Suggested Discussion Outline – HUNGER IN AMERICA

[johnkarls]

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Suggested Discussion Outline – HUNGER IN AMERICA

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A. Part I --

It is respectfully suggested that we consider any of the 17 discussion questions that appear below that any participants would like to discuss.

The questions should be readily understandable/relatable by first-time Reading Liberally attendees who have not read Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed” even though the questions appear at the end of its 2011 paperback edition.

Initial additional Q – “According to a [5/24/2000] poll conducted by Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based employment research firm, 94% of Americans agree that ‘people who work full-time should be able to earn enough to keep their families out of poverty.’” (p. 220 of 2011 paperback edition) -- Do you think these results would be true today???

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B. Part II(a) --

Consideration of our proposed e-mail campaign to raise the national minimum wage EACH YEAR to match the U.S. Dept of HHS’s poverty guidelines – decision maker(s) to be targeted also open for discussion.

That the US has 5 million homeless INCLUDING 3 MILLION CHILDREN living on less than $2.00/day has been documented in ““$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America” by Johns Hopkins Prof. Kathryn J. Edin and U/Mich Prof. H. Luke Shaefer (Houghton Mifflin – 2015).

Per the U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services, the 2020 poverty guidelines published 1/17/2020 are --

1 person in family/household - $12,760
2 persons in family/household - $17,240
3 persons in family/household - $21,720
4 persons in family/household - $26,200
5 persons in family/household - $30,680
6 persons in family/household - $35,160
7 persons in family/household - $39,640
8 persons in family/household - $44,120
Each additional person beyond 8 - $4,480

NB: Less than $2.00/day for 1 person = less than $730 (vs $12,760)!!!

AND less than $2.00/day for 8 persons = less than $5,840 (vs. $44,120)!!!

NB: The U.S. Dept/HHS increment for each additional person from 1-8 is the same as for each person over 8 -- $4,480. It would appear that the $4,480 represents solely food at $12.28/person/day (since healthcare is covered by Medicaid and it is probably assumed that shelter can accommodate an unlimited number of bodies at no incremental cost and clothing can be obtained from charities for nothing). Isn't it "criminal" that America's 5 million homeless INCLUDING 3 MILLION CHILDREN living on "less than $2.00/day" appear to have only 16.3% of the amount of food ($2.00/$12.28) that appears to be the U.S. Dept/HHS poverty threshold???

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Part II(b) --

The case for “slavery” as described in Q&A-17 of the Monthly Quiz (viewtopic.php?f=576&t=1888&sid=3cffb9d7 ... 07a5c99073) --

Question 17

So in an age when Americans LIKE TO PRETEND that slavery no longer exists, would it be too much to ask that every worker be legally entitled to a minimum wage equal to the benchmark by which poverty is measured???

Answer 17

Normally the suggested answer to this kind of Q would be “What do you think?”

HOWEVER, it should be pointed out that BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER the American Civil War, it was argued that the American economy of that era could not accommodate SLAVES EARNING MORE THAN SLAVE WAGES (which, of course, was room/board & the whip!!!)!!! THE MODERN-DAY COUNTERPART ARGUMENT??? The American economy can not accommodate MODERN-DAY SLAVES earning enough WITH ONE JOB to CLIMB UP TO THE POVERTY LEVEL THRESHOLD!!!

So now we’ll ask “What do you think?”


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The 17 discussion questions that should be readily understandable/relatable by first-time Reading Liberally attendees who have not read Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed” even though the questions appear at the end of the 2011 paperback edition.

1. In the wake of recent welfare reform measures, millions of women entering the workforce can expect to face struggles like the ones Ehrenreich confronted in “Nickel and Dimed.” Have you ever been homeless, unemployed, without health insurance, or held down two jobs? What is the lowest-paying job you ever held and what kind of help -- if any -- did you need to improve your situation?

2. Were your perceptions of blue-collar Americans transformed or reinforced by “Nickel and Dimed”? Have your notions of poverty and prosperity changed since reading the book? What about your own treatment of waiters, maids, and salespeople?

3. How do becoming national and international chains -- restaurants, hotels, retail outlets, cleaning services, and elder-care facilities -- affect the treatment and aspirations of low-wage workers? Consider how market competition and the push for profits drive the nickel-and-diming of America’s lowest-paid.

4. Housing costs pose the greatest obstacle for low-wage workers. Why does our society seem to resist rectifying this situation? Do you believe that there are realistic solutions to the lack of affordable housing?

5. While working for The Maids, Ehrenreich hears Ted claim that he’s “not a bad guy…and cares a lot about his girls.” How do the assumptions of supervisors such as Ted affect their employees? How does Ted compare to Ehrenreich’s other bosses? To yours?

6. Ehrenreich is white and middle class. She asserts that her experience would have been radically different had she been a person of color or a single parent. Do you think discrimination shaped Ehrenreich’s story? In what ways?

7. Ehrenreich found that she could not survive on $7 per hour -- not if she wanted to live indoors. Consider how her experiment would have played out in your community: limiting yourself to $7 per hour earnings, create a hypothetical monthly budget for your part of the country.

8. Ehrenreich experienced remarkable goodwill, generosity, and solidarity among her colleagues. Does this surprise you? How do you think your own colleagues measure up?

9. Why do you think low-wage workers are reluctant to form labor organizations, as Ehrenreich discovered at Wal-Mart? How do you think employees should lobby to improve working conditions?

10. Many campus and advocacy groups are currently involved in struggles for a “living wage.” How do you think a living wage should be calculated?

11. Were you surprised by the casual reactions of Ehrenreich’s coworkers when she revealed herself as an undercover writer? Were you surprised that she wasn’t suspected of being “different” or out-of-place despite her graduate-level education and usually comfortable lifestyle?

12. How does managers’ scrutiny -- "time theft” crackdowns and drug testing -- affect workers’ morale? How can American companies make the workplace environment safe and efficient without treating employees like suspected criminals?

13. Ehrenreich concluded that had her working life been spent in a Wal-Mart-like environment, she would have emerged a different person -- meaner, pettier, “Barb” instead of “Barbara.” How would your personality change if you were placed in working conditions very different from the ones you are in now?

14. The workers in “Nickel and Dimed” receive almost no benefits -- no overtime pay, no retirement funds, and no health insurance. Is this fair? Do you think an increase in salary would redress the lack of benefits, or is this a completely separate problem?

15. Many of Ehrenreich’s colleagues relied heavily on family -- for housing and help with child care, by sharing appliances and dividing up the cooking, shopping, and cleaning. Do you think Americans make excessive demands on the family unit rather than calling for the government to help those in need?

16. “Nickel and Dimed” takes place in 1998-2000, a time of unprecedented prosperity in America. Do you think Ehrenreich’s experience would be different in today’s* economy? How so?

17. After reading “Nickel and Dimed,” do you think that having a job -- any job -- is better than no job at all? Did this book make you feel angry? Better informed? Relieved that someone has finally described your experience? Galvanized to do something?


* Re Q-16’s reference to “today’s economy,” please remember that this quiz accompanied the August 2011 paperback edition -- which was near the end of the 2008-???? economic meltdown.