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See, this is the problem with your thinking. Not everyone fits into a neat little box. Not everyone "spends every penny", not everyone wastes away the day playing video games, or watching their 60" TV. That is a stereotype of poor people that really needs to stop. I realize you put the little byline in there about "not every poor person does this", but when you say stuff like that, you are perpetuating that myth, even if you don't mean to.
That being said, you would probably say my husband and I made "non essential" purchases after my son was born. For that matter, you would probably say he was "non essential". However, being that I am not a parent who cares about their child's well being, I did buy the good diapers (the cheap ones gave him a rash), I bought the best butt cream (it was the only one that seemed to work), I even pureed his food once he got to that point, just so I would know what he was getting. None of that is "essential", but I chose to do the best I could with what I had.
We did not have a big nest egg built up or anything, but we did it anyways. I explained why I got pregnant when I did, previously, so I won't rehash that. Yet we still did what we deemed to be in the best interest of our child. We didn't spend money on video games or game systems. We didn't buy big TV's or other electronics. We bought a house within our means. Once I lost my job, after being out due to health issues for too long, we were in trouble. We got out of it, but that isn't the point. Not everyone is so lucky, and not everyone can save $100k before living their life.
It's cute that you guys think that the entirety of the population can do so, but it simply is not reality, and never will be. Sure, it may be for some, such as those who have parents with money, or those who made it through college with no debt, or those who get lucky with a good job immediately after graduating, but that isn't how life works for most.
doesn’t sound like you are someone that spent on non essentials so not sure why you got offended.
Just stating what people should do that is in their country so they don’t get into a bad financial situation . Schools don’t teach any personal finance stuff and if they don’t learn it from their parents then a lot of people are just clueless unfortunately.
If you keep saying “people can’t “ then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy .
Amazing how many people I know how manage to eat out every meal in this city. What do you guys think is happening here? That the whole restaurant industry in NYC is folding? What a joke.
Automation will replace fast food workers at fast food restaurants. you will order your food at a kiosk like they have at McDoanlds.
So all the people who live in the trendy neighborhoods, who have tiny kitchens because they go out to eat, now will have to deal with living in a 250 square foot shoebox, with their neighborhood going vacant. Nice. NOT!
Nothing better demonstrates the failure of liberals to understand economics than unemployment due to mandatory minimal wages.
Democrats could make the minimal wage $100 an hour, it makes no difference, no business is going to sacrifice profits to pay burger flippers more money.
Even if the burger flipper gets more money, the studies show they just blow it on strip clubs, jewelry, alcohol, used luxury cars, flat screen TVS, and everything else besides education to advance up the social ladder.
Links to these studies ? Something like that would be a riot to read.
I see you've bought whole hog into the "perpetual victim" mentality. That's exactly why some people never overcome the same obstacles many of us face.
No I know how the real world works that sometimes people just do not have the ability to do more or something bad happens to them and they get stuck. Do you really do not think that if people could do better they would not do so. They do not love working low wage jobs but for many that is all they can do. But go on living in your delusional just world fallacy. Your kind of mentality says it is a woman's fault they got raped or someone who was born with a mental or physical disability is at fault.
I have yet to see anybody still make the minimum wage and be perpetually “poor” if they do the following:
1. Show up on time.
2. Do what’s been told.
4. Obey the law.
5. Live within their means including not having kids that they can’t afford.
From the inaccurate things you say about the poor I doubt you see any poor people. I am sure plenty of poor people do all those things and are still poor if it was that easy there would less poor people.
I have yet to see anybody still make the minimum wage and be perpetually “poor” if they do the following:
1. Show up on time.
2. Do what’s been told.
4. Obey the law.
5. Live within their means including not having kids that they can’t afford.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Storm Eagle
From the inaccurate things you say about the poor I doubt you see any poor people. I am sure plenty of poor people do all those things and are still poor if it was that easy there would less poor people.
I've known and worked with "poor people" all of my adult life.
1. They do have problems showing up for work on time. There's always some drama in their lives due to stupid friends or needy baby mommas. Or their ill-maintained or riced out older car breaks down.
2. They don't like doing what they are told to at work. In fact, they tend to be smart-ass slackers who pride themselves with how little work they do and still get paid their full wages. One co-worker boasted to me how at another job, they avoided taking their 30-minute meal breaks in order to get paid "all the money", even though it was Federal law that they take a 30-minute meal break. Instead, they hid from their managers and ate on the sly.
3. Obey the law? They don't want to follow the rules, any rules. And any rule that they think is unimportant, they ignore and think that others should do the same.
4. Most anyone who is struggling with money has many children to support and they started making babies as teens or very young adults. And they are always shocked that I never had kids. As if making babies were some irresistible biological drive. And the women get pregnant to mark their territory (their man) permanently. Even if he says he doesn't want kids, it doesn't matter to these women.
doesn’t sound like you are someone that spent on non essentials so not sure why you got offended.
Just stating what people should do that is in their country so they don’t get into a bad financial situation . Schools don’t teach any personal finance stuff and if they don’t learn it from their parents then a lot of people are just clueless unfortunately.
If you keep saying “people can’t “ then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy .
“I was born poor ... I’ll never get ahead “ .
The things I did for my son were "non essential". That was the point. I didn't have to buy the expensive diapers, or the good cream, or spend extra to buy all the fresh produce and fruits I used to make his food. I didn't have to put him in the best daycare I could, or buy the best car seat, or the best crib, or whatever. That was the point. To a lot of people with views like yours, those are non essential purchases. To a lot of people with your views, I shouldn't have had my kid when I did either, making him "non essential" as well.
Now, I have no argument that people should do more to keep their financial situation stable. Of course there is a lot of stuff we could all do to save more money. However, when you are making $12 an hour, you aren't going to be saving anything, no matter how many corners you cut. At least, not enough to make a difference, since one very small problem sends you back to having $0 in the bank. You guys make it sound like every single person or family in this country can just save $100k and then start their lives. That isn't how it works now, it wasn't how it worked before, and it won't be how it works in the future. That is simply a reality that you guys seem unable to face.
I have never said people "can't" get ahead. I have said that for people who come from poor backgrounds, or people who are currently poor, it is much more difficult. With a small helping of bad luck, they are stuck where they are. If I hadn't had my husbands family for help, when I got let go, we could have been one of those people. Instead, they helped keep us afloat until we got above water. A lot of people, especially those from poor backgrounds, do not have that. They would have lost the house, the cars, and been forced into a bad situation. You guys just don't understand the reality of it.
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That's exactly why some people never overcome the same obstacles many of us face.
