Right to Work??????It

I think it has something to do with the minimum wage being inadequate to live on. They're trying to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour which will still be shy of what a person needs to live on. That's what that slogan sounds like to me. "Right to work. Right to starve." Because working full time at minimum wage disqualifies you for any help with food but it's no way enough to live on.

That does make sense, I kind of wish they would stop raising minimum wage because I notice everytime it raises the price of everything else goes up too. I'm on disability and that is MUCH less that minimum wage, even when it goes up it's still doesn't touch minimum wage and they take a chunk extra out so I can have insurance. I understand not everyone shares my income situation and if you work you really do need to get extra especially if you have children... I just wish a trip to Wal-mart didn't cost that much more every time they raise minimum wage.

I hear you loud and clear, my friend. I am also on disability and my cost of living went up something like 12% and they gave us what? 3% COLA last year? They need to keep up the Social Security pay as well as minimum wage. They both need to be fixed!

yeah, makes sens to me...

We have a family of four (myself, husband, two daughters) and when I was working full time and my husband only part time we tried for food stamps and were told we made about $2 too much a month...seriously...then her was in a motorcycle accident (6/22/2010) and I literally called the county assistance office the next day and had to jump through some hoops but got us on food stamps since he no longer had employment (accident was that bad)

Since then he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and has gotten on disability so we no longer get food stamps...but it is still a struggle to make ends meet...and I actually do make more than minimum wage, but not by too much...even a tiny bit more than $10 an hour...and we do not live in a high cost of living area...

Katryn, my sympathies. Life can really be hard sometimes. I just wish I could still work.

It is hard. I'm supposed to get 845 dollars a month, but with Medicare premiums it ends up being a 100 less than that. At first they dropped me off foodstamps completely because of that... they they started giving me 14 dollars in fs a month and then they raised it to 200... so that was good, then they dropped fs down to 30 a month. It was rough when all my other bills were factored in. Finally they raised it to 191, but I'm not counting on it staying that way. I have tried to get a 'real job' but I went completely nuts during the two days I was on the job. I go to school to try again, but I kind of doubt that I'll be able to actually work again. Not being lazy or anything, I do work my butt off with Gather, Mylot, a little freelancing and I'm thinking of selling some knitting or writing a book or something. Just the typical workplace is not set up for a person with my issues in mind.

I know lots of other Bi polar people that work and I give kudos to them. I know people that have have bigger issues that I have that are on disability and I realize that we are all in the same boat... it's hard to come out on top when you hardly get anything to live off of.

Katryn, my heart goes out to you and I hope you get the strength to carry on. It is hard. But, you seem like the type that can make it.

Oh, I hear you completely, Kimberli. I know just what you mean about the fs. When my daughter went to work they decided I had to count her income toward my fs, even though she was underage and saving for college. They knocked me from $300 down to $30. Now, what I would like to know is how my daughter's income was all that much to cut my fs that much? I just could never figure out how they figured it all out. I could understand cutting it but by that much? Go figure.

I'm sorry that happened to you. That happened to a neighbor of mine once. She had a 16 year old daughter that worked and they not only dropped her food stamps they also hiked her rent on her. And in the state of Missouri they only are supposed to count the income of children living at home 18 or older. Though a child living at home under the age of 22 can't apply for food stamps on their own. It's like some sort of weird magic puzzle that I can't figure out for the life of me and a few people are playing puppeteer with my livelihood. I think it would be awesome if a few of us made a group where we posted some of these crazy whacky info like this and offered advice to eachother and others on navigating around that. I think there are about 3 or 4 people who have just posted in this post alone that would have valuable input on the subject.

Yes, I know what you mean. It's like the stupidest rule I ever heard and SSI has it. In order to receive SSI I cannot have more than $2000 in resources. Not only can I not have a savings account balance higher than that but I can't own property worth more than that. My car can't be worth more than that and I can't own any property worth more than that unless it's my primary residence. Heaven forbid any of us should ever handle our money better than the government! We are forced into deficit spending because they don't care if we are in debt. They just don't want us to build up enough resources to not need their SSI anymore!

Amen. Lol Yeah, disability and state help is the only thing standing in the way of my boyfriend and I getting married. He has mental health issues too, as long as he is a single father and make below a certain amount he gets foodstamps and lots of tax money at the end of the year... and as long as we don't get married I keep getting my check... there is no between ground anymore... either you are rich or you are so dirt poor dead people are worth more than you. And that makes me sick.

Amen and amen! It's an insane world we live in and the craziest are in the government!

Mr. Obama has recently passed some things, after making threats if it don't and he finally got it done....now, the ones who get just insurance through the state, they are penalized for working, all their ins benefits will be taken away, the ones his new plans hurt the most is the disabled and the elderly. He does not feel the care they receive at home is important and is taking much of that away, it will not only hurt them, many will need to go to nursing homes, but it will also put home health care places in a bind, some will probably lose their jobs. That is what I have been seeing the last two years here in Ohio but sense Obama Care has passed it is even worse. I don't know if that what the bumper stickers are for, maybe google it and see what you come up with.

Hmmm, I don't think Missouri is following the Healthcare Reform Laws just yet. At least they are still charging me as if I actually have a decent income when I'm on disability. It is my understanding that if they were following the Healthcare Reform I would not have to pay a spenddown anymore to get my insurance... I don't know about premiums. I'm supposed to have QMB to cover premiums and they still won't do it. There are days I think about getting a job even though I know my mind would not be able to handle the added pressure at this time. That is why I do online work because it adds something to my income that I need badly.

