Man who walked 21 miles to work gets new apartment

[marym625]

It's nice to know that there are nice people out there. People who have money and share it freely for those in need. People who have little and share what they can.

It's so wrong that anyone has to walk 21 miles to work. How did we come to such a horrible place in society that someone who works hard can't afford the transportation needed or the money to move?

It keeps going like this and we will soon have modern day hoovervilles. They should be named reaganvilles. Or GOPlets.

James Robertson said he feels more secure in Oakland County's Troy after moving north from his Detroit home to escape people asking him for money, the Detroit Free Press said Sunday (http://on.freep.com/1x6cWZd ).

The 56-year-old gained celebrity after the newspaper reported earlier this year that he began walking to a job at an auto parts factory when his car stopped working in 2005 and bus service was cut back.

A local college student launched a modest crowdfunding campaign to a buy a new car. It led to $360,000 eventually being raised and Robertson receiving a new, $35,000 Ford Taurus from an auto dealership.

"I may have been born there, but God knows I don't belong there anymore," Robertson said about his old neighborhood near Detroit's New Center area.

The plastic-molding operator also said he didn't tell people in his old neighborhood where he was moving.

He still works at the same factory in Rochester Hills, which pays him $10.55 an hour, but the hours-long walking trip now is done in a 20-minute drive.

"I'm going to keep working — that's for sure," he told the newspaper.

Financial experts are donating their services to help Robertson manage his money. The one-bedroom apartment in Troy costs him $800 a month in rent. He had been paying $880 per month for less space in his ex-girlfriend's home in Detroit.

Most of his money now is in a trust that has a principal amount of $351,000. The earnings from the trust should be enough to keep Robertson's nest egg untouched until he retires, said Rebecca Sorensen, a UBS Financial Services senior vice president for wealth management.

More at link

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/detroit-area-man-who-walked-miles-to-work-gets-new-apartment/ar-AA9O2sm

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. I'm glad he got financial planning help. n/t

[marym625]

3. Yeah, that was great to see

And for free too.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. These are great developments!

Especially the financial planning help. This is where so many folks just don't know how to manage their money and they lose it.

[marym625]

5. It's wonderful

I sure wish I had someone helping me for all the years I made decent money. I might actually have some now. But the thought of going back into corporate America, I think it would kill me.

This guy has the tools and money now to have a decent life. Hopefully, he can get away from a job that pays so little for someone so dedicated

[PearliePoo2]

4. I think this story just might have a happy ending!

I surely hope so...he's such a good guy.
I REALLY like this man.

[marym625]

6. sounds like it will

I like the student and the people volunteering their services. All the people who gave.

Only bad people in the story are the employers.

[ND-Dem]

28. His boss used the story about him spending most of his day walking to or from work

to pitch on other "lazy" workers who make excuses.

"See? If you really wanted to get to work, you could!!!"


I'd wondered why the people at his work hadn't helped him earlier, when they found out he was walking 20 miles a day; I guess that explains it.

They're assholes.

[marym625]

31. and it's run by an even bigger asshole.

[glowing]

7. At $10.50/ hr he's still putting most of his money into

Paying for that apt. At least two weeks of work or 1/2 of his income. If the car wasn't donated, he would still be walking. And $10.50 isn't evwn min wage... That's supposed to be "good money" these days. It's crap.

[marym625]

8. +1000

It's crap. Exactly right. Crap.

[ND-Dem]

27. Minimum wage in Michigan is $8.15/hr. He's got what's called a "good job" these

days.

$21,840/year full time. Probably about $18,560 take-home, $1547 a month.

[glowing]

33. And a little more than 1/2 his take home pay is going toward rent.

There was a reason he was having to walk all that long way. It's a good think someone donated a car to him. AND my point is that "good pay" is too little along with the min wage.

[ND-Dem]

34. i was being sarcastic

[840high]

9. Very happy for him.

[marym625]

10. wouldn't it be nice if this didn't happen?

That people were paid a living wage?

This has to stop. Soon!

[840high]

11. I wish I knew how to

make politicians care about the working class.

[marym625]

14. As long as it's a money game,

They won't. Public funding is the only answer and that won't happen any time soon

[oldandhappy]

12. Thank you for this positive story!!

Yea!! Nice to see people working together and things working out for this man. Yea!!

