To be poor in America

[Karma]

I read this yesterday. I wanted to share it here:

What does it mean to be poor in America? | The Lookout - Yahoo! News

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It's not as deep as the "Voices of the long term jobless" article I read several weeks ago but it is still a very good read. It got me to thinking about alot of things. Here's my own perspective.

It's obvious things arent what they used to be in America. The era of "prosperity" & even the belief that if one "works hard, they will one day be rich/comfortable" is no longer there.

People are hurting BAD & in many cases, it's not their fault. But then I've also noticed some ppl who were living high off the hog b/c of their job/degree & really didnt give any thought to their "bigger picture".

I am VERY relieved that I don't have a mortgage OR a child to worry about & as a single person I've been able to recover from mistakes I've made in the past w/ my finances & I've been gaining knowledge & applying it to a more fiscally disciplined budget.

I'm gonna say this though...I've grown cold on the idea of a 401k. I've had a few setbacks the last couple years, primarily due to medical issues & at one point it got so bad, I had to tap into my 401k for a hardship withdrawl to save myself. I dont regret it...it was my $$ & I needed it to save myself. But then I was barred from contributing to my acct for 6 mos., had to pay a tax penalty etc & i thought "really?" they acted like I was being "irresponsible" & neglecting my future. well honey for me...the future is NOW or close @ hand.

The economic turmoil this country is in has really dispelled the idea (tought to generation x by the baby boomers) that "working hard & retiring is the way to go".

even though im far more carefull w/ my $$ ...things like medical issues could still bankrupt me (as it could most ppl) & its a fact that most of us are 2, maybe 3 paychecks from being homeless. I'm not going to listen to ppl who criticize me for making a hardship withdrawl on money that i needed b/c of hardships arising from medical expenses. hell i could have DIED...at the age i am & the money [presumably being totally available to me by the time im 64) NEVER wouldve been used & what then?

what's your feelings about all this? how do you feel about now & "the future" given the way America has all but gone down the toilet?

 

[Rampage]

I am fortunate to have a somewhat marketable degree and a job. Let's start there.

Having said that:

One generation has made such a crazy difference that it is almost demoralizing on a daily basis. I'll just give a list.

1) I have a decent house, but not as nice as my parents. For that pleasure I pay 3 TIMES as much as they did for it.

2) My Mom took almost an additional year to buy a new car. Money was not the issue. The issue was that it was as much as she had paid FOR HER HOUSE.

3) I make more than my Dad did, but not a lot more. And for that pleasure I had to get a degree and pick up 50K in school loans.

4) To my mother, paying for daycare was giving a few dollars here and there to an aunt or family friend to help feed me; keeping me cost nothing. NOW everyone that MIGHT do that for me either works or is disabled.

5) Insurance once meant that you paid a small premium and when you got sick, you got NO BILLS. That wasn't so long ago.

6)My parents worked hard, and for that they got a raise EVERY year. It once was a reason to get pissed if you JUST got a cost -of-living raise. NO MORE.


For the reasons above, one very chilling thing has occurred. There aren't more people FALLING into poverty. Poverty has CREPT up to CAPTURE more people in its web. If you get sick, if you are a couple with kids and ONE loses his/her job, if your type of job is devalued or destroyed...you can be in poverty for reasons not your fault.

 

[Clara Oswald]

And there are so many things that cost an exorbitant amount now. I'm a little biased lol cause I just got my health insurance bill and they've raised my rate $25 a month to over $300 out of my own pocket. Now, that would be okay if I actually could go to the doctor with a $10 copay like regular people. But because I have a $500 deductible, which I sure as hell can't afford, I can't go to the doctor. Despite paying over $3600 a year in health "insurance". We let companies like this get away with this bullshit, while focusing on other stupid crap instead of the real problems. Like FRAUD.

And on a lighter side lol - when my mom was a girl - heck when I was a kid - you could go to the movies or a ballgame for a reasonable amount of money. Now you have to go bankrupt just to take your family to one game.

