Keenan Msicinski

 1. I think Morgan and Alex were good at budgeting for the 30 day period. The thing that killed them was the hospital bill. If they didn't get sick and hurt, then they would have been doing well.

2. The budgeting played a big role in the lives of Alex and Morgan. Alex had to walk to her work instead of take the bus just so that she could save $2 everyday. It also made the couple argue, because Morgan was spending too much at the movies.
3. I think that race was a factor in getting hired and finding the apartment. Its like Morgan said at the end of the movie, that it was still very hard for them and that they are white. It helps them be accepted, and I do believe that racial profiling still exists when getting accepted for a job. I think the fact that they had no children also helped because the landlord would not believe that they could pay off the rent if they had more kids to pay for too.
4. Honestly, if I had no money to pay off the landlord, I likely would just walk away. If I had that little income, then there would be no way to pay him, and there wouldn't be much of a choice.
5. I think Gerald is right in that working the type of job that he did, he deserves to make more money than he did 25 years ago. I think he was likely struggling to make ends meet and that the cost of living is much higher now, thus the minimum wage should be higher too.
6. I do agree with Ted Kennedy's argument of raising the minimum wage to help families. The cost of living has increased so the minimum wage should be increased too. I think the big businesses in the
U.S. should stop being so greedy and spread the wealth in this country so that the economy can be more balanced.
7. The working poor are the people that have no real skills, and because of that they have to work the hard backbreaking minimum wage jobs. Its not a position that anyone wants to be in.
8. I think that Alex got emotional about the services that were given to her at the free store because it meant a lot to her that she didn't have to worry about the pay. Alex had been working very hard the prior weeks and i think she was just amazed that she could actually get what she needed for free.
9. I think if I had a medical problem where a doctor was necessary, I would have to be in a lot of pain to get myself to go. If my finances were in a bad place I would try my hardest to push through it. If i had children involved i would get them the medical attention that they needed. The children would certainly change my decision making process. I would put my kids in front of me to do to the doctor.
10. I am not surprised about the electric company deposit request. I can see where they are coming from needing to get money because the last tenants didn't pay their bill. However i would not pay the security deposit, because that is not my problem. I would talk to a manager and tell him that the history of the electricity bill is not my problem.
11.I think the cause of the financial arguments is that there is that the money shouldn't be spent on meaningless things. Alex was right that Morgan shouldn't be spending the money on extra candy and things. If you are not in a good situation financially then you need all the money you can get. The cause of the conflict is the stress of not having money to spend.