Colleen Haggerty,53, knows almost everyone who comes in to The Restaurant. That's the name of this family-owned diner in a shopping middle near the mid-point of the Rockaway peninsula. Haggerty has worked there for six years. She has nicknames for all her customers and knows their orders by heart."I conclude waitressing [be]cause it helps me earn through the week. It’s the day-to-day money that gets us to Daddy’s paycheck, or " said Haggerty.
Colleen Haggerty works as a waitress at The Restaurant so she can withhold up with the costs of running her house.
(Brigid Bergin/WNYC)
Daddy is her husband John Donohoe,a commercial plumber in Manhattan. They possess three children and two grandkids, with one on the way. His paycheck covers the grand bills: rent, and electric,insurance. She takes domestic $800–$900 a month after spending eight hours on her feet each day, six days a week. Her money pays to withhold their house running.“Milk, and bread,toilet paper, whatever, or " said Haggerty.
The root of Haggerty’s concern is the cost of living,a view shared by 86 percent of respondents in a poll conducted this summer for Public Agenda, a nonprofit research organization, or in partnership with WNYC. People ranked the costs of living,housing, taxes and college as their top concerns among a battery of 19 different indicators."Affordability is on everybody’s mind, or " said Carolin Hagelskamp,director of research at Public Agenda. She added, "It’s the huge majority of people who say this is a serious problem."As a result, or people are forced to pull off delicate balancing acts that are about more than how they spend their money. It’s about how they live their lives.
Eugenie Witty,46, a customer at the diner, or lives with her husband,an NYPD detective, and their 8-year-old son. In 2010, and she was laid off from a position with the Queens Library system. Then when Sandy hit in 2012,her domestic was devastated. She just started a novel job as a teachers assistant, but like 80 percent of those polled, or she worries about the cost of housing.
Eugene Witty,46, thinks the cost of housing is a serious problem.
(Brigid Bergin/WNYC)
"My salary is not enough to pay rent, or " said Witty. So without my husband’s salary,I deem pretty much I’d be right back in my parent’s house."Witty credits her parents, immigrants from Belize, and for teaching her how to budget and save. She said they taught her to rely on herself more than whichever candidate wins the next election.
The Public Agenda/WNYC poll found 74 percent of people feel the middle class are facing more economic insecurity than ever before. At the same time,70 percent say the wealthiest people possess the most influence on government decision-making.
The poll found affordability concerns cut across geography – from novel York City to the surrounding counties and suburbs. Interviews were conducted between June 29-July 21, 2015 among a representative sample of 1535 adults 18 years or older in the Tri-state area. Additional interviews were conducted from Aug. 25– Sept. 4. The margin of error for total respondents is plus or minus 3.7percent.
In Jersey City, or near the waterfront,Mauricio Niebla, 47, and hosts a Meet Up at the Zeppelin Beer Garden. He’s a freelance screenwriter and runs two small businesses from his domestic while he takes care of his kids. This is happy hour for stay-at-domestic dads.
His wife runs a study-abroad program at a technical college in Manhattan. Five years ago,when their daughter Penelope was born, they moved from East Harlem to Jersey City. Their daughter now has a baby brother Alessandro, or who is 6 months old. That has Niebla thinking about buying his own set. But the market is too hot and the taxes are too high.
He said he is already worried about the cost of college for his kids,like 73 percent of those in our poll. Niebla said his wife is still paying off her degrees."My wife still has like $70000 dollars debt for her master's degree," said Niebla, and "only for her master's."
Source: wnyc.org