# Poverty & work ethics.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poverty-work-ethics/59317>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 24, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poverty-work-ethics/59317 "2001-03-24T15:54:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poverty-work-ethics/59317/1 "2001-03-24T15:54:22Z")

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[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64584](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64584)

This thread prompted me to tell a little story.

I’m a painting contractor. Several years ago, I had the contract to paint several apartment complexes, all government subsidized (AFDC, SSI & such.) At the time, I was looking for someone to do some house cleaning for me. Since there were so many single moms & unemployed folks where I was working, I thought it would be a nice thing to offer a chance to make some money “under the table” for someone. I wrote a sign in English & Spanish & put it in the mail room of the closest complex (about two miles) to my house.

Essentially it said: Light housecleaning wanted. $20/hr, CASH paid. Weekly, flexible hours, on bus line.

There were 320 units in this apartment building. Most days, the entire place was filled with non-working people hanging out, watching TV, drinking, minding their kids. The sign was on the bulletin board for three weeks. Both my cell & home numbers were on there. I got not one call. Not one. I realise there may have been those that were suspicious of a trap, undocumented, or whatever.

I will withhold my opinion & ask the teeming millions. Why didn’t I get a single call? Do you think all the other signs up there for Herbalife, Food Bank info, Lose Weight Now, Make Up To $5,000 a Month etc signs also got ignored?

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**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poverty-work-ethics/59317/2 "2001-03-24T16:02:08Z")

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didn’t you post this same story back when it happened? I could have sworn that I’d read the exact same tale about some one posting an under the table job for cleaning in a low economy area and being upset that no one called.

For myself, I’ve always told people to **NOT** take under the table cash only jobs, since they’re illegal (generally speaking you’re not claiming them as an employee, paying unemployment insurance or worker’s comp on them, right?), and there’s a whole host of things that can go wrong.

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**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poverty-work-ethics/59317/3 "2001-03-24T17:27:55Z")

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Heck, this might be the place to drop a quote from  
Mike Todd

_I’ve been broke, but I’ve never been poor.  
Poor is a state of mind. Broke is temporary._

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**Author:** ![magdalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@magdalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magdalene)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poverty-work-ethics/59317/4 "2001-03-24T20:13:47Z")

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deja vu all over again.