Then I assum you filed a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, and availed yourself of the Feds second chance program, one which many believe should not be available to those who need it, such as you once did, and availed yourself of that legislation.

Strange, for you, bankruptcy is Ok, forgiveness of massive debt to be absorbed by those who relied upon you, but a minimum wage for an honest days work is not? Go figure.

I have to admit, I see there is no point carrying this on further. You are clueless about me, my education, or my work history or work ethic. Because some of us actually have learned from this nations past history, social and economic. You obviously have not, and even on site such as this consistently avoid the issues raised, much less those facing this nation, and its people, falling back on pat responses, and futile attempts to belittle anyone who has a different opinion, as you don't even responding to the points under discussion.

Sooner or later, unless you and others like you open your eyes, and learn from our nations economic history of what worked, and what obviously has not, as well as events occurring on a daily basis in Washington, this nation will become a pure Oligarchy, the worlds largest Banana Republic. Unfortunately, thanks to Reagan's trickle down economics, and deregulation, this Nation has the largest unequal distribution of wealth among its population than any other industrialized nation on earth? I didn't think so. Do you even care? Probably not, just as long as you have yours.

Once again, you have not addressed the real issues, survival in today's economy on what is supposed to be an entry level wage, ie: minimum, but for many employed in the US has become a "standard wage", simply because there are others waiting for the job if the employee leaves.

Obviously, you still have not attempted to figure up the costs of living in today's economy on a minimum wage salary.

Bottom line is you cannot do it. There in is the real problem, and all you bluster about a work ethic and working at a Union job when today employers have no incentive to increase salaries for a more seasoned. employee as a cheaper replacement is out there waiting, accomplishes nothing.

I note you mentioned "Union". Unfortunately, today you would not have that option in many Red States, so it is a very good possibility that your personal success in the past cannot be duplicated by many who are as well, or more talented than you, considering the fact that the Right Wing GOP is hell bent on union busting, and keeping minimum wage down.

Why don't you compare your union wages, both then and now adjusted for inflation, with the current minimum wage's effective buying power.

By the way, did you bother figuring up the minimum outlay for individuals trying to survive on minimum wage these days? You know, rent, electric, transportation, medical , food, to name just a few. That alone wipes out all income, and sends most to the food pantries, and other charitable organizations. Your attitude towards those less fortunate than you certainly makes much more sense, as you obviously have never had to deal with the realities of a minimum wage job.

""Living Wage," my dying a$$!"

That is exactly what got us into this economic mess. You have yours, who cares about the rest of this nation.

I note you have no answers to the issues I raised. Just more bluster and very tired buzz words. No answers, no plan, no solutions, just more of the failed Right Wing Economic theories which created the Bush II economic meltdown, and the block and stall GOP House which has kept this nation's people struggling in their attempts to dupe the American Public to let them try it a 4th time.

Pell grants don't cover all of your educational expenses. Working at night earning current minimum wage doesn't even cover all your living expenses, much less allow you to save any thing towards,much less pay your tuition,lab and other cost of books, lab to name a few. Besides, aren't Pell grants part of the "giveaway" the GOP hates?

Come on, get real. Back when you were working nights and going to school, education costs were proportionately much less, and wages, including minimum wage were much higher which allowed that plan to work

That was then, this is now. The realities of the GOP's economic plan for America have done nothing but redistribute an additional 38% of all of America's wealth to the top 2%. Spend some time studying this nation's economic history since 1950, including Federal income tax rates, Federal Deficits, the distribution of wealth, back when that same 2% owned only 8% of all the wealth of America. Consider the massive migration of wealth during the Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II Administrations, and look at the total picture today, tax rates, the distribution of wealth, the shrinking middle class, and the expanding numbers of American's living in poverty, as the very rich accumulate more and more of all of America's wealth. Rather shocking, isn't it. Why worry about external terrorism, America's strength, the middle class, and an educated population is slowly being destroyed by the failed economic policies of those three GOP Administrations. What you are trying to sell is more of the same, which is exactly why the Roman Empire collapsed after 1300 years, politicians and the very rich conspired to redistribute that empires wealth to that group, exactly what we have been seeing in the US. Isn't it rather sickening to know the top 10% of all Americans own 90% of all the wealth of America?

Think about it.

