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Most posters here think all poor are uneducated and useless people but that's wrong.
There are many kids with good/decent education and they are poor as well.
Of course not everyone is going to Harvard or MIT.
Of course there are educated poor, but the odds of being poor go down the more education you get, and that doesn't necessarily mean formal education. People on this board who are more in-tune with the economy and labor market are probably less likely to be poor than the average Joe on the street, all else equal.
No, I don't think it's easy to simply pick up and move to find a lower COL area. It's not a decision to be made lightly or quickly, especially if one has a family to consider. But...it's a reasonable thing to consider.
Just as it's reasonable to suggest that one's preferences cannot always be indulged, and that's not indicative of something being wrong with the world.
People complain about affordability of my current city (LA) and while a lot of the complaints have some merit, there is a significant portion that's really more about people wanting to be indulged. Like wanting champagne on a beer budget when there's plenty of beer for sale in other stores. They refuse to acknowledge that one can buy a decent home in a decent neighborhood because they'd rather complain about being priced out of their preferred area by the evil 1%ers or foreigners or whomever.
I want beer on a beer budget but municipalities insist on champagne for those who can afford it and want "voting with their feet" for those who cannot. When poor people resist, you get homelessness and tent cities.
It is surprising that more than 800,000 working-age adults with post-secondary education are–in fact–poor.
It challenges our common fundamental belief system about the benefits of higher education. Indeed, we are
left to inquire, how could anyone with a post-secondary education be impoverished?
That's not a ton of people, and you're not even considering other circumstances about those people. One of the bartenders at a brewery I frequent has a master's degree, and while he acknowledged he doesn't make a lot of money, he likes the low key lifestyle and flexible hours, so he keeps bartending. He bartends during the day on the weekends and weekday evenings, and has most days during the week off, and spends a lot of time fishing and camping.
I don't know if he'd be classified as poor or not, but it seems to work for him and I bet a lot of the highly paid, overworked professionals would like some of his freedom.
Last edited by Serious Conversation; 03-29-2016 at 02:04 PM..
No, I don't think it's easy to simply pick up and move to find a lower COL area. It's not a decision to be made lightly or quickly, especially if one has a family to consider. But...it's a reasonable thing to consider.
Just as it's reasonable to suggest that one's preferences cannot always be indulged, and that's not indicative of something being wrong with the world.
People complain about affordability of my current city (LA) and while a lot of the complaints have some merit, there is a significant portion that's really more about people wanting to be indulged. Like wanting champagne on a beer budget when there's plenty of beer for sale in other stores. They refuse to acknowledge that one can buy a decent home in a decent neighborhood because they'd rather complain about being priced out of their preferred area by the evil 1%ers or foreigners or whomever.
There simply isn't much in the way of professional employment in truly cheap small towns or rural areas. I work in IT and would like to move back home to Tennessee. Sadly, not much employment there in IT outside of Nashville. People with really good careers often can't find anything equivalent in those cheap areas, and are either unwilling or financially unable to adjust their lifestyle as a result.
It is surprising that more than 800,000 working-age adults with post-secondary education are–in fact–poor.
It challenges our common fundamental belief system about the benefits of higher education. Indeed, we are
left to inquire, how could anyone with a post-secondary education be impoverished?
So having some useless degree from a 3rd tier college somehow entitles you to a high wage job?
It is surprising that more than 800,000 working-age adults with post-secondary education are–in fact–poor.
It challenges our common fundamental belief system about the benefits of higher education. Indeed, we are
left to inquire, how could anyone with a post-secondary education be impoverished?
I know a woman from my Midwestern hometown, absolutely intelligent and blessed by a blue chip education: local fancy prep school, then Harvard undergraduate, and finally a PhD from Yale. Couldn't get along with other people (public spat with the wife of one of the illuminati in her profession, which made the New Haven newspaper), and she dropped out/ was shoved out of the field a decade ago. Now unemployed and unemployable, her construction worker husband keeps their necks above water.
But let's avoid anecdotal stories and talk about the overall data. I'm not surprised that 800k US adults with advanced degrees are poor. Remember, that means ~18,200k of the 19 million US adults with a professional, masters, or graduate degree are not poor. 4% is a much better figure than the overall 15% poverty rate in the US.
Education without work does not guarantee success. Education plus a lifetime of diligent work and behaving politely toward others guarantees a much higher likelihood of success.
I think a large component of the "affordability" problem in housing is government regulations and mandates that drive up the cost of housing.
Jack Kemp knew a lot about this.
What, exactly? Housing cost is about location. At some point you can't increase the supply.
Cheap housing markets have low demand because there are few good jobs. It has little to do with the houses. Materials cost what they cost - tract 3/2 houses with average finishings cost maybe $70-80K gross to construct. Labor, materials, transportation vary a little based on regional context but it's location that drives the cost.
I saw this in Texas where land use regulations are lax. The nice parts of Houston are still expensive regardless of the number of tract homes that exist an 80 minute drive from downtown.
So having some useless degree from a 3rd tier college somehow entitles you to a high wage job?
Nobody ever said my degree is from a third tier college. At the time, they claimed to have more National Merit types than any other college, which is why they recruited me.
What, exactly? Housing cost is about location. At some point you can't increase the supply.
Cheap housing markets have low demand because there are few good jobs. It has little to do with the houses. Materials cost what they cost - tract 3/2 houses with average finishings cost maybe $70-80K gross to construct. Labor, materials, transportation vary a little based on regional context but it's location that drives the cost.
I saw this in Texas where land use regulations are lax. The nice parts of Houston are still expensive regardless of the number of tract homes that exist an 80 minute drive from downtown.
Cheap housing markets often have fewer regulations and lower provider costs. I know a slumlord who had some cheap houses he was trying to sell off; they were cheap and rundown because they were outside the city limits and had looser regulation. A few blocks away the rents and home prices were considerably higher because of tighter regulation and code enforcement.
There simply isn't much in the way of professional employment in truly cheap small towns or rural areas. I work in IT and would like to move back home to Tennessee. Sadly, not much employment there in IT outside of Nashville. People with really good careers often can't find anything equivalent in those cheap areas, and are either unwilling or financially unable to adjust their lifestyle as a result.
The reverse situation happens in niche cases, such as the defense sector. It is quite typical to site a major research/engineering installation in remote places with lots of open land. Consider for example AEDC, in Tullahoma, TN. A fresh PhD from Caltech/Stanford/MIT/whatever is lured to such a locale, with the promise of fascinating work, good pay and stable employment. So a person relocates, finding him/herself in a strange and bewildering environment. How to start a network of acquaintances? How to find a romantic partner? Sure, houses are cheap - and can be bought on less than one year's take-home pay. But what of quality of life? By such reckoning, "home" isn't a luxury item at all; on the contrary, friends and family are a luxury item.
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