rich (and their complete avoidance of taxes; i.e., there is no "deficit"), the lack of new middle-class wage jobs (none created since 1999), have all been going on for 30+ years. The average transportation expense is the highest now for Americans since WWII. Above 20% of net income for many.

"Mike" shoulda swilled a few less beers in front of the stupidtoob and worn out his library card. The info -- and what it portends -- is not news. Luck favors the prepared. All of us are trapped in this bind (for if not ourselves, then our family members, our community, etc). The way out -- a higher mpg vehicle -- is only a stopgap.

.

[GoGogebic]

I really don't understand what going to the library has to do with anything. You can be the smartest person in the world, but that won't necessarily prevent you from losing your job. People just assume if someone loses their job they're lazy or stupid. I know it's hard for some of you to believe but the DOT states the average US driver only gets 17.2 mpg. So there are many people out there who are living on the edge when it comes to fuel mileage, and they are not all stupid and lazy. I guess my point was that we can argue all day long about the causes of high gas prices, but none of us can do anything about them. No one here is going to end fuel speculation or single handily create enough middle class jobs to save the country. The thing I have always admired about the people on this site is that they don't wait for the government to fix the problems, but they fix them themselves. I was just hoping that their would be a little more compassion for people like Mike who are new to the things many people have known here for a while. I think its up to us here to help them and create an easy way for them to get on board.

GoGogebic

[Frank Lee]

People that have their heads up their butts are not receptive to information and facts. It is the year 2011 and anyone tooling around like that- high miles, low mpgs- is firmly in that category.

[mwebb]

Originally Posted by cleanspeed1

Because the Gubernment, media and other critical elements of our society is owned by them and they are not going to go piss off their masters as long as the money is still flowing to them.

so
cut the supply of money to the masters
cut the head off of the snake , so to speak
Support the Kaptur/Jones Prudent Banking Act of 2011, H.R. 1489 - Standard-Examiner

bring back
the
Glass Steagal act - time to fight back

[SentraSE-R]

Mike was not wise with his money. He did the same thing that's gotten millions of Americans in trouble. He lived beyond his means, owing on a FSP when he should have been driving a paid-off econobox. All the people upside down on their mortgages also lived beyond their means, buying McMansions instead of affordable homes.

The sad part of the story is he apparently taught his children that living beyond their means is OK ("His sacrifices gave his children many of the things he never had"). Living well on borrowed money is what got got most of the housing meltdown victims in trouble, and it's what got the government in trouble. In short, it's what got the country in trouble.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by GoGogebic

So there are many people out there who are living on the edge when it comes to fuel mileage, and they are not all stupid and lazy.

Yes, they are stupid. What's stupidity, if not being able to learn? We've spent the last decade or so watching gas prices take big jumps every year or so. Anyone who's bothered to listen to news, or read newspapers & magazines, or in any way keep informed about what's going on in the world, has heard people who are supposed to know predict that prices are just going to keep going up over long term.

Now having ready access to all this information, they refused to learn that the cost of driving the same old guzzler - or even bigger & thirstier guzzlers - would keep going up. Not only that, in the face of much evidence of a changing job market, they kept on taking on mortgage & auto loan & credit card debt, so that a good chunk of their income was going to the banks as interest, rather than to savings.

On the other hand, and all modesty aside, I was smart. I bought a 70 mpg Honda Insight back in 2003, replacing a CRX that got a mere 40-45 mpg. While Mike and his fellows were living high on the hog, I spent the decade putting most of my spare cash into investments, and I organized my work so that I can do almost all of it by telecommuting. Only debt I have is a mortgage, and that's less than the rent on a decent apartment.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

A lady called from Stornaway - which is an island off the west coast of Scotland. Because of job availability she had to work in the only main town there is there. But because of low pay and housing cost she had to live away from the town. No public transport available at her hours so she has no choice but to drive.

No choice? But Lewis is small enough that most places should be within fairly easy biking distance of Stornoway. And I think pretty flat, too.

[SentraSE-R]

Adding to the point of my earlier post, any American driving a car that averages <46 mpg is living beyond his/her means. The USA has to import oil because of all the Mikes who keep us in debt to the likes of Hugo Chavez and OPEC.

[cleanspeed1]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

No choice? But Lewis is small enough that most places should be within fairly easy biking distance of Stornoway. And I think pretty flat, too.

If not biking, a scooter. I didn't mean that as a joke.