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About 25 years ago I was in that situation. The rent for an apartment with access to public transportation (which would not have gotten me to my job, anyway) was around $800/mo. I found a cabin to rent for $500/mo. Had a beater car; paid the minimum in car insurance.
Still think I'd have been better off with the $800. apartment?
Of course I wouldn't have. The car did not cost me $300/mo. to own. And yes, there were still times I didn't have the extra money immediately, like when the muffler fell off!
Your example above is totally unrealistic. You assume public transportation will take a person to their job when many times it won't. You assume living 'on a bus line' is cheaper.
It's "unrealistic" if one makes it so. And you're assuming there are no bus lines in every city/region in this nation with no affordable areas to live in.
My wife and I when we first started off in life working lower end jobs made it work and the bus pass for a month for unlimited rides was $35 a month. I looked it up and it's still about the same price. So yes, reasonable rent places on a public transportation line vs owning a car with gas, insurance, maintenance on a car, perhaps parking costs, etc is often far cheaper. That one muffler repair alone you cited will probably pay for a bus line pass for close to an entire year in many cities.
Again, it's attitude/making it work, being flexible to move to other states/cities, getting a different job, etc. And I've learned to not engage in people who will tell me every excuse in the book why something can't happen when it's obvious it can.
Are you denying that trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the donor class leads to income and wealth inequality? Are you the only libertarian who believes that income and wealth inequality is a problem? I have never heard libertarians claim that it is a problem. When you push for policies that massively increase wealth and income inequality, you are pushing for oligarchy and hijacking of the political system.
So you want elimination of SS (handing it over to Wall Street in a privatization scheme is elimination) and disabled people should just buy disability insurance from Wall Street (which will bribe politicians to ensure there are no oversight or regulations). You want the government run Medicare system to stay as it is? The full effects of these policies are skyrocketing poverty and death rates among the elderly and disabled, which all examples in other countries show.
-When did we start talking about tax breaks here? Strike 8
-I didn't call for elimination of SS just because you think running it differently is elimination of it. Strike 9
-Disability insurance doesn't come from "Wall Street" Strike 10
You know that in an average baseball game, one batter usually only gets about 4 at bats, right? You are currently on your 4th at bat and the count is 0-1.
It's "unrealistic" if one makes it so. And you're assuming there are no bus lines in every city/region in this nation with no affordable areas to live in.
My wife and I when we first started off in life working lower end jobs made it work and the bus pass for a month for unlimited rides was $35 a month. I looked it up and it's still about the same price. So yes, reasonable rent places on a public transportation line vs owning a car with gas, insurance, maintenance on a car, perhaps parking costs, etc is often far cheaper.
Again, it's attitude/making it work, being flexible to move to other states/cities, getting a different job, etc.
This whole thing becomes silly. When people who advocate for callous cuts in programs for the vulnerable, they claim that it is not a problem because we have food stamps, public transit, section 8 housing and the rest. Its really disingenuous. Policitians who advocate for slashing the safety net are the first to hate on food stamps, section 8 housing and public transit as well. Why? Because they are bankrolled by the Koch brothers and other darwinian members of the billionaire class who hate any taxpayer money going to the 99.9%.
Military and subsequent benefits (like education) are an creation of "big government".
They have created pretty generous social entitlements for volunteers.
That military and the support of those volunteers is also a significant portion of the taxes you pay.
I can't understand how that would be off topic when discussing entitlements.
Our government is the failure that let this happen. You had an SEC which was plagued by employees surfing porn during work, an inadequately staffed/educated workforce to the point where they couldn't follow up on complaints to investigate them. I don't care far-right or far-left who was complaining or not at the time, it doesn't change the facts of what actually happened. Part private business and part government to blame...see who isn't in that equation? The general public. The more we can remove ourselves from being dependent on them, the better off we are individually.
So we are in basic agreement then: Wall Street must be regulated to prevent financial shenanigans and excessive risk-taking. We need government agencies like the SEC to monitor things. Otherwise, they can take irresponsible risks, play the "too big to fail" card, and demand taxpayer money.
-When did we start talking about tax breaks here? Strike 8
-I didn't call for elimination of SS just because you think running it differently is elimination of it. Strike 9
-Disability insurance doesn't come from "Wall Street" Strike 10
You know that in an average baseball game, one batter usually only gets about 4 at bats, right? You are currently on your 4th at bat and the count is 0-1.
So now you claim that you dont support lower taxes for the rich? Thats at the core of the libertarian agenda you claim to support. Same with weakening the power of government to regulate business and financial products.
Regarding your support to privatize disability insurance, you have no arguments. You just claim that we must hire people from Wall Street to make "smart" regulations. Its laughably naive. You also refuse to come up with any examples of where this agenda has actually worked, anywhere.
Your premise is wrong, its not "disposable" income, its literally the same as food and shelter when it comes to investing for retirement.
NO it is not the same as food or shelter, I'm not going to try to guess why you would make such a claim but it is wildly inaccurate. I ended up doing quite well financially but there was a time when I was a single mom and more than once I had to decide whether to buy the kids shoes or pay the utility bill on time.
So now you claim that you dont support lower taxes for the rich? Thats at the core of the libertarian agenda you claim to support. Same with weakening the power of government to regulate business and financial products.
Regarding your support to privatize disability insurance, you have no arguments. You just claim that we must hire people from Wall Street to make "smart" regulations. Its laughably naive. You also refuse to come up with any examples of where this agenda has actually worked, anywhere.
Here we go...
1. I don't support lower taxes just for the rich, I support lower taxes for EVERYONE. Strike 11
2. Disability insurance IS already private, its a choice you either make or ignore. Strike 12
3. You want me to come up with examples of an "agenda" for things you claim I support, that I dont. Strike 13...gave you an extra strike because 13 is everyone's lucky number.
Game over
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