Unhappy statistics

In my local paper there is a column in the Sunday Business section with statistics.

This is from the other day:

41% of workers say they often or always live pay check to pay check

55% say they would en an additional $500 per paycheck to live comfortable
[as people get paid every 1 or 2 weeks that's about $2000 or $4000 a month needed in addition to what they already earn!]

21% do not put aside any money each month into savings

16% work more than one job just to make ends meet

That's a very sad commentary on our lives in the USA these days

When I was a kid - my father worked, my mother stayed home.

There were 4 of us. We always had a car, pets, food, clothing and they owned the house I grew up in...and Queens College the NYC public college I went to was basically free in those days. I think we paid something like $10.00 a semester.

How many can say this now when two parents working full time often have trouble making ends meet...

What happens to the single parents? to the retirees on fixed incomes?

When I lived back East, there were ongoing discussions on how a town [with mostly residences and not many large businesses] was going to keep raising property taxes and not cause hardships for older homeowners...

And when you add in utilities like heat and electricity, gas for automobiles - you see a major problem looming...

Do you choose to eat? be warm? lose your home? pay medical bills? educate your children?

These are tough issues and they need to be addressed - NOW