You see nothing. You fail to comprehend that minimum wage these days is a standard wage, paid to many more people who are not simply workers with no skills entering the labor force for the very first time.

You also have totally avoided the real issue, which is that minimum wage is a joke, less than 70% of what it was in real buying power compared to 20 years ago, yet you, and others like to complain about the 47% who don't pay income taxes simply because their net income is below the minimum. Increase their minimum wage, and they will gladly begin pay income taxes.

Instead of sitting in your ivory tower reading the various Right Wing publications and blogs, why not open your eyes. Take the time to figure up an employee's monthly income at minimum wage, after taxes, if any.

Then begin deducting average expenses. Rent, food, electric, water, gas, medical bills, transportation, (public, as on minimum wage,you can't afford to own a car.) Notice I did not mention kids, education, medical expenses, and the related expenses that go with them. No family no relationships for them, can't afford them, no money to go out for a $10.00 movie.

While you are digging around why not see what you can lean about the educational level of those filling minimum wage jobs, and those who are unemployed in today's economy?

You like to speak of education, and those who have it succeed. Not always. Many college educated graduates are working at minimum wage jobs, and have been doing so since graduation. Haven't you read about the "experts" who now question the value of a 4 year degree in today's economy? Then again, assuming that an individual goes for his 4 year degree, how are they going to pay for it? With savings on minimum wage after working for 4 years after graduation from high school? I know, borrow the money from their parents, as Romny suggested.

By the way, how are the total monthly costs of living working out compared to total minimum wage monthly income that you were figuring up? Shocking isn't it. No wonder the US has so many Americans relying upon "safety nets".

All your arguments are an illusion. they sound good, but impossible for Americans earning minimum wage in the US until some changes are made. As far as your concerns of my education level, no need to worry. Based upon your simplistic arguments, I have no doubts that my educational level is superior to yours.

No one promised a rose garden, but we can and do expect a living wage without having to depend on charity, or Federal, state, and local government safety nets. Apparently you are happy with the current minimum wage, and believe it is fair and reasonable?

The key to this topic is in "areas of high demand". Higher paying jobs are not out there in large numbers. Those limited jobs that are available have very specific requirements, and just having a college education is not sufficient.

The bottom line is that for most, minimum wage has now become the "standard wage", which is just not a living wage. and requires those receiving it to seek assistance from state, Federal, and local organizations, as minimum wage now has less than 70% of the buying power it did 20 years ago.

the Bush II's Administration was responsible for failing to slow the markets, by enforcing the laws then in effect, as well as the existing banking rules regulations, standards and practices. There was one specific provision of the law which stated (to paraphrase) that: all mortgage loans shall be made in accordance with sound, generally accepted, mortgage loan practices. Obviously, as it was well known that anyone with a pulse and a very good credit score could obtain a $400.00 mortgage loan without documenting any other other information, that provision was ignored by all.

Unfortunately, this nation was a victim of Bush's "blind eye deregulation", as his Administration had all the tools necessary to limit and stop the abuse of bankers, mortgage brokers, as well as the individuals who were gaming the system in their own selfish self interests, had he not been so concerned about insuring the unrestricted growth of the US economy without comprehending that it's expansion was based upon the public's ever increasing use of credit to drive it, the foundation of which was not more or better jobs, new manufacturing, research, education to name afew, but rather allowing the dangerous ever growing bubbles of real estate, mortgage, and financial sectors to continue.

The tools were all there, Bush and Co simply chose not to use them.

Bush's "economic growth" was based on a two war economy, and consumer spending funded by real estate and mortgage bubbles as people refinanced their homes, taking the profits and spending them. When you consider that anyone with a pulse, and a good credit score could borrow $400,000 with no references, no job, and no proof of income, you can understand why the meltdown occurred, and how reckless consumer spending drove up the appearance of high employment. It was all an illusion, one which Bush II chose not to off set, despite repeated warnings of the risk, as he was afraid that any attempts to get it under control would slow it down excessively, and he wanted the legacy of an expanding economy. When you factor in the consequences of the Bush II meltdown, his record is not nearly what you claim.

