Shipler Reading Assignment Response #10 - Ch.11

The thing that struck me most was how unimportant the government run programs seem to be to the government! For example, the Head Start program for younger children who may not have the same educational oppurtuinites as most kids. I was very surprised to find out how low the teachers wages were. Since they were government jobs I expected them to earn a pretty decent wage. I am not a big believer in governement assistance to people who do not deserve it. But I do believe that any kid who does not have the same oppurtunity to build a bright future for him or herslef, as say a kid who lives 10 minutes away in a nicer neighborhiood, should be helped out in some way. I feel that because that child's parents did not take the initiative to give their child a good life, they should not be punished by not having the same oppurtunities as other children.

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #9 - Ch. 10

This Chapter was very inspriational to me because I love to see people turn their lives around for the better. I believe that everybody deserves a 2nd or 3rd chance at having a good, productive life, even if they've messed up a few times. Leary Brock for example had hit rock bottom before making the decision to change the way she lived her life. The title of this chapter, Work Works, was very fitting becasue this chapter shows us that if people want to get their life together and work hard it really makes a difference and the can greatly improve their lives.

Scavenger Hunt

1. Krystal



2.



3.



4.



5. Many people have, I'm sure i have a few times



6.



7. Anthony P.



8.



9. Anthony N.



10. Gayle

* I commented on Gayle's blog, the Ch. 10 response

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #8 - Ch.9

The thing I liked about Ch. 9 was that it was very relevent to me, being I just graduated high school in '08. Although most of what Shipler sais about parent-student relationships, and how that transfers to students performances seems to be the case, it is not always true.
I have always had a great relationship with my parents and they were very involved in my education growing up. They always made sure I was on track and getting my work done, and usually attended parent-teacher conferences. Throughout elementary and middle school, I was always a good student. But when I got to high school, I started to become unmotivated and I really did not want to put in the work. I felt that a lot of stuff we had to do was pointless, and I definitely became lazy. My grades gradually went down every year and I really did not care. Although I was not a good student for a period of time, I have matured and grown up a lot the last few years and have realized how important my education is. So even though I may be feeling unmotivated/lazy sometimes, I am making sure that I get all of my work done and force myself to study for tests and exams.
Another example is I have is a few friends that I have. It's sad to say but they haven't grown up in the best environment with the best parents. Really, it seems like their parents could not care less about their kids performance in school and overall life. Because of this, they do not do well in school, they don't live the healthiest lives, and they do not have a plan for the future. So in this example, what Shipler sais about good parents produce well-performing kids, and poor parents produce the opposite, does apply.
If you do not feel like reading the whole response, my point is basically saying that parents play a huge role in their childrens lives, but no matter what the parents do the kid still has to make his or her own decisions and choose whether or not the way they perform in school and other aspects of life is important to them.

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #7 - Ch. 7

Ron Hillier

Professor Wetzl

College Writing I

3 November 2009

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #7 – Ch. 7

Chapter 7’s main idea was that the people Shipler is writing about are not completely alone. Although they may not have a steady job earning lots of money, a nice big house, or an expensive convertible in the drive way, they still have their family. I can relate to this because I have a very large, loving family that is always there for each other. My parents divorced when I was very young, but thanks to all of the help from the rest of my family my mom was not alone. I think Kara and Tom are a couple that inspire many people. Although they did not have the financial means to give their kids everything they wanted, they still supported them with much love. And they did whatever they could to provide their kids with everything they could, even sucking up their pride to accept donations. On the other hand, Ann chose not to work so she could spend more time with her kids. This is respectable in some sense because it’s great that she wanted to be a part of her kids lives, but I think she definitely should have done more to support them financially.

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #6 - Ch. 6

Ron Hillier

Professor Wetzl

College Writing I

3 November 2009

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #6 – Ch. 6

Chapter 6 was obviously not the most fun chapter to read from the Working Poor. Although it was full of statistics, It was probably the most shocking, depressing, and disheartening chapter to date. Within the first few minutes of reading I learned that 12 out of 13 of those girls were sexually assaulted, that is unbelievable. Another stat Shipler gives us is that one in five women in America will be raped…are you serious? Not only is this shocking it is also sickening. This chapter really made me open my eyes to this problem. Everybody knows that sexual assaults and abuses happen, but until it is thrown in our face, not many people think of it on a day to day basis. Most people have the idea that “it won’t happen to them.” This is common and somewhat reasonable, but these stats clearly tell us a different story. We know that the victims of these attacks face many negative emotional factors for the rest of their lives, and I cannot imagine what that would be like. I don’t know how I could truly trust anyone ever again, and I don’t know how I could ever life a happy, fulfilled life with a spouse. These numbers are ridiculous, and I think the American people need to come together to put a stop to this issue. We need to raise public awareness to start, and secondly

