| |||
|
| |||
Sarah Comito rolls out of bed before dawn most days and slips quietly out of her house. Before her rambunctious toddler wakes up, she heads off to work as a waitress in an upscale weight-loss resort in Malibu.
The hour-long commute is exhausting, but the 33-year-old is thankful to make the trip when she remembers where she and her husband were four years ago: living in a tent in a nearby river bottom, strung out on methamphetamine.
Now Comito fears the progress they have made since then could be lost as California cuts her from a vital child care assistance program, more than doubling the cost of her son's day care to $600 a month. On a $10 hourly wage, she said she'd be better off quitting her job and staying home with her son while her husband works as a professional tree cutter. But if she stops working, they can't make rent.
"The only thing I can do is attempt to prepare for the worst," Comito said, while watching 3-year-old Matthew dart across the yard at the couple's working-class apartment complex in Oxnard.
For years, child care assistance programs offered low-income parents such as Comito a lifeline. But state legislatures dealing with multibillion dollar budget deficits during the recession have been targeting child care subsidies as one way to help balance their state budgets.
The cuts have come at just the time many parents need that help the most because full-time, well-paying jobs are in such short supply.
In the last fiscal year, combined state and federal funding for child care assistance fell by 2 percent to $12 billion, according to a 46-state analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Federal stimulus money gave a temporary boost to the subsidies, but nearly all that money stopped in 2011.
I’m kinda curious. I know for a fact that many union members are Republicans, I spoke with them on picket lines when I was doing voter registration there. Step up now, don’t be shy. Step up and volunteer to take a reduction in pay to minimum wage and waive all benefits as your patriotic duty to help the country compete with Chinese 8 buck a day labor.
No? Then shadup and let the rest of us try to mitigate some of the damage that your masters the corporatists are doing to these children.
I have no idea. These corporate apologists are going to get it in the neck just like everyone else, but they still believe some of the money will rub off on them, trickle down is reality and the tooth fairy will visit them.
fanned. Few will help someone up, but they’ll flock to help someone down.
I shiver when I see people like you hang their necks out in that self righteous wind. Find some wood to knock on or something.
Ok, that’s 1. Please explain the unemployment in the rest of the states? I also wonder why you make no mention of outsourcing. It’s pretty hard to hide something as large as the Bay Bridge.
Not a word about corporate hand outs, and not a penny taken from the prisons.
What are you using for your calculations. Are you assuming she makes minimum wage?
Don’t.
Often tips are deducted from wages, shared or serving staff are paid less than minimum wages assuming that tips will make up the difference. I’ve also heard that some managers take a healthy cut of the tips.
And even after taxes, she doesn’t get to keep it all. There’s the gas, insurance and maintenance on the car she needs for that two hour commute. Uniforms and shoes. They’re not supplied and you can’t just wear anything, not even shoes.
The average worker is a waitress? Janitor? Cashier?
There were plenty of jobs in California before they were outsourced overseas.
Or perhaps you’d like Americans to compete with cheap political prisoner labor in China? Then everyone will be equal, living in cardboard boxes under bridges. Will that be the new "average"?
kids can’t vote…….
Bottom line, California has been working on being anti-business for years and has successfully driven businesses(and the jobs that went with them) out of the state. Now they are working on driving the average worker out of the state. People in Europe have been used to working in foreign countries for years, may be time for the "29-year-old college graduate" to look some place else other than California for a living.
She did not say that (she would lose money working), she said it was almost not worth working. You forgot other expenses like the 1 hour each way commute, and the cost having a car to make the commute. She did say that she netted more money working (she needed to work to make the rent) Using your math she make $1680 per month – $117 for FICA – $600 for child care = net of $962 (and this does not subtract transportation cost). Adding the 2 hour commute she works 50 hours a week = 210 a month. Divide $962 by 210 and you get $4.58 per hour – again transportation cost would make it less. The question in someone’s mind is it worth it to drive 2 hours a day to make $4.58 an hour? The only thing you comment proves is not that the woman’s math skills are impaired, but your reading comprehension skills are lousy.
The solution is easy…..do what my wife and I did…WE DID NOT HAVE CHILDREN WE COULD NOT AFFORD!….there..problem solved.
Diffidently, I have to note, her statements say the increase of 300 bucks/month is more than she makes at her job. (Forty hrs/week for 4.2 weeks/month are about 1.7 K /month.) Of course minus Cal state income tax.And 7% FICA. Still, it does not compute
California does pay waitresses min. Wage and no state has better tippers. In most states there is $2 an hour for waitresses and far less tips, you can go home owing money after a six hour shift. Wait staff tip busboys,bartenders, hostesses, and it’s not mandatory but they also tip cooks abpnd dishwashers to assure the best service.
The lady probably cannot count on anything but her hourly wage and even this is subject to change as seasonal tourism is part of the area’s economic resources. Oxnard Anne Ventura have many migrant workers and even the middle class is pretty low key. In this economy, she probably gets fewer hours, fewer tips and fewer reasons to go into work . I think she has to find an online job or home business to make life work for her. Mom in some sort of classes or vocational training may qualify for the CC benefits, grants and section 8, which is often abused by grifters. She can probaly find a daycare or sitter for 100 a week or work nights so her husband can stay with the baby. It sucks but she has options.
What happened to First Five? All this money is being used to finance the early education stuff that Rob Riener was so hung no about. How do these political interests get away with this? You want poole to work so they aren’t dependent on the food stamps and welfare benefits, but they do so and go without healthcare, without enough money for shelter and now no where to place their children while they pull 39 hours at Walmart where Walton will not cover healthcare, taxpayers do. I pay taxes. He doesn’t. What I want is for this lady and her kids to have solid child care and education available. I also want my money to house and feed guys like Waltin in the state penitentiary. While they’re at it seize his assets and use them on schools, housing, training and creating laws that serve the people. Not the rich.
Self righteous?..nope… Folks shouldnt expect others to afford their luxuries and children are a luxury ,not a necessity. I have seen with my own eyes these selfish pricks that have children they obviously cant afford. I am not saying that folks of little means dont make good parents most do. but those folks work their butts off and sacrifice everything for their kids. Folks like you need to wake up to the very real emergency of the under educated having children they cant afford. …in my book YOU are the self righteous "person". You obviously feel that the rest of us should pay because others make poor life choices.
I realize that child care is essential in our society, especially for those who can least afford it, but the picture used for this article looks like a prison yard for kids and I would hate the idea of my kids ever having to spend time there.
Diffidently, I have to poit out a couple of facts.(FActual info isn’t actually forbidden at HP.It’s just in bad taste.)
1)A lot of jobs have been outsourced to ‘Tejas".And Utah Nebraska.etc.
2)California has either the worst or second worst business climate in the country. If you were a Smart Person (I know,but just pretend for a moment.) ,would you invest your time ,money and dreams into a place that thought Smart People had to work for Non Smart people’s benefit.
3)Loopie,it might be easier if you thought of it as Evolution in Action.
Today I read an article saying the USA gives Egypt $ 1.3 Billion dollars annually to help fund their military. I also read that the USA gives a committee in the UN ( Just the committee alone ) 80 Million dollars which funds 23% of the 285 member group. Only two examples of how our government is spending tax payer dollars. I read articles such as this and wonder why the citizens of our country must pay such a high price.