Honestly I also do think parents are different now, much less willing to tell their kids no, wanting them to have the things they didn't. We didn't have cell phones and a lot of other stuff, most kids didn't have their own tv, I never had video games, we got presents at Christmas and birthday and that's it. There's a lot more disposable income spending goes on nowadays. And not just parents for kids - people I know who get EVICTED cause they can't pay their rent but have the newest iPhone? Please.

I don't make much money, so I DON'T have a smartphone, I don't spend money I don't have. But there are a lot of people who never learned how to do that.

 

[Karma]

And there are so many things that cost an exorbitant amount now. I'm a little biased lol cause I just got my health insurance bill and they've raised my rate $25 a month to over $300 out of my own pocket. Now, that would be okay if I actually could go to the doctor with a $10 copay like regular people. But because I have a $500 deductible, which I sure as hell can't afford, I can't go to the doctor. Despite paying over $3600 a year in health "insurance". We let companies like this get away with this bullshit, while focusing on other stupid crap instead of the real problems. Like FRAUD.

insurance has changed & mutated so much from its ORIGINAL roots it's mind bogling. you can blame it on many things...but in america, once CORPORATIONS outside of BCBS got involved w/ it , along with the dawn of "managed care" & massive deregulation of companies...here we are now & its heart sickening. i WORK for the govt & I sit on a reg board that [supposedly] regulates, licenses & monitors private insurance companies. the stories I hear on a daily basis from consumers who call our office for help sometimes leave me numb. & while our dept has managed to bust up some truly fraudulent operations (you may have heard about the Somet group or the ATA/SDS insurance scandals back in the summer of 09 & '10- our department busted up these nation wide insurance fraud rings but few ppl saw much of what they lost personally in the way of $$ returned to them) the biggest problem is that insurance companies are not checked for the way they ABUSE their policy holders & we (the govt agency that is supposed to be where consumers go for help) are forever bound by the changing of the guard (each presidential & midterm election) as to how far we can go. now under the thumb of "the right"...we're all but powerless as they continue to allow passages of laws that put more power in the hands of these companies (thanks to the "corporations are ppl" ideaology & "pro business" agenda")

were it not for our employee "group coverage" plans, I'd probably be DEAD by now w/ the health issues *I* have, & those are things I INHERITED. it's not b/c I smoke or anything like that. ppl get mad @ me for having so called "good coverage"...i work HARD for what i have & its not as "good" as ppl might think. we lost MANY of our former options & were FORCED to chose one of two kinds of PPO's both w/ higher premiums, deductibles & other "nickle & dime" shit. yes thankfully i can still go to the doctor & merely pay a copay for for "office visits", i can even see a specialist if i need to & if its via referral, i'll only pay a copay BUT there are other problems & this current plan i'm on is VERY expensive & hardly fits my budget where as the POS plan i was on for the past 4 years suited my needs perfectly now more of my paycheck (after the 3rd i never see due to taxes) is swallowed up by insurance premiums for a plan i must be carefull in using. & I was one of the "lucky" ones. I was able to get on this "partnership PPO" b/c I passed a healthscreen exam during enrollment period, which made my premiums & fees lower than the "standard" which many other co-workers of mine who were in obvious & visibly bad shape failed & are now suffering big time w/ higher insurance costs.

its a good thing that i got my DME while still under my POS plan b/c it was much more affordable & I was able to pay it off, now i have what i need as far as ongoing preventative treatment. If i had to purchase that DME under this CURRENT plan? Like i said before, I'd probably be bankrupt

And on a lighter side lol - when my mom was a girl - heck when I was a kid - you could go to the movies or a ballgame for a reasonable amount of money. Now you have to go bankrupt just to take your family to one game.

IKR!? that's why i ONLY do matinee' now & if i can't catch a matinee' I aint going. period. it costs too damn much & the shit is not worth what they charge these days & unlike alot of ppl, i dont go rushing to see something just b/c "everyone is talking about it".

Honestly I also do think parents are different now, much less willing to tell their kids no, wanting them to have the things they didn't. We didn't have cell phones and a lot of other stuff, most kids didn't have their own tv, I never had video games, we got presents at Christmas and birthday and that's it. There's a lot more disposable income spending goes on nowadays. And not just parents for kids - people I know who get EVICTED cause they can't pay their rent but have the newest iPhone? Please.

