There so many issues that we are all concerned about solving and we all have our pet issues. I think that the roots of many issues are intertwined and have common solutions. America absolutely has to exit the "race to the bottom" as far as wages go - people can't think about much if all they're thinking about is "Who
don't I pay this month". So when my friend Mardee posted this over on the OAC blog, I figured that I would carry the message a little farther and bring what seems to be a great program to the attention of the Kossacks.
Read more about the program below the fold (Hey, I read the rules, I'm just not very good at following directions ;)
Waging a Living
Premiere: August 29, 2006 at 10PM
Watch the trailer | Check Local Listings | Remind Me
The term "working poor" should be an oxymoron. If you work full time, you should not be poor, but more than 30 million Americans -- one in four workers -- are stuck in jobs that do not pay the basics for a decent life. "Waging a Living" chronicles the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to lift their families out of poverty.
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A Conversation with Barbara Ehrenreich
Coming August 29th: David Brancaccio hosts a special conversation with Barbara Ehrenreich on the state of American workers and wages today.
Join the fray and submit a question of your own for Ehrenreich.
Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of thirteen books, including Bait and Switch and Nickel and Dimed. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Harpers, and the Progressive, she is a contributing writer to Time magazine.
David Brancaccio hosted Minnesota Public Radio's Marketplace for 13 years before joining and co-hosting NOW with Bill Moyers in 2003. Brancaccio took over as host for the departing Bill Moyers in January, 2005. He is the author of Squandering Aimlessly: On the Road with the Host of Public Radio's "Marketplace".
P.O.V. invites viewers to submit their own questions for Barbara Ehrenreich in advance of the conversation. Please use the form below to submit your question before Sunday, August 27th, 5:00PM EST. The first 15 participants will be sent a free copy of one of Ehrenreich's books, generously donated by Henry Holt & Co.
FILM SYNOPSIS
If you work hard, you get ahead. That's the American Dream in a nutshell -- no matter what your race, color, creed or economic starting point, hard work will improve your life and increase your children's opportunities. Yet, this widely held dream is out of reach for an increasing number of working Americans.
Roger Weisberg's alarming and heart-wrenching new documentary, "Waging a Living," puts a human face on the growing economic squeeze that is forcing millions of workers into the ranks of the poor. Shot in the Northeast and California, the film profiles four very different Americans who work full-time but still can't make ends meet. Despite their hard work and determination, these four find themselves, as one of them observes, "hustling backwards."
One in four American workers -- more than 30 million people -- are stuck in jobs that pay less than the federal poverty level for a family of four. (i) Housing costs, to name just one of several essential living expenses, have tripled since 1979, (ii) while real wages for male low-wage workers are actually less than they were 30 years ago. (iii) But the new face of the working poor is overwhelmingly that of a woman struggling to support her children. Only 37 percent of single mothers receive child support, and that support averages just $1,331 per year. (iv) Nearly a quarter of the country's children now live below the poverty line. (v)
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