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #5 - Ch. 4

Ron Hillier

Professor Wetzl

College Writing I

3 November 2009

Shipler Reading Response #5 – Ch. 4

Chapter 4 was a very enjoyable read for me. I’ve always had some sympathy for illegal immigrants, not only because of their misfortunes, but also because of the fact that they really do help create the foundation of America. So reading about these farms, camps, or whatever you want to call them was a good learning experience for me. They were extremely dirty and uncomfortable, one was even known as the “Inferno.” The thing that struck me most from this chapter though was the kindness of Jimmy. He was considerate enough the supply his workers with means of shelter and transportation. He also had a realistic mindset when he said “nobody works for you because they love you,” and he paid his laborers a decent wage. So not only was this chapter informative, it was enjoyable for me to read because I felt that I could connect with Jimmy.

Shipler Interviews

1. "You'd better get busy changing the world; it needs it."

2. "every American is an expert on race."

3. referring to capitalism.."it's the worst system, except for all the others."

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #4 - Ch. 3

Ron Hillier
Professor Wetzl
College Writing I
05 October 2009
The Working Poor: Reading Response #4
Reading chapter three was a complete reality check. The thing that really stuck out to me was the stories about immigrant sweat-shop workers, foreign and domestic. They work extremely long hours in horrendous conditions and get paid crumbs for their services. A service that most Americans would not be willing to perform. It’s hard to imagine living life in that fashion because we have it so easy in the U.S. We as laborers are protected by labor laws that our government has put in place, along with a minimum wage that ensures low-skill workers some sort of compensation. I honestly enjoyed chapter three of The Working Poor, but as I read on I could not help but think of the sweat-shop workers and how big of a role they play in everyday life. Shoes, clothes, whatever you can think of, they have probably been touched by the hands of an underpaid, mistreated laborer.
I feel that I have truly gained something from reading this passage. Not only did it bring me to reality, but it also gave me a sense of appreciation. I have never thought of a sweat-shop worker before I checked out at the shoe store, and my guess is that most people haven’t. We as Americans should possess a great appreciation for all workers who sacrifice so much, not only for themselves and their families, but for us. So from now on, I will make a conscious decision to keep in mind those laborers who have a great responsibility in making sure our country works as well as it does.

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #3 - Ch. 2

Ron Hillier
Professor Wetzl
College Writing I
28 September, 2009
The Working Poor: Reading Response #3
In chapter two of The Working Poor, titled Work Doesn’t Work, Shipler wants to give the reader a better understanding of what it’s like to be an impoverished American. The general point of chapter two is that working a minimum wage job gets you absolutely nowhere in America, even if you receive government benefits on top of your wage. In fact, a promotion or a pay raise can actually work against you if you receive benefits.
Shipler’s first example is a lady named Christie. She worked at a YMCA in Akron, Ohio where she watched young kids while their parents went to work. She earned a measly $330 every two weeks. Needless to say, this was nowhere near enough to support her 2 children. In order to pay bills and support her children Christie received government benefits such as food stamps. The most surprising part of her situation to me was the fact that when she earned a $0.10 raise in her hourly wage, her monthly benefits decreased by $10. So in the end, her raise only earned her $6 more a month. I do have pity for Christie, but the situation she’s in cannot be completely blamed on society. She was enrolled in the University of Akron for a year before dropping out, and she had two children with two different men that were no good. I’m sorry for the situation she is in, but she did not make the wisest choices in her life either.
Another example Shipler uses is the story of Caroline Payne. Caroline is an older lady who has never met her accomplishment of holding a good paying job although she has an associates college degree. Instead, she has worked low paying jobs her whole life. A staggering statement is that Caroline earned $6 an hour in the 1970’s, and currently earns $6.80, only $0.80 more than she earned more than 20 years ago. She works as a cashier for a Wal-Mart Superstore and is a grade-A employee. She’s willing to work any hours of the day or night, not to mention she has to walk 20 minutes just to get to work, and she’s always on time. The unfair part of Caroline’s situation is that she sees younger, slimmer men and women being treated better at work by her bosses, although she feels that she’s a much better worker. I definitely believe Caroline when she says this because physical looks play a huge role in everyday life, right or wrong, and I have a lot of sympathy for Caroline because she seems like a very nice older lady who just has very bad luck.
Chapter 2 of The Working Poor opened my eyes to how hard it really is to live on a minimum wage job even if you are receiving government benefits. I realize how tough it would be to live on a low paying job because I haven’t had anything better and it’s very hard to make ends meet even with my short list of bills to pay. I can’t imagine trying to raise two kids on a paycheck as low as $330 a month. But the thing that stuck out most to me from this chapter is the fact that government benefits decrease in reaction to such a small pay raise. It makes sense that benefits would decrease as income level raised, but I think a decrease in benefits because of a $0.10 raise is ridiculous.

