Patterico's Pontifications

2/7/2015

I Was Going To Complain About My Hangnail, But…

Filed under: General — Dana @ 10:58 am



[guest post by Dana]

James Robertson, who lives in Detroit, has been making a 23 mile journey to work for a decade. Most of it walking:

Robertson takes buses to work, but has to walk more than 20 miles round trip because buses do not cover the whole route. He starts his commute at 8 a.m. for his 2-10 p.m. shift, and does not get home until 4 a.m.

This no matter what the Detroit weather might be.

Robertson started hoofing it to work when his 1988 Honda Accord broke down. The soft-spoken man, who has a perfect attendance record, never complains.

“I set our attendance standard by this man,” said his boss, Todd Wilson, plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering. “I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I’ll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can’t get here — bull!”

Robertson cites faith and determination in helping him make the journey.

The trip home is made more difficult as he walks through less-than-savory neighborhoods in the dark:

[H]e walks 7 miles from the factory to a bus stop at a mall in Troy.

“I keep a rhythm in my head,” he said of his trek to the mall.

At the mall, he catches the last bus of the day, just before 1 a.m., and rides it to Detroit, as far as it goes. He then walks the rest of the way — about 5 miles — to the home he shares with his girlfriend.

Robertson says he cannot imagine not working – in spite of the miles he has to walk.

As word of Robertson’s plight got out, a Wayne State University student began a GoFundMe.com fundraiser page to help with purchasing a car and with what is referred to as Detroit’s “notoriously” high auto insurance rates. The student worked to negotiate a reasonable rate for auto insurance after being given an initial quote of $15,000-a-year premium. Supporters of the campaign have raised more than $310,000.

On Friday, a local suburban car dealership donated a car to Robertson. He is now the proud owner of a 2015 red Ford Taurus. His response to the gift?

I don’t like it, I love it. If only my parents could see me now.

Note to self: More thankfulness. And let’s keep the whining to a bare minimum.

–Dana

41 Responses to “I Was Going To Complain About My Hangnail, But…”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  2. oh my goodness he’s really gonna have to make some changes in his eating habits

    happyfeet (831175)

  3. This story and the story of the Dad who is keeping his Downs Syndrome baby are the stories of the year for me. Good men, both.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  4. I’d walk a mile for a camel.

    mg (31009b)

  5. We’re on the same wavelength, DRJ. I was really torn over which of the stories to write about. Both stories truly are about men of determination who follow the honorable path, no matter the cost. In this story, the man could have easily given up, quit his job and started relying on the government for his livelihood, but I’m guessing that wasn’t an option to him.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  6. There was a time when the work ethic was as strong in black men as white. I remember as a boy, we had a black man named Bill who came about three or four times a year to wash the windows in our home. There were 67 windows in that house. I know because every one had a screen and a storm window (Chicago). Every spring I had to take down the storm windows, which were all numbered, and change to screens, also numbered. In the fall, I reversed the process. Bill didn’t do screens and storm windows.

    The Great Society and the Pill may have destroyed our civilization even before the Muzzies have at it.

    Mike K (90dfdc)

  7. DRJ and Dana–The inspirational stories are heartwarming and offer a lot to think about. My contribution this afternoon is providing a link to a piece on gay and transgender agriculture which also offers something to “think” about as we work toward rescuing the heart and soul of what was once America.

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article/398104/uc-berkeley-lecture-it-necessary-apply-transgender-studies-agriculture-katherine

    ????????

    elissa (8bdad3)

  8. some people cannot resist inserting negative stuff into really positive stuff

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  9. Sorry you took it that way, Dustin–but the comments posted on that agriculture article are actually very positive for “our” side and many of them are hysterically funny. Please don’t let me stop you from contributing what you consider to be more appropriate “really” positive stuff to this thread.

    elissa (8bdad3)

  10. here’s the guy what’s lecturing on tranny agriculture

    he has flowers and a smile that says hey whirl look at me i got flowers!

    happyfeet (831175)

  11. Considering Detroit’s unemployment rate hovers around 15%, statewide for black workers, it is almost 19%. In light of that, to me it’s a more terrific story because it’s about a person who obviously is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his job as well as a person who values not only having a job, but work itself. So that makes me wonder what in his DNA and background produced such a great work ethic in a place where it’s not necessarily commonplace. How does a society bottle this up and sell it to the community?

    Dana (8e74ce)

  12. Welcome to my academic world, folks.

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  13. This is, of course, why aliens don’t visit our planet. They are afraid that our narcissistic and self-congratulatory neuroses are catching.

    Well, that and the Kardashians.

    Interstellar quarantine.

