I think the $5-per-hour, 100-mile commute is so rare as to be a strawman. In fact, I find it highly suspect that such a person even exists, as reported in Ken's story, unless this person was just flatly stupid.

I know quite a few people with ridiculous commutes, on the order of 50+ miles. They all either work in IT, or at the chemical processing plants in the city, and every one of them makes more than enough money to justify their commute. I think they're all goddamn fools for living where they do, but there's no question that they can afford it.