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The opportunity is there for the poor. It's up to them to take advantage of it.
One cannot be handed wealth; they must work for it and earn it themselves.
<scratching head> I have no marketable skills and can't afford to go to school to acquire skills. Please explain how "the opportunity is there".
i specifically referring to education. k-12 is available to everyone. Even some states offer free college tution based on maintaining a certain GPA
Whoopee, K-12 is available to everyone and I graduated with 3.9 GPA. Now I am unemployed with no job prospects. Employers aren't exactly jumping through hoops to recruit high school graduates.
<scratching head> I have no marketable skills and can't afford to go to school to acquire skills. Please explain how "the opportunity is there".
There will always be those that fall through the cracks if they let themselves.
Apply for a student loan; one can get up to $5500 the first semester with no income restrictions.
The government definition of poverty is badly flawed and Heritage is fully aware of the many flaws.
The government definition of poverty is based on (pre-tax) ANNUAL CASH INCOME. Assets are completely irrelevant, so poor people can inherit anything - even money, since inherited money is not income - and still be poor. Poor people can also own anything if they were able to buy it at some time in the past when they were not poor.
Which means that the government thinks Donald Trump is poor in years he files bankruptcy.
Which means it's entirely possible for millions of "poor" people to own a home since the ability to own a home does not require a non-poor income. (Most "poor" homeowners do not have a mortgage, which makes owning a home cheaper than rent.) The ability to BUY a home DOES require a non-poor income, and poor people do not buy homes.
The Heritage Foundation - a conservative think tank. I know the data is from the US Census Bureau, but they are picking out certain parts of the survey and interpreting it to bolster their own theories.
I have many problems with the findings of the survey. Firstly, comparing the US poor to the poor people in European countries isn't a good comparison. More poor people own cars here because having a car is a necessity in most US cities, whereas in other countries, you could get by without one as mass transit is more extensive. As for housing space, that's bigger over here too, but bigger doesn't mean better.
Electronics are dirt cheap today. This isn't the 80's or the 90's, where such items would cost an arm and a leg. Also, owning a mobile phone has almost become a necessity, especially if you're job hunting.
The poor in the US are worse off than most other developed countries, IMO (because that's what we should be comparing). This is mainly because they don't have access to affordable (or free) healthcare, they are less likely to clim the social mobility ladder and often live in dangerous areas, in terms of crime. Add to that, they are chastised and blamed for all of their problems by the bad decision police and society in general, even if they are "working poor".
"Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman is not only a great song, but it tells a story of how it is to be poor and stuck in the poverty cycle in this country.
well said. I never realized a microwave was supposed to be a sign of success. lol
There will always be those that fall through the cracks if they let themselves.
Apply for a student loan; one can get up to $5500 the first semester with no income restrictions.
Fill out that FAFSA form as it costs you nothing.
I am ineligible for financial aid, so filling out the FAFSA would be a complete waste of time and effort. I am one of those evil student loan defaulters Reagan warned you about. I am paying almost 10 percent of my poverty level income, but that is not sufficient to get my loans out of default. (I would have to double that payment for nine consecutive months to get out of default, and that's not going to happen until either income or expenses improve. Funny that if I were not in default, I could qualify for an "affordable payment" program with a monthly payment of zero based on my income.)
Also, the government takes 20% of each payment off the top as a collection fee before applying anything to interest or principal. I have paid over $2,000 in these fees, which is why I am making very little progress paying down the balance.
The government prefers that borrowers default since they make much more money in the long run.
What makes you ineligible for financial aid ?
They have both subsidized and unsubsidized loans that do not take income into account.
When you fill out the FAFSA the results tell you what you are eligible for.
I am one of those evil student loan defaulters Reagan warned you about. I am paying almost 10 percent of my poverty level income, but that is not sufficient to get my loans out of default. (I would have to double that payment for nine consecutive months to get out of default, and that's not going to happen until either income or expenses improve. Funny that if I were not in default, I could qualify for an "affordable payment" program with a monthly payment of zero based on my income.)
For people with student loans in default - regardless of income - they have zilch, zero, nada.
How much of a poverty level income is a reasonable and affordable payment?
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