The reality is that the GOP melts down our economy, and the Democrats have to come after and fix it. Bush and the GOP melted it down again, even though Bush II had a controlling majority for 6 years of his administrations, so it is failed GOP policies which destroyed our economy. This time, rather than work together to rebuild our economy, create jobs, and increase Federal Revenues, the GOP has chosen to block and stall all legislation which would invest in job creation, rebuild our economy, and generate Federal revenues. Because Obama won't roll over and play dead, but rather now acts with his Executive powers without Congress, the GOP now claims that he is "violating the Constitution" rousing the "Faithful" to a fever pitch.

The Bottom line is the what now is the GOP has chosen to put itself first, rather than working with Obama and the Senate to rebuild our economy and create jobs which true legislators and statesmen would do, putting the welfare of this Nation first.

The good news for the Middle Class is the Voting Public is waking up to the reality of the "New Right Wing GOP", and its "Party First, People Last" dogma.

Obama's favorability may be in the 40% range, but even at those numbers, they are still are twice what the public thinks of the GOP House.

" Conservatism has worked every time it has been tried."
If that were correct, then the Bush II Administrations would have been the Golden Age of American economic expansion. It was not. Has it really been so long ago that you have forgotten that Bush II implemented tax cuts and deregulation, rejecting the balanced budget he inherited, and running up over 6 trillion in deficits during his 8 years, two wars, and his final gift, the Bush II economic meltdown, which if not slowed, could have been a second "Great Depression"

As far as Obama being "radical", most experts consider him to be to the right of moderate.

Finally,please point out what I have "parroted", as opposed to simply researching out information which is freely available on Federal websites. This information is available to anyone who has the intellectual curiosity to go looking for it. All of it is there, so read it and weep.

This is nothing but a bald attempt to misdirect the Voters attention to the real problem in America today, which is the Radical Right, and to a lesser extent, the Radical Left, both which assume the "My way or the highway" position.

The reality is that the past 20 years of the GOP/Reagan/Bush 1/Bush II Administrations have wounded the American Dream, as Reaganomics, a/k/a tax cuts for job creators and deregulation have done nothing but "Redistiributed" (a nice GOP term) 38% of all of America's wealth to the top 2%, the very rich. To really understand what has gone on as a direct result of failed GOP economic policies, the top 10% of Americans now own 90% of all of America's wealth. Contrast that with the fact that back in 1969, the top 2% of wealthy American's owned only 8% of all the wealth of America. but it gets worse, the Middle Class, which is the foundation of American growth and expansion of the economy, has shrunk, and the numbers of Americans living at, in, or below the poverty level now exceeds 47% of all Americans.

To understand how this all came about, study the tax rates, distribution of wealth, Deficit creaation, and job creation by each Democratic and GOP Administrations. Then factor in the still current trend of shipping American jobs and American production facilities over seas, which is one reason why China has been able to bootstrap itself up with technology the US manufacturers freely gave away as part and parcel of their drive for more profits now at any cost. Then take a look at the proportion of Federal Income tax receipts to our nations GNP as a result of the GOP's tax cuts for job creators, then understand why we have had ever increasing Federal deficits, as our Nations infrastructure continues to crumble, to the point it is now ranked D+ compared to the rest of the Industrialized world..

The results of such study are truly shocking, as the abject failure of Reaganomics and Right Wing economic theory is painfully obvious. Tax cuts for Job Creators does not create more jobs, especially when compared to the number of jobs created by Democratic Administrations. It does however, create massive Federal deficits, even when the Right Wing GOP attempts to cut spending as offsets, (hence our failing infrastructures) . it does however create more and more wealth in the very rich, which has not taken its tax savings, and accumulated more and more wealth for themselves. It has resulted in an ever expanding class of Americans finding themselves sliding into the maligned Romney/GOP 47%, through little fault of their own. It has resulted in unfair income tax discrimination between types of profit corporations, some paying 0%, thanks to credits, subsidies, and special classifications. It has resulted in our national electrical grid being obsolete, and a target for terrorists, it has resulted in a minimum wage today that has less than 70% of the purchasing power it did 20 years ago.

It is time for the American Voters to wake up, and recognize facts, that the GOP has no solutions, no answers, no plan for America, except for the plan it has for itself, to win at any cost. This included the claim that they have the right to lie to the voting public about their political opposition without consequence, as such is "freedom of speech", and it is up the the voter to determine who is lying.

Sorry, it is time to put moderates into office, Republican and Democratic who put all the People first, electing individuals who want to be legislators, and statesmen, not politicians who are there solely for their own wealth and power.