Clutching at hope during hard times - long line for minimum wage jobs at dollar tree store

[Liberal_in_LA]

Clutching at hope during hard times

The line began in the middle of the block and extended to the corner. By the time I made a U-turn and went back to see what was happening on Figueroa Street in Highland Park, the line had snaked around the corner at Avenue 59.

More than 125 people were slowly inching their way forward Tuesday morning — men and women, young and old, moms with strollers — all of them hoping to land a job at a Dollar Tree store that's about to open.


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"I have to make it," said Frances Garcia, 49, who used to be a cashier at Chuck E. Cheese's but has been out of work for three years because of a leg injury. "God's going to have to help me."

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Josefina Chavez, 57, leaned heavily against the wall of the medical clinic on the corner, across the street from Mr. Maury's Shoes. With more than 100 people in front of her, she was looking at a two-hour wait, but she intended to stick it out. She lives with her daughter and grandchild, she said, and her daughter's part-time job doesn't cover the bills.

"We've had no water or light for one month," she said, telling me the service was shut off because they're $3,000 behind on the payments.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0302-lopezcolumn-20110302,0,3573392.column

[DCBob]

1. Depressing.. these folks need something better than this.

Hopefully the economy is beginning to rebound and better jobs become available.

[Hannah Bell]

2. agreed, people deserve better.

[Initech]

5. Get your pitchforks and torches folks!

The economy is never gonna rebound when shit like this keeps happening:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jan/19/goldman-sachs-bankers-pay-bonuses

[bobbolink]

9. Yet, progressives aren't protesting the budget cuts, which will shut off heat to MORE people.

You see, progressives don't really take this seriously.

[chill_wind]

3. Three people living on one part-time job. No water or light for a month and no prospects

of getting it turned back on. Explain that to a small child suffering these economic conditions.
Explain that to small children in any similar fate all over this country.

Lots of money for the PermaWars, though!

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. Their only hope is to move to an apartment with utilities included.

LA DWP has programs to help the poor with utilities but not sure it would help someone $3K in the hole. But many LA apartments include utilities

[Digit]

6. They may not qualify for an apt due to poor credit at this point

It really is a crying shame this is happening far and wide in this country.

[chill_wind]

8. A vicious cycle culminating in a downward spiral

for too many people. I was going to say the same-- if they even quality for help or subsidized housing, they've probably been on a waiting list for months already, unless LA is a lot different than what's happening in much of the rest of the country with these programs and the growing financial need. I'm sure they're not living without water and electricity out of preference, or if they had any where else to go right now. If one has been chronically unemployed or underemployed and making almost nothing and can't pay, they can't pay. I despair to think what the real numbers of Americans in these same circumstances come to, and yet we are trading off trillions of war spending that would buy millions more in subsidized or affordable public housing and energy assistance. I would add job training programs, but in reality, for what-- where are the jobs?

[Liberal_in_LA]

13. True. Los Angeles apt owners want $5000 deposit from those with poor credit

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. ......

:grr:

[Tsiyu]

10. Can you imagine a nation

where a few have dozens of homes and cars, and are hoarding more money than even their grandkids can spend in thirty lifetimes, saying they don't want to pay any more taxes so that a low income family = not even paid a decent wage due to the greed of those same wealthy - can have heat and running water in their one poor little domicile?


We are better than this and the wealthy are simply dead weight.

I hope you will all call your congresspersons and object strenuously to the proposed budget cuts that will further harm these very desperate people.

[Lugnut]

11. Dollar Tree? Really?

Minimum wage for a shit job is what this country has come to. USA! USA! USA!

[Chris_Texas]

12. Bootstraps!!!! Lazy bastards living large on welfare!!!

Do I really need the sarcasm tag?