Before we left Houston almost 4 years ago, I didn't need to work so I volunteered at the local animal shelter. Then I decided to get a part time job. Foleys, a department store, was hiring salespeople at the time. I applied for the job, and the woman told me I would be hired.... for $5.75 an hour!! The first thing that came out of my mouth was, "Is that even less than minimum wage?!" I told the woman no thanks and walked out. I didn't start working again until we moved here, and now I have the new job that I really like which pays well and where I can use my brain again.
Glad to hear you have a good paying job now. You were rewarded for your effort.
I don't buy into the notion that the economic pie is of a fixed size. The problem is when one looses a job, is finding a replacement. You either go where the jobs are, or you create a NEW one. I also don't buy into the America haters arguement that our consumption is taking away resources from third world counties. Those resources were useless until they had a purpose.