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  14. And let me hasten to add how much Dana’s post brightened my day. There is heroism everywhere, unnoticed because is drowned out by the Brian Williams of the world.

    Like the saying goes, “God whispers.”

    You have to listen carefully.

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  15. A Flower, by Henry Gibson.

    Gazzer (e441dc)

  16. RIP Charlie Sifford
    Helped pave the way for many in golf.

    mg (31009b)

  17. Dana-I am going to posit that Robertson’s age (56) greatly influenced this attribute and his attitude toward work and responsibility. People of all races and especially men who grew up in the 40’s 50’s and 60’s and went to work in the 60’s and 70’s just naturally viewed going to work and earning a paycheck as something one did as an adult in our culture. Perfect attendance was something for an employee to be proud of and was usually rewarded by the company in some public way. Work was relatively plentiful. Unfortunately, a combination of the effects of the great society and the loss of so many production and factory jobs for various reasons, causes many in the younger generations to view work as temporary, annoying, and optional.

    I truly hope and pray that the publicity about Mr. Robertson and his location and his new car does not set him up to be victimized in some way.

    elissa (8bdad3)

  18. When my wife was getting chemotherapy and radiation for her (very curable) cancer, I faced having to drive a lot in heavy LA traffic to get her to her treatments. I whined. Never mind that SHE was the one getting the medicine. It’s all about ME.

    Then while waiting for her the second day, I got into a coversation with the husband of another patient as we waited for our wives. They live in Las Vegas, and stay with friends 80 miles away, commuting daily, so that they can come to the excellent hospital I was taking for granted. And instead of a cure, they were hoping for a decade or two more before the inevitable.

    I shut up about my “problems.”

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  19. Well, that and the Kardashians.

    Don’t diss Kardashians. Bruce was in a severe auto accident today in Malibu. The only thing between him and damnation was Kim’s butt. Better than an air bag.

    Mike K (90dfdc)

  20. Something about this smells fishy. He spends 20 hours a day working or walking and has time for perhaps 3 hours of sleep a night at best? How is he not riddled with health problems from sleep deprivation?

    Mr Black (dd0b88)

  21. Some people have a real determination to do the right, admirable thing. I’m reminded of a story a fellow at church shared with our congregation about 20 years ago. Seems he was driving to church from his country home one Sunday morning, when he came upon a young, heavily tattooed man who looked to be of Mexican-American heritage walking with an upraised thumb into the city which was about 15 miles away. Driving his pick-up truck, he pulled over and told the young man to climb into the truck bed. They hadn’t gone very far when a heavy rain started falling, so he – not very comfortable given the young guy’s gangbanger appearance – pulled over any way and told the fellow to climb into the cab. They started talking and it turns out the young man was walking to his job in the city, as his car had crapped out a couple of months before. The fellow mentioned that he had done time, was on parole and was trying to live life as a good and productive citizen. He also said he seldom was offered a ride and usually had to walk the entire way to work After more chatting, they finally reached a point near the guy’s workplace and after accepting thanks, our fellow congregation member dropped him off and continued on to church.

    This scenario continued every Sunday for a few months until one Sunday, when there was no sign of the young man. Our fellow church-goer told us he never encountered him again and hoped and prayed the young man had finally found the means to fix his old car, or buy another. He went on to say that the point of his sharing this was that we should be careful judging strangers that we come across, as we never know when we’ll meet someone who is trying in earnest to live the right way and just needs a little help to do it. He told this story much better than I can, as it brought tears to one’s eyes shared in the spirit it was shared with us.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  22. Looks like ole lyin’ Brian gonna be spending a little more time with the family. Maybe play a little golf with Dan Rather…

    Gazzer (e441dc)

  23. Work was relatively plentiful. Unfortunately, a combination of the effects of the great society and the loss of so many production and factory jobs for various reasons, causes many in the younger generations to view work as temporary, annoying, and optional.

    And yet, elissa, even during the Great Depression when work was not plentiful, men were still compelled to go seek work, no matter how far, to provide for their families.

    Kevin,

    I fully understand. I am, sadly, not surprised at times by my self-centeredness. To make it worse, when I went through a very long period of time of infirmity and was rendered unable to do even the basics of self care (shower, dress, wash my hair, etc), my husband quietly and graciously did it for me. Even helping with walking and moving from point A to B. Never complained. Just quietly helped me do what was impossible to do by myself. He continually reassured me that I was not a burden, but that the season we were in was an opportunity for his vow of “in sickness and in health” to be fulfilled.

    If anything were to happen to him, I can only pray I would be half as gracious, giving and selfless as he was. He set an extremely high bar.

