"Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream"

Last year, I read a book entitled "Nickeled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich. If you haven't read it, it is the story of her experimental attempt at living on minimum wage jobs. The different chapters or sections deal with the different jobs that she tried to live on, such as working for Merry Maids or Walmart. I found the book very depressing in the picture of hopelessness that it painted for uneducated people. I almost took the entire story as a piece of liberal propoganda to get decision makers to funnel more taxpayer dollars to the "poor".

This link is an article about a man named Adam Shepard who left home with the clothes on his back, a gym bag, and $25. His goal was to have an apartment, a car, and $2500 in the bank by the end of the first year. Although he was a college graduate, he hid this fact from prospective employers. The upshot is that, by the time he ended the experiment after only 10 months (he had to leave due to a serious illness in his family). When he went home, he had an apartment, a pickup truck, and $5000 dollars in the bank.

The title on the blog entry is the title of Shepard's book about his adventure. I will get a copy of the book. I find this message very uplifting. There are many people out there who may not do well in college, but they are highly motivated to care for themselves and not sponge off of the American taxpayers or charitable organizations. Of course, there are those who are happy to let someone else pick up the tab. There are also those who cannot, either through physical disability, mental disability, or old age, take care of themselves in this manner. Those people need help.

I want to thank my son for passing this information to me.