I'm absolutely admiring Jay and Mary for working as hard as they do, and I
think it's wonderful that they are making a success of their hotel. We've
stayed at the hotel once and thoroughly enjoyed it. We've talked with Jay
and Mary at EAA and think they are wonderful people. I'm quite sure they've
put a lot into their business and continue to do so.
But I still am convinced Jay's saying they've worked for less than minimum
wage is a gross exaggeration. It wouldn't matter to me except that it seems
common for many people to way overestimate the living conditions and
lifestyles of those who truly are making minimum wage, and I think Jay's
claims of poverty exacerbate this. It does a great disservice to those who
really are living in poverty and I find it to be something I can't just
ignore.
So, let's do some math. Jay says Mary hasn't taken a salary at all, but
just for grins and giggles lets include her. Taking Jay at his word that
they work every waking minute, lets see what that would bring them. Two
people working 16 hour days,, six days a week would, at the minimum wage
rate prior to this past July, add up thusly:
16 hours X 6 days per week X $5.15 per hour times two people, equals
$988.80 per week, multiply that times 52 equals $51417.60 per year. If you
divide that by 2080 hours (what one hourly person works in a year, 40 hours
a week) this works out to the equivalent of 24.72 an hour for one person. I
make $23.11 which isn't too far off. In a standard 40 hour week, after 19
percent is taken off the top for my 401k, and after deductions for taxes,
medical and dental insurance, I'm left with $504 a week. Multiplying that
by 52 gives us take-home of $26,208 a year, averaging $2184 a month.

Jay will have to furnish us with his living expenses if he cares to, but I
have no qualms about sharing mine.
We own a 1400 square foot ranch house which we paid $114,000 four years ago.
Our mortgage plus escrow is $1000 per month. We have basic cable only, which
costs us $25 a month. We pay monthly $34 for my wife's cell phone (which
we'd love to cancel but we're locked into a contract), $161 for gas and
electric, $67 for our phone and DSL, an average of $52 for water, $67 for
insurance for my 97 Ford Escort and for my wife Janet's 99 Saturn, and an
average of $606 a month for groceries. Janet also has a student loan out
which cost us $137 a month. Our expenses come to $2149, versus a
straight-time net income of $2184. Who was it that implied I waste too much
money at Starbucks? If you want to know, we don't go there, nor do we spend
money renting videos, going to movies or anything else. We spend some of my
overtime money on going out to eat, maybe twice a month, and take an
occasional day trip in the car, usually someplace local. We buy most of our
clothes at Goodwill and other thrift stores. I'm saving most of my overtime
money toward maybe someday buying an airplane, perhaps a Piper Tomahawk,
assuming Janet can find a full-time job that pays enough that we can afford
the ownership costs. We've got over $14,000 in the bank now. Who was it that
said I should ask Jay how he manages?

Since we don't know if Jay invests 19 percent (other than back into his
hotel) lets add that back in. I'm not so good at math, so let's guesstimate
about $130 a week, which of course would be taxable so I don't know what
the final amount would be, but I'm thinking that's fairly close. So Jay
and Mary would have about $630 a week to pay all their expenses, including
their home, utilities, teenager stuff, and their Piper Pathfinder's
expenses. I don't have any kids at home, and I sure can't afford to own an
airplane. Maybe Jay and Mary's airplane is paid for, as is their house. But
from everything I read about annuals, hangar rents, fuel prices (autogas
included ) and then to read about Jay and Mary's many flying adventures
including hotel stays tells me that his claims of poverty are just plain
exaggeration. I only wish we had the poverty Jay has!
As I said, I greatly admire the courage it took Jay and Mary to buy that
hotel, and I'm totally impressed with all the efforts they've put into it.
I just wish he'd quit claiming poverty, it just isn't so.
Scott Wilson