OT: Detroit man walks 21 miles to and from work every day
Great pick-me-up on this snowy, blustery Midwestern Monday
February 2nd, 2015 at 3:52 PM ^
First, I know this situation dives into the political but I know everyone on here to be level headed. I have heart issues and know first hand anyone who lacks that much sleep will die sooner rather than later. I hope if this story is accurate that he gets more sleep and soon.
Outside of that it is so good to see people reach out and care. His fundme project has 66k in funds and he is sure to be able to have a decent vehicle and be able to afford insurance for a decade.
Last, employers pay people a decent wage. I am a free market guy and I argue that people's labor is worth what the market sets but their comes a point where you have to take care of your employees. I say this on this blog because many of you are influential in American life or will be. If something is crippling your business and hindering you from paying people more than make it known and work for change but start paying people more.
I am glad his bosses wife does make sure he has free meals which helps.
One more thing, insurance is a risk pool model to keep individuals from suffering financial hardship. Don't steal cars. Drive safe. Drive alert. Drive sober. And if everyone does this the price will drop. Auto insurance is an extremely competitive industry and if a company can lower your rates they will. My rate is $400 a year for minimal coverage but I do not live anywhere near Detroit.
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:20 PM ^
It's hard to look at this man's story as true and say that all employers pay a decent wage. To me, a decent wage means being able to afford life's necessities and a measured amount of leisure expenses, including the cost or a reasonable commute. I don't think anyone here thinks that covering 20 miles in 4-6 hours is a reasonable commute.
In regards to the transit discussion above, has any research been done into providing some sort of auto insurance or car purchase tax credit? With the infrastructure in detroit so low to begin with, an income measured tax credit, similar to that for property tax in many states, may be a way to kickstart transportation solutions. I have no idea what this would cost compared to alternatives, but seeing that mass transit requires a large, comprehensive network to function properly, it could be an attractive option to get moving faster.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:02 PM ^
The story ends by saying he likes walking and turns down rides home. There's also no explanation as to why he lives where he lives, where his family is, etc. This story has very little to do with his salary, which while low, is about twice the poverty rate.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:43 PM ^
The occassional ride from a coworker on a random day of the week is not an option for a reasonable commute. Having a shift job requires you to have some form of routine, and I don't see how accepting a lift 2 days a week alleviates his problems.
I agree that we don't have all of his family details (other than that he lives with his girlfriend), and that assuming he doesn't support others, his income is about twice the poverty rate. But it doesn't change the fact that he can't afford to buy, maintain, and insure a car, and that no real alternatives to a car exist. His commute is an undue hardship upon him. And based on having one of those, its clear that salary is an issue in this case. Otherwise it seems to me he'd own a car and drive 30 minutes each way.
Again, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt in that he doesn't live beyond his means (and based on the fact that he works or commutes 20 hours a day, I'd highly doubt he does). And if this is the case, there's no way that this is not a salary issue.
February 2nd, 2015 at 9:14 PM ^
He obviously has coworkers earning a similar payrate who have cars and don't really get why he walks:
At the plant, coworkers feel odd seeing one of their team numbers always walking, says Charlie Hollis, 63, of Pontiac. "I keep telling him to get him a nice little car," says Hollis, also a machine operator.
Echoes the plant manager Wilson, "We are very much trying to get James a vehicle." But Robertson has a routine now, and he seems to like it, his coworkers say.
"If I can get away, I'll pick him up. But James won't get in just anybody's car. He likes his independence," Wilson says.
Robertson has simple words for why he is what he is, and does what he does. He speaks with pride of his parents, including his father's military service.
"I just get it from my family. It's a lot of walking, I know."
February 2nd, 2015 at 9:59 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 4:15 PM ^
Local NBC News just mentioned this story to be discussed in a later segment.
Life is not fair at all, but this man needs to have some positive things head his way in the near future.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:23 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:49 PM ^
I'm guessing he has serious mental health issues in addition to being poor. However, the author did not at all write about the possibility (even likelihood) that his situation has little to do with bus routes and a broken down 1988 Honda, and no one quoted in the article seems to even consider it.
