I?m afraid that I may have been victimized by former business associates over the past decade that didn?t pay me a minimum wage. You see, in the first few years after I left the Air Force, I worked a few different career paths simultaneously. I wasn?t sure which one would pan out; newsprint, radio
or sales. So I did radio in the morning, newsprint in the day and sales at night. NONE of them paid more than a couple hundred a week.

1) I worked radio for $100 a week to do a daily three hour morning show. I started at around 5am every morning and finished up about 10am. With show prep and production time that was about 25 hours a week ? or $4 an hour. Of course, I had no radio experience; the radio station was brand new;
and, they were trying out this weird new format called talk radio. The money wasn?t good but I was thankful for the chance to learn a new trade and build toward a better life so I didn?t complain.

2) I worked for a new start up weekly newspaper during the day ? doing whatever needed to be done. Some times I?d cover local council meetings, sometimes I?d do layout, sometimes I sold advertising contracts or subscriptions door to door. Whatever may have come in week to week would impact what I got paid. I worked about 8 hours a day there, give or take, and made on average about $200 a week for the first year or so ? or about $5 an hour. But I didn?t have any journalism experience and was just thankful to have the opportunity to learn a new trade and maybe build toward a
better life so I didn?t complain.

3)I worked for a telemarketer, selling vacuum cleaners, for about three hours every weeknight from about 6-9pm. I didn?t like the job too much. But you know what? It paid the best out of all three of the options. I made about $200 a week there ? or about $13 an hour. Mind you, he sold a lot of vacuum cleaners while I was there. I was damn good. But I
didn?t see a better life ? it just helped to pay the bills while I tried to make something better with the opportunities I had in the day time. So I didn?t complain.

It?s been nearly 10 years now since I left the service and I?m happy to report that I?m doing just fine. That little radio gig? Well it?s turned into a full time occupation. I host the most listened to show in western North Carolina, I?m able to help make a difference in people?s lives and I am providing a good life for my family.

And what about that daytime print gig? I eventually became the Executive Editor of what grew to be a small chain of weekly newspapers. After several years of success, I decided to open and publish my own newspaper.

And the telemarketing gig? Well, that didn?t stay around too long. It was there long enough for me to improve the income in the other areas. That was what you called a dead-end job.

Interesting isn?t it? The biggest financial and career rewards in my life have come from options that were built out of the mud ? in work that didn?t pay a minimum wage. Had I not been able to learn these trades at a cost that made sense for the people I partnered with, I may still be trying to sell you a vacuum cleaner today.

Politicians may do better to preach the promise of the American Dream, the rewards of delayed gratification and the eternal confidence of self-reliance.
Instead, men in $1,000 suits will bait the ?working poor? with false hopes of what ammounts to little more than a few more crumbs on their already empty plates.

No, I was not a victim of greedy business associates, who worked me for next to nothing, almost a decade ago. I am an American who is living a life of realized dreams. And the beauty in my story so far is that it isn’t finished yet. The American Dream is alive and well. It is there for anyone, of any color, of any creed and of any economic background ? so long as they are willing to work for it and so long as snake oil politicians don?t take away people’s right to set thier own path toward success.