That is a good idea to google it though.

Yeah but the cost we all will be getting for this great healthcare program is not going to hit us until tax time, not this years but the following year. It is not going to be cheap how I understand it.

I don't know, I don't have to file taxes... so that won't affect me. When I do have to start paying taxes it will most likely be in a couple of years.

Not to say I don't feel for the people those taxes will affect, I hope you will find a way to make it thru this.

Texas is said to be a, "Right to work state". It has to do with (just guessing) a non-union mentality, or view, what-have-you, sort of thing. I've lived here all my life, but have never had anyone ever tell me an actual definition of the term, "right to work", but I've only heard it spoken of in referece to being against unionizing.

Okay I asked my instructor and he reaffirmed what you have said. Basically Missouri is a Union state and they are rather proud of it or something like that. Haha.

First let me say that, despite their pretending to have good intentions, everyone else here who disagrees with me is un-American.

Second, "Right To Work" is the new slogan of the Better Business Bureau - which is comprised of businesses. The slogan refers to all the business owners' tardy employees all across the nation who seem to take turns being late every day.

They needed to save space on the bumper stickers, so they cut it off from "Get Right To Work!"

That is an interesting perspective on the subject.

LOL!

Iowa is a Right to Work state. Basically the law states that you dont have to join a union as a condition of employement.

Yes. It is commonly confused with "At-will" employment, which means you have no protection and can be fired at any time without any reason or severance pay, and there's nothing you can do about it.

"At-will" employment is the real problem. That's why no one can fight for a living wage. They can lose their job and have no way to counteract it. It's practically slavery.

All "Right-to-work" means is that, if a business actually managed to develop a union, non-union members can play parasite and share the gains, without contributing. This is meant to hurt the union by depriving it of votes and funding.

The two laws are meant to work together to create a permanement underclass - workers who earn next to nothing but can't fight back in any way.

Compared to many European labor laws, American labor laws are a one-sided mess. Only a small handful of protected classes have any chance of fighting back, and even then, it's an uphill climb.

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense, Franklin. I know Missouri is an 'at will' employment state. We can get fired for having the wrong color of hair and its very hard to get unemployment benefits. People that get them tend to try to stay on them because it is so rough.

You can do a search on the term and get more details and/or opinion on points of view, but it basically means you can't be forced to join a union and pay mandatory union dues as a condition of employment. Some states are what they call "right to work" states, some aren't, and there may be some variation in the laws between states. It doesn't mean there aren't unions in them, there are, just that you can't be forced against your will to join one and pay dues, not legally anyway.

Well, I know you can't be forced to join the union here... but I don't think Missouri is a Right to Work state, because it's not in the state lists I have found. Thanks for sharing it helps a lot.

lots of explanations of "right to work" but only one that I read (the first) on the whole slogan. And I must say, I agree that it makes sense. It is difficult to make ends meet at a full time job at minimum wage and yet you also don't seem to qualify for any help such as food stamps...

I asked a teacher a school and he said it was the union answer... but really, all the explanations make sense too. So, I appreciate everyone's input.

Wages in this nation are ridiculous compared to the cost of living. I took a course in financing provided by the Federal Government and really was blown away. The allowance in your budget according to the Feds for food for one month should be 150.00 dollars. That is scraping the bottom of the pot for sure. It is interesting to learn about that bumper sticker. Very good discussion!

Thanks for telling me about that! I know years ago when I moved into low income housing the application included telling all about my expenses. I told them I had a car and I had to pay for gas an insurance on it. They just blinked at me and said that a car was not a necessary expense. That blew me away, because I lived in the county at the time and there really was no alternative to driving to your doctors appointments. And taking a taxi ended up costing more than owning a car if you got a cast off car from a family member like I did. But, they counted the car as income and my rent was half of my actual cash income because of it.

I don't claim my gather earnings because it's not that much, but if I were required to claim them I'm sure something else would end up getting cut.

I honestly do not know how we make it on our incomes these days. It is so out of whack. Honestly I don't care what anyone thinks about what I wear and the groceries I buy. I do lots of sewing also. But that has gotten to where it costs more than buying something to wear almost. I find discount materials and threads. I also buy second hand clothing and redesign most of them. Most people do not know the shape this country is in. I see desperate Moms and Dads busting their butts to make ends meet more and more every day. And still they don't make ends meet. I pray.

I like you... you sound like a kindred spirit. Lol I end up making over a lot of my clothes too. Mostly because I'm fat and they don't sell cute cheap clothes for fat girls. So, I get the stuff I like then call my Granny and ask her how to make them over. I shortened a mens black army trench coat to something I can wear this fall the other day. I think that Flat sheets at the thrift store is the cheapest way to buy quantities of fabric to sew with. I collect them. I also knit like crazy, but you are right it does cost more to make than to buy because it's a 'HOBBY' and intended for leisure these days not a way of life like it was when I was a kid and my mom made most all my clothes for me. The only way I think knitting is a good deal is if I turn around and sell what I make for a decided mark up. And then I don't really get to enjoy the fun of using what I made. Grrrr. Most of my online earnings go toward CVS giftcards that I use to purchase my medications with. Otherwise I'd be going without and be crazy all the time. : )