back in the day, as a youngster, i did a ton of work for non-pay, and well as for pay. i'm sure lot's of us have.

wanna share some early day job experiences? it might be too painful for some, and we can understand that.

for my examples, i started out slopping hogs, and feeding the milkcows, and working in the garden. things quickly progressed to being a gopher for my uncle, fetching wrenches, nails, wire-cutters, you name it.

beyond that, i delivered groceries at the local grocery store. there were some bad days in that job. the paper bags we used would get wet and the bottom would fall out. not a good thing.

then, pin ball boy at a local bowling alley. yep, the pins were set manually. and a golf caddy, dragging golf bags across muddy areas to the next tee. all in the name of a dollar or so.

offer it up. what did y'all do as a kid to bring money into the household?

Started at about 6-7 years old delivering groceries for one of my grandfathers. .25 cents per delivery. I saved enough to buy my first rifle. A Browning T Bolt. Still have it. I believe it was just under $60.

Hauled hay for 3 cents/bale. No way to get rich, I can tell you that. Danged old timothy hay was not light, either. Thought I was doing well for $2.65/hr. at the grocery store. Mowed some lawns, too, generally at $3/cutting. Lawns were smaller then, of course.

Most of my childhood work entailed mowing yards, pulling weeds, raking leaves, and cutting ivy. When I turned 15 I started working in a gas station.

thanks for the input. working can begin very early doing what one can do.

the first gun i bought with my own money was a 12 guage single shot Stevens. i used it to hunt down grey squirrels for the supper table. 2 and 3/4 inch chamber. i reckon the 3 inch stuff came later.

we recieved good protein from the family woodlot of hdw trees. a few squirrels were even kilt in the Virginia Pines, but not many.

early on, we stalked them. later, the squirrel dog added a ton of value-added.

when poverty rules, how are Dollars brought into the family to better the std of living?

right now, taxes are just about to kill us. surely, there's a way to reduce taxes in a politically correct manner?

My dad had several businesses as I was growing up. I started flagging fields during the summer months for aerial crop spraying at about 8 years of age. Those days would begin at 4 am and we sprayed until the wind would get too strong. We would go back out in the late afternoon when the wind would subside. When I was older, I would drive the tractor during the middle part of the day or mix chemicals. During the winter months, I would work after school at our meat locker plant. That was usually boning meat and grinding hamburger, then cleaning all the equipment. I never got too involved with the refrigeration and electrical business. There were six of us kids so we all kept busy. I would do it all again if I could. It sure didnt hurt me any and I learned lots of things. Dad retired when I was in high school so then he and I opened a gun shop in the basement and repaired many guns. We both took up trapshooting and reloading and spent many, many hours together. He also taught me to fly. I still miss my parents so much. Both have been gone now for twenty years.

Yep working on a garbage truck for 1.00 a day peal post ceader post for 3 cents a peice work on farms hauling 75 cents a hr then before the summer over made a dollar hr then rool logs on saw mill for 1.00 hr 40 hr week .Then last to years of school in the middle 60swork in garages pump gas 1.25 hr .What I made in a week the kids now days want for play.Then get married an go broke

we've got a huge challenge in front of us.

in a more labor intensive world, labor was worth a wage at some level.

now, there's so much automaton, there's not enough jobs for the middle class or lower class individuals who would be willing to work for a wage, if they could find a job.

this is the point that Speaker Gingrich is making in a left handed way. there's a lack of jobs for the youngsters who are desperate to provide food, shelter and spending money for their families.

Automation has changed the world. but, what is the plan?

i'd like to see folks getting paid to reclaima the Earth. but, that's heresy for most folks.