I don't make much money, so I DON'T have a smartphone, I don't spend money I don't have. But there are a lot of people who never learned how to do that

agreed. I didnt get a tv in my room till i was 13 & i was surprised I even got one then lol! kids these days are so spoiled with gadgets & tech toys & these things make them THINK they are so s mart & clever yet half of em can't even balance a damn check book, they dont know how to iron their own clothes or even how to grocery shop. remember those "life skills" classes they used to teach in school? lol you were taught how to fill out job applications, write checks, balance a check book & how to write different kinds of letters. they dont do that these days.

& yes! ppl out here w/ the most expensive sneakers or phones & yet they have no car & leave @ home w/ momma. or they have all this expensive shit & can barely make rent. THAT is crazy. first of all...the ONLY thing im gonna spend "lots" of money on is my wardrobe b/c you DO have to look nice to be taken seriously but even then, I know how to shop. I dont just buy the first thing i see when I know if i shop smart I can get a whole outfit complete w/ a purse or pair of shoes for the same price. im not trying to pay a huge phone bill OR spend 500 dollars on a phone WTF? who do i need to impress w/ an expensive phone or car? fuck that. gimme shelter & a good, multiseasonal wardrobe please!

SOME ppl today are POOR & bottoming out b/c of their own foolishness. they live in themoment & are always trying to get the newest thing when they can barely afford to keep a roof over their head. that aint me. but for all that I do...things still get hard & I know its not b/c im being careless. there's shit going on that "little ppl" like us can't help but get effected by thanks to the bullshit the "top 2%" , the corporations & the politicians who pander to them keep going.

 

[Clara Oswald]

There was a letter to our community paper - it actually was talking about making cuts to balance the school budget instead of raising taxes, but it made a good point: they said, there needs to be a distinction between WANTS and NEEDS. And when money is tight, you spend it on the needs and NOT the wants. And when there's more money THEN you can have the wants.

 

[Karma]

There was a letter to our community paper - it actually was talking about making cuts to balance the school budget instead of raising taxes,

its a sad thing that things like education are among the first to be cut. that's one of the reasons why our country is no longer at the top when it comes to turning out ppl proficient in math, science & other things. we've slipped down to 17 among the global ranks as far as i've read & yet politicians are so quick to eliminate education & other domestic programs & infrastruture for what? we're no better off than before & the only ppl getting better are the corporations & top 2%

but it made a good point: they said, there needs to be a distinction between WANTS and NEEDS. And when money is tight, you spend it on the needs and NOT the wants. And when there's more money THEN you can have the wants

common sense right? but parents today dont instill the need to have or adhere to a budget like yours & mine or those before ours did. these kids today dont even know the significance of "the great depression" much less what it means to have to BUDGET. add to that the barrage of "marketing" & "advertising" by these corporations (that are no longer as tightly regulated as they once were) that reaches them via the net, their phones & gadgets etc. they're programmed to think they HAVE to have "the latest" this that & the other & they go for it all the time!

 

[Clara Oswald]

its a sad thing that things like education are among the first to be cut.

No, this wasn't about those kind of cuts. Our school district has all this debt and the solution to it is always to raise the local school taxes (the district doesn't need taxpayer approval to do it like in some places, like where my sister lives and their school district is in REAL trouble). But some people wanted to cut swimming in school and stop offering whole day kindergarten, which would pretty much get us out of debt and balance the budget. The kindergarten thing saves like 3 million a year or something crazy.

So basically the person was saying, schools NEED music instruction, they don't NEED separate woods & strings classes which amount to taxpayer funded music lessons, in a time when people have less money to pay in school tax.

Making some cuts would prevent teacher job loss as well. Yeah, so they're not talking about balancing the community budget, but the school budget itself.

You know, though, I honestly believe that if we could get people who were honest and didn't have personal interest in things in the federal government, there's a ton of waste out there that could be cut that would allow them to keep funding the important things like education and research. I mean, anyone who's ever worked knows how much waste goes on in one company, let alone something like the federal government lol