“I work for a big retailer,” the guy
said. “Minimum wage, paid by debit
card. It costs me $5 to transfer it into
my checking, but bank accounts are rare.
It’s $1 just to get the balance on your card! There’s a fee if you take cash. Lots of us wind up spending $25 on fees each
pay period. Keeps the merchandise cheap,
I guess, and my living standard low. My
wife’s unemployment was cut, and we’re afraid we won’t get food stamps soon. We don’t pay income tax. With the kids, we don’t earn enough. But we’ve got skin in the game. That’s what they say about us—everybody
should pay taxes—have skin in the game.
For them it’s a game. For us it’s
just hard work till you’re sick sometimes.
And no, I don’t vote. If I’m
lucky, I’m too busy working. The kids
got bumped out of head start, so we need every dime and every minute…”
****
“I’m
not worried about any of that,” Crumb said.
“Obamacare is ruining this country!
Life was great once. Oil
companies would fly you anywhere in the world.
Insurance would arrange luxury golf weekends. Lobbyists would take you fly fishing and
hunting. Those days, we had our way in
Congress. We had stature. Now you worry about reelection till you’re
sick sometimes.
“How
do you keep a positive attitude,” I asked?
“When
you’re this deep in a hole,” Congressman Crumb observed, “sometimes you have to
send out for starlight.
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