The article doesn't say whether or not social services has been asked to intervene on his behalf. I doubt, given what I know about the little that is done to help poor, elderly and homeless with mental illness (to say nothing of the stigma attached to receiving help) that it would make little difference in his case.The state of public mental health services ought to be a national scandal. They are for all intents and purposes non-existent for the poor.
THAT should have been the story, not his perfect attendance record at work.
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:53 PM ^
How do you go straight to "he must have a mental illness," and then act like he's a social services case?
The man has a job (and one that requires skill and awareness), a home, a girlfriend, and seems to be completely functional and self-sufficient. He chooses alternate modes of transportation--where does mental illness fit into that equation?
February 2nd, 2015 at 6:40 PM ^
Judging from the fact that you seem to assume this is a heartwarming article about a guy who just needs a functioning car.
I know PLENTY about mental health issues. Several members of my immediate and extended family suffer from it and are under treatment and have been for years. I have seen many kinds of cases and can tell you with complete certainty that if you've seen one person with mental health issues, you've seen one person with mental health issues.
But, I also know, from having, you know, looked into the matter extensively over more than a decade, that the poor and indigent are seldom diagnosed. The statistics on mental health and the homeless are shocking. The situation among the poor generally has even been the subject of study by the World Health Organization.
So, no, I didn't JUST jump to the conclusion that he suffers from mental illness. The facts, as stated in the article (assuming for the moment that they are true) strongly indicate that something is going on with him that NOBODY, including the author, seemed to either recognize or give a shit about.
So, with all due respect, dude, take a hike.
February 2nd, 2015 at 7:48 PM ^
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February 2nd, 2015 at 9:37 PM ^
The story basically says that this guy has a job that he walks 4 hours to and from every day and that the buses don't get him there. It also says he has a house he doesn't at least seem to need to pay rent on, makes about twice the poverty rate, and even though his coworkers keep telling him to buy a car he says he doesn't because his family was in the military and he likes his routine. Nothing is said about his girlfriend besides her owning the house. Nothing is said about any other family members or lack thereof.
There are programs to help people like him that simply go unmentioned in the article because the Freep writer didn't really think about it: http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/articlefiles/CarOwnership_L…
February 2nd, 2015 at 10:51 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 5:59 PM ^
Hoke would have walked to work from San Diego.
February 2nd, 2015 at 6:58 PM ^
February 2nd, 2015 at 7:22 PM ^
Well, if he's walking that much every day and still appears to be overweight, the people buying him a car might actually end up killing him/significantly decreasing his life expectancy. He's going to have to cut over 2k calories per day from his diet if he's planning to stay at the same weight. I doubt that happens.
February 2nd, 2015 at 11:06 PM ^
In Bill Laitner's original piece, James Robertson mentions that his girlfriend inherited the house. $11-$12/hour is very little even in Detroit. Most the plant people I know who make this type of wage, work two jobs to cope (usually one cash under the table) and I can't imagine doing it without a car or good mass transit. I don't think we will settle here if the guy is mentally all there (who is?) or why the Detroit mass transit system is the worst of any major city in the US (and makes commuting to work almost impossible) - but is that really so important that we need to judge/speculate about this poor guy. His determination is inspiring and he just won a life changing lotto (which will have oversight on how it is spent). I feel good on both accounts. Now back to which 17 year old will change Michigan's football fate...
February 2nd, 2015 at 11:11 PM ^
But I learned that insuring a car in Detroit can be $5,000/year! I can see why you wouldn't pay a quarter of your gross income on car insurance. I don't feel so ripped off now having two teenaged drivers.
The story also says James has a friend at USB who will set him up with financial advisors so this money will not be wasted or go to scam artists/relatives. The latest story update has many quotes from James and he seems very articulate and with all his faculties.
February 2nd, 2015 at 8:51 PM ^