I am writing regarding the letter "’Workforce Housing’ Leaves Most Workers in the Cold" [Dec. 8 Xpress]. Josh Mallernee mentioned that he is a city worker making less than $30,000 a year and that at that rate it is harder to find affordable housing to match.
If you can't afford your rent, either find a better paying job or go back to school [so you can] get a better paying job. Also, maybe you need to find another town to live in if Asheville is so expensive. I myself moved to WNC in March from Charlotte. I am paying $100 less in rent here than I did there.
I probably make even less than you do with my present job as a grocery store cashier. It is all I can do right now to keep myself afloat. I have to save up all month just for end-of-the-month’s rent [and] all my other bills. Stop complaining about how much you make, and how much your apartment costs, unless you are willing to make a change.
You are not the only one who is having hard times and trying to make ends meet. The choices you make in life are your own. You say it's a shame that there is not more consideration for people like yourself. No one is going to give you a handout or come along and make your life easier. You have to do that on your own.
— Irene Corey
Black Mountain
Blah, blah, blah. Typical Ayn Rand nonsense.
I worked my butt off to get a professional college degree and am doing well the degree now. However, I do wonder why society as a whole monetarily values celebrities, atheletes, and MBA executives more than people, who for instance, install and maintain our powerlines, or our teachers. Why does a person who sits in a office making schedules, signing checks and other things that are not terribly complex often get paid more than the people who do highly skilled, specialized work, or undesirable grunt labor? I know some managers and directors do have stressful jobs, but others… well, they sign insurance policies and play solitaire pretty very well.