    Dana (8e74ce)

  24. He starts his commute at 8 a.m. for his 2-10 p.m. shift, and does not get home until 4 a.m.

    So five days a week he gets four hours’ rest after an 8-hour workday and a 20+ mile walk. I suppose it can be done if you take the “f” out of “way”.

    nk (dbc370)

  25. He better watch it, he’ll be on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s extremist list.
    http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/02/dr-ben-carson-put-on-extremist-watch-list-by-splc/

    Walter Cronanty (f48cd5)

  26. As one commenter over at LI noted, one day half the country will be on that list. They continue to beclown themselves.

    Gazzer (e441dc)

  27. I think being on the SPLC’s extremist list is my new litmus test on who I’ll vote for in the R primary.

    Walter Cronanty (f48cd5)

  28. Dana (8e74ce) — 2/7/2015 @ 3:12 pm
    Ya know, the subject of this post made me feel bad enough. Your husband sounds like a helluva man. I think you and he are both fortunate.

    Walter Cronanty (f48cd5)

  29. sorry, but i am not buying the timing of the walks. either that or his job lets him sleep during his shift.
    But what really gets me is : 15 Thousand Dollars for car insurance? no wonder he did not buy a replacement for his old car.
    btw: auto dealer should have donated a used car. would be cheaper to insure.

    seeRpea (8193fc)

  30. Dana,

    If you happened to send me an e-mail last week in response to my comment, I apologize for not responding: I couldn’t access the e-mail address I normally use for this site. I am now using a different e-mail address.

    norcal (b8f701)

  31. I thought it was a 6 hour round trip – not 12 hour.

    Sammy Finkelman (e806a6)

  32. So five days a week he gets four hours’ rest after an 8-hour workday and a 20+ mile walk …

    Four days a week, he can sleep late on Saturday after his Friday shift. And the articles said he also sleeps while riding the bus.

    James B. Shearer (00eea2)

  33. Kevin M #18 – one of the more powerful and valuable aspects of volunteering to help those less fortunate is the realisation one gains of perspective … one can go to do the volunteer activities and, while talk with those one is there to help, one’s own bottle-cap-sized problem pretty much blocking one of one’s eyes effectively recedes into perspective by comparison with what many others are going through … it is also what helps to allow many very effective emotional support groups to work, such as the ones which follow the Shanti model …

    Alastor (2e7f9f)

  34. I was gonna complain about my car heater not working well and then

    This guy shows up. over 20 miles one way?

    If find it difficult to believe he could do it, let alone would do
    it but I’m guessing someone checked his story out before handing him
    a new car.

    he wouldn’t have time for much rest that’s for sure. He looks too healthy
    to be that exhausted. But then I’m a cynical bastard. (trust but verify)

    jakee308 (f0aa61)

  35. The auto insurance premium suggests that it is likely that the car will be totaled or stolen within a year. That’s a depressing comment on Detroit.

    Mike S (189787)

  36. My father did this for few years in the late 60s and early 70s until our family got on its feet financially. Being an immigrant not on the Govt dole has its downside.

    All I can say is god bless. We need more of THIS in this Country right now. ALOT more. Men like that while not celebrated are real heroes.

    Not attention whores imbeciles like Bruce Jenner.

    Rodney King's Spirit (69985e)

  37. This illustrates his commute:

    http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/02/michigan-man-receives-new-car-ditches-21-mile-walk/

    He allowed himself 3 hours for the 7 mile walk to and from the Smart bus stop and his work.

    The commute was not the same in the morning and the evening. In the morning he got a bus not too far from his home. At night the bus did not go so far and he had to walk 5 miles home.

    The morning commute lasted from 8 am to 12:30 (4 1/2 hours, but it was still 1 1/2
    hours till his shift began.)

    The night commute lasted 6 hours. But does it take 2 hours and 25 minutes to walk 5 miles?

    He probably took naps all through the commute, and/or the time shown allows for delays.

    Sammy Finkelman (e806a6)

  38. In the morning his walk must have been just two miles, not five miles, to the bus stop near his home. That’s what makes the total 21 miles a day, instead of the 24 it otherwise would be. It wouldn’t take most people more than 6 hours a day to do all that walking, (at 3.5 miles per hour) but he left him time to sleep on the road.

    Sammy Finkelman (e806a6)

  39. Link to article.
    Then see picture of him sleeping on bus.
    Soldiers do the same… they sleep when they can not over a typical 8 hour stretch.

    steveg (794291)

  40. This story is as fishy as heartwarming. How many years has he been working now at $10 an hour? why doesn’t he move closer to work?

    Comment Monster (897983)

  41. this also explains why the Detroit area is so miserable:
    He had to go into hiding

    seeRpea (9e531f)


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