Dear Oprah, My name is Rose Wanjiku from Kenya, Africa. I am regular viewer of your program since you are aired here in Kenya everyday on Channel 1 TV. However my disappointment is there so many things that I can't participate just because am not in the US. e.g I can't share my story or experience and I can't mail you. Please think about these sides because you are anspiration to some of us. There are lot's of experiences I would like to share with young single mothers and maybe I can help them overcome what I overcame. I am 35yrs of age and single mother of 17 & 14yrs old girls. I brought them up with no one's help but today am happy to say am proud I did it. Merry Christmas.

Enjoyed the show today, but I must let you all know that a portion of what Maria said about F.I.C.A. was totally wrong. The Federal Insurance Contributions Act is absolutely not a savings account. Just as the name says, it is insurance and works much the same way as term insurance. You are not guaranteed any portion of the contributions at retirement and it certainly does not pass on to your heirs. Your contributions right now are used to fund those who are receiving benefits right now and in the near future. Hopefully, when it comes time for you to retire, there will be enough workers to fund your benefits. That is why I am totally for allowing lots and lots of workers in to the US to help pay into the system. Somewhere over the years we found birth control and stopped having enough babies who would grow up to work and help pay our way. I say legalize all the illegals and give them social security numbers and put them to work just as soon as possible. Additionally, if you marry, be sure to stay married at least ten years in order to have the ability to have your social security calculation based on the higher of your's or your spouse's income. There are quite a few if's and but's, but it in no way reduces what the other person will receive in benefits, but can be beneficial to one or both of you in the end.

I can empathize with your situation as we have also experienced a similar situation here in California back in the seventies. In fact, we had to move all the way back to Louisiana for my husband to find a better paying job as his was taken from him in nearly the same way as you stated. They treated him just awful there and there were so few jobs in California that the last job he had was loading a boxcar with lumber. But when God slams a door in your face, he always opens a window to something better. Within a month I had a very nice position at a departrment store in New Orleans which eventually led to management and in less than six months my husband was able to get on with the post office. We were making about double what we had made in California which is saying a lot for Louisiana! And best yet, he was able to be back home with his family even if I was moved away from mine. I wouldn't trade my 30 years in New Orleans for anything now.

In addition, if you are training people to do your work, you are accountable both to your employer and to God to do a good job no matter what the circumstances. And believe me I can understand how difficult it must be for you under the circumstances. However, all people have a right to work and earn a living wage for their families no matter who they are or where they are from. But ten years is far too long for you to be in an entry level job. Perhaps someone should be encouraging you to better yourself. Yes, it's easier to keep plugging along in the same old job, but if you do that long enough you will eventually "max out" the position as they call it. There comes a point where the job is not worth anymore than what you are being paid and your raises will stop or the employer will be forced to find someone who will work that job for less money or else the company will go bankrupt anyway and there will be no job.

The real crime here is that those workers are willing to work for minimum wage which is below the poverty level, and since they are being paid slave wages they probably still qualify for food stamps and welfare, which, by the way, is also very expense for the employer as someone has to be hired to fill out all those government forms. That is what I did in New Orleans. I ran a payroll and saw this all firsthand. There were so many forms to fill out that I had to work late every night with no additional pay just to keep the papers moving and if we had not been bought out by another company, we would have gone bankrupt. There was no money to pay that last payroll and our entire department had a nice laugh over the fact that the new company had to bail us out.

I wish you luck as you find a much nicer position or create your own special niche in the world. We all have something very special that we are meant to be doing.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!