[marym625]

15. Thank you!

Yeah, we don't get to see too many good stories lately.

[turbinetree]

13. Progressive Values

This act of kindness always will be the values of progressives reaching out to help our neighbors in need. This a really a wonderful example of a progressive compassion from other human beings that simply care about another human being

[marym625]

16. Yes, don't know what would happen if

There were no progressives. Truly. Now I just wish we could get enough in office to make a difference

[turbinetree]

37. WE can

as progressives can start in the precincts and the local elections and hold these individuals accountable, in my small town they want to outsource the public water to a private firm.
I am going to go to the meetings and demand why it would cost us more for a for profit entity to run the operation at 15% more and when my publicly owned water and sewer would only cost 6% why would they do this, it is not to help but to get political pay back from the for profit firm, that is being a progressive making everyone aware that we are here and we want answers.
That man who was walking is making 10.10 and hour, people should be made aware that this happening all over this country and the world and he should be making 35 dollars and hour he has made a profit for that company for all of those years and they did what---sat on there proverbial hands, that is the issue, and has a progressive we can make a difference

[marym625]

39. I haven't given up

As far as working for the right thing, whether that's change or the status quo, like your water being privatized. But I do fear the reality is, we're screwed.

[appalachiablue]

17. Thanks, very happy for him.

[marym625]

18. You're welcome

Thanks for the reply.

I know it seems silly to reply to everyone. I just think if someone takes the time to respond, the least they deserve is an acknowledgment.

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. this story make me happy

[marym625]

20. Good, I'm glad. me too!

[Liberal_in_LA]

21. news is saying his gitrlfriend was demanding cut.he got restraining order

Against her

[marym625]

22. Good

From what I read, she's worthless and was milking him for the little he had before this.

Thanks for the information

[Oilwellian]

23. I'm so glad this man had such an outpouring of help

I did have to cringe when I read he gave his money to UBS to invest. They were one of the major players in the 2008 meltdown.

[marym625]

25. I didn't remember that

Hopefully, there's enough publicity with this, he'll be safe

[ND-Dem]

29. I wondered about that; he moved to escape the friends who he thought were trying

to take advantage of him, but....

will his new 'friends' be any better (especially when he's likely not so saavy about finance)

[romanic]

24. Great news indeed.

It's so rare we get that kind of news here in Metro Detroit. Happy to see Mr. Robertson doing well and elated that he's getting help without being surrounded by leeches who could careless about him.

[marym625]

26. Yeah, sad stuff to need help and still have someone take advantage.

Truly lowlifes that would do that

[ND-Dem]

30. Don't be too quick to judge. He'd been living where he was for a long time, and had

a reason to do so. It was cheaper & more comfortable for him than anywhere else he could find.

He called the woman his 'girlfriend' until very recently.

Things aren't always what they seem.

People who don't have much, don't have much. Doesn't mean they're lowlifes.

[marym625]

32. staying somewhere a long time doesn't mean he wasn't taken advantage

of. And the fact she tried to get some of the money donated to him, and she charged more than he could afford, pretty much tells me she's a user.

I never said people who don't have much are lowlife's

[ND-Dem]

35. she owned the house he lived in for years; he stayed there for a reason.

she may be a user, but presumably he could have found another place to live far away from his work at the same price; he stayed there for years for a reason.

[marym625]

36. You don't want me to assume about her

But you are assuming about him. He couldn't even save enough to buy an old car. What makes you think he could save enough to move? Maybe you have never been in a situation like that but I have. Trying to save to move when you only make enough to go paycheck to paycheck is impossible.

She rented a room to the guy and charged $880 a month. That's more than half of his gross a month. She has a vehicle and has no problem driving to his work to harass him but she couldn't be bothered to drive him to work, even part of the way, when he needed the help.

He had to take get an Order of Protection against her. I don't care what their previous relationship was. I don't care. I don't know when their romantic relationship ended. The fact she is; so determined to get money from him, and not just enough to clean up the place, $50k is what she wants, the fact she has gone to his work repeatedly to threaten him to the point that the company security has had to call the sheriff, the fact she has been threatening enough for a judge to sign an order of protection, the fact she is trying to demean him to the world, instead of celebrating his good fortune, tells me she's a lowlife.