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #2 - Ch. 1

Ron Hillier
Professor Wetzl
College Writing I
21 September 2009
The Working Poor: Reading Response #2
The first chapter of Shipler’s The Working Poor, Money and It’s Opposite, was a very interesting and informative chapter. The general topic of the chapter is how expensive it is to be poor. Not only are people on the line of poverty always struggling to pay their bills, they’re also always struggling to pay back their accumulated debts.
The working poor class that’s always struggling to pay their monthly bills most likely has other debts to be paid back. What the first chapter is trying to get across is that poverty builds on itself. Purchasing on credit only worsens an individual’s situation by adding interest to monthly credit payments.
The second point the first chapter is trying to make is that American’s need to learn how to conserve and save money. Poor people don’t save money because they feel they don’t make enough to save, and middle-class American’s don’t conserve money well because they feel they earn enough to spend a lot. This can cause a problem if sudden car troubles or health issues surface. I can relate to this argument personally because I spend too much money myself, and I know that I do, but I am horrible at tracking how much money I have coming in and out. Overall, the first chapter was a decent read and feel that I have a better understanding of what it’s like to make ends meet for those on the line of poverty.

Shipler Reading Assignment Response #1 - Intro

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Ron Hillier
Professor Wetzl
College Writing I
14 September, 2009
The Working Poor: Reading Response #1
For our first reading assignment from David Shipler’s The Working Poor, we were required to read the novel’s preface and introduction. Shipler’s goal for including these two passages is to give the reader a general idea of what the book is about, the working-class of America that remains poor.
The preface gives a quick sample of the people Shipler writes about in his book. “I found them in black neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., and white towns in New Hampshire, in factories and job-training centers in Cleveland and Chicago, in housing projects in Akron and Los Angeles, in malnutrition clinics in Boston and Baltimore, in California sweatshops, and in North Carolina fields,“ he says in the second paragraph. This sentence is important to keep in mind because it tells the reader that poverty is neither a racial problem nor a demographic problem, but a problem that affects the U.S. as a whole.
The introduction section of The Working Poor is used to give the reader a greater understanding of the working poor class, first by giving some background of the people in the book, and then by giving actual facts that pertain to poverty. The first paragraph reads, “The man who washes cars does not own one. The clerk who files cancelled checks at the bank has $2.02 in her own account. The woman who copy-edits medical textbooks has not been to the dentist in a decade.” This is a perfect introduction paragraph because it lays out the idea that people who work hard for other people, to get done what needs to be done for the American way of life to work, are often left behind, without luxuries of their own. In the second paragraph, Shipler says, “Some are climbing out of welfare, drug addiction, or homelessness.” I believe he uses this sentence to bring about a sense of helplessness for his subjects and to give the reader a sense of sympathy for the working poor.
The preface and introduction of The Working Poor were put in place for the reader to gain a better understanding of the working poor class, but they were also very informational when it to came to what exactly the working poor and poverty is. I can honestly say that I have a much better understanding of the working poor after completing the assignment, but there were three facts that stuck out to me. The fact that caught my attention most was how the U.S. government defined poverty. On page 9, the second paragraph reads, “an annual income, for a family with one adult and three children, of less than $21,100 in the year 2007.” I could not believe it, I can’t imagine trying to raise three kids on my own, only making $21,000 a year. The second fact that caught my eye was also on page 9, in the third paragraph. It reads, “the Census Bureau still uses the basic formula designed in 1964 by the Social Security Administration, with four modest revisions in subsequent years.” In my opinion, that is ridiculous. How can you possibly calculate poverty in 2009, using almost the same formula that was used to calculate poverty in 1964? Maybe you can, but with inaccurate results. The third fact that I found meaningful was included on page 6, third paragraph down, about the gap between the rich and poor. It reads, “with a median net worth of $1,430,100 among the top 10 percent and just $1,700 for the bottom 25 percent.” To me, these numbers are unbelievable, and it only strengthens the idea that something needs to be resolved to bridge the gap between the rich and the working poor.