"Nickel and Dimed"

I just finished “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich. It was an easy and illuminating read. Her experiences as a low-wage earner in several different states in the Union were not a surprise to me – I’ve been a waitress and a retail worker and even did a (very) short stint cleaning offices.  I know the bullying, mid-level manager types, the arrogant ‘big bosses’, the troublesome customer, the snide or gossipy co-worker and even the ‘in-trouble’ or ‘just not making it’ co-worker.  But doing those jobs when you are young and unencumbered is one thing. It gives you a certain amount of freedom and if you’re lucky you can get by without medical or dental insurance when you’re young. But being tied to the job or being more and more marginalized because the job doesn’t pay enough to cover food, rent and childcare, getting by without health insurance for God’s sake, it’s barbaric!