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1. 150-200k is not realistic for a 41k salary.
2. How many jobs in Orlando with a 41k salary? The median income in Orlando is well under 30k, and the household income is about 70% of the national average. You cant use an area that has salaries way below the median US income, because a median person cant expect to make 41k there.
What about Atlanta, then? Or Dallas? Median incomes greatly exceed 41K, yet home prices and other costs are in line for someone to live off 41K. I'm currently looking at a home across the street from me for 75K: 1900 sq ft, 1980s built, nice neighborhood, near shopping, lots of trees. It can definitely be done here. Now, I wouldn't raise a family here on that. Even with the affordable housing and lower costs, kids just cost money. At least 60K for that.
Poverty is relative, and so is connected happiness. If the average Joe can afford a Disney vacation, and you cant, that ticks you off. It does not matter if you have a can of beans in the cupboard and some Haitian kid doesnt. Relatively, the Haitian family without a pot to **** in, may be doing better then you are.
We are not a "global" melting pot. A person should be able to aspire to have all that his economy can generate for him, not aspire to have what the Chinese economy is generating for the Chinese guy. Being happy that you are not starving is a race to the bottom wrong way to look at things.
I'm sorry, but this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Someone with food, shelter, clothing, access to public services, schools, etc. is better off than someone in Haiti who has lost everything in an Earthquake (and didn't have anything to begin with). Poverty isn't "relative" at all. Poverty means "lack of means to provide material needs." Period. If a guy can't afford Disney World, tough *****. He isn't worse off than someone starving. Sure, it sucks not going to Disney World,but he isn't worse off and I take great offense to that.
I'm sorry, but this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Someone with food, shelter, clothing, access to public services, schools, etc. is better off than someone in Haiti who has lost everything in an Earthquake (and didn't have anything to begin with). Poverty isn't "relative" at all. Poverty means "lack of means to provide material needs." Period. If a guy can't afford Disney World, tough *****. He isn't worse off than someone starving. Sure, it sucks not going to Disney World,but he isn't worse off and I take great offense to that.
Yup. I wonder if randomdude has ever been out of the country. I've been to parts of asia and central america where they don't have running water or electricity during all times of the day. He needs to see how good we really have it here.
People just do not seem to get it. Your going to be hard pressed to live off 35k a year. That is around what your going to bring home. Car breaks down need 700 bucks need a crown for a tooth 600 bucks new tires 300 bucks. Student loans most people have them in this day and age say 200 bucks. Nothing can happen ever. Because if something happens your done. It is going to end up on master card. Sure you can save a few grand so what? Something always happens it is life you get sick or laid off. Whatever cash you got is gone in no time. I know lots of people living off this type of cash and your get getting by in most cases. The future of job growth in the US is going to be low wage for the most part. The BLS says over the next ten years 7 out of the top ten job growth areas will be low wage. Things like home health aides cashiers security guard ect 9 to 10 dollar an hour jobs. Everybody can not be a nurse or engineer. There is going to be a need for nurses from about 60 to 100k a year for the next 10 years. So anywhere from 600k to 1m. Engineers we need abot 25k a year over the next ten for 250k. We have 15m unemployed 9.3m working part time because their hours have been cut. We have somewhere between 15 to 25m underempolyed people in the US. My point is nursing is not going to suck up all those workers. We are sending well paying jobs to India like engineering and why not? That job that pays 75k in the US can be done in India for 20k. The numbers just do not add up in the long run for the US worker. It does not matter if Tommy majors in engineering or not. We are being replaced by low cost labor from around the world. Educated or not someone somewhere will do your job for next to nothing. The world has tons of educated workers to whom 10k a year is a good payday. Add to the mix temp workers contractors part time workers. Thus the whole idea of a full time worker with benefits may be a thing of the past.
People just do not seem to get it. Your going to be hard pressed to live off 35k a year. That is around what your going to bring home. Car breaks down need 700 bucks need a crown for a tooth 600 bucks new tires 300 bucks. Student loans most people have them in this day and age say 200 bucks. Nothing can happen ever.
Total B.S. I only take home 17k after taxes (20k before). I have $500 a month left over each month after my bills that I put in savings. If the car needs $700, no problem. I do not have student loans, but I do have the same bills everyone else has such as rent, car insurance, internet etc. All this talk about 41k being a low salary is total hogwash. I guess if someone had a wife and 6 kids to support it would be, but for a single person it is quite a lot money. I could live very well on that kind of money.
Read my whole post before you call it BS. Ever been sick or laid off. If nothing has ever happened to you then you have been real lucky. What type of medical coverage do you have? If you have none your one illness from being broke.
Read my whole post before you call it BS. Ever been sick or laid off. If nothing has ever happened to you then you have been real lucky. What type of medical coverage do you have? If you have none your one illness from being broke.
I only called B.S. on this quote, not the whole post:
"Your going to be hard pressed to live off 35k a year"
Of course I do not have medical insurance. However, they have free medical care for people who make 200% or less of the poverty level in Las Vegas in which I do qualify for.
When the country stops valuing actually making things of value there is little room for wage growth for the masses. In the short run great profits can be made trading/brokering importing/reimporting goods previously produced domestically. In the long run it takes you out of the game because the masses lack the wages to buy anything but the cheapest goods.
As far as consumer products go there are a ton of empty small retail spaces that used to be occupied by a small business that filled a niche for a particular unique product. Most have fallen victim to the Chinese knock-off sold at Walmart.
We've largely done it to ourselves. It's no mystery.
Last edited by Lincolnian; 07-20-2010 at 05:36 AM..
We've largely done it to ourselves. It's no mystery.
Bingo. I wonder how many on here who complain about the "down-waging" enjoy the fact that they can buy a flatscreen TV, and iphone or a small laptop for few hundred $$$ thanks to cheaper labor in china?
Nonetheless, I do believe that there will always be a niche for quality for the people who are actually interested in putting their money where their mouth is and buying something that will last a long-time, rather than a throwaway item.
The snapper mower story is an excellent example of this:
All you are going to be able to do on 35k is just get by in most cases. Unless you live in a small town no debt college loans car payment ect. Bigger towns you can make it if you have no debt roommates no car payment ect. Sure I have known people who have saved 400 to 500 a month on on 35k. Which is about what you would bring home on 41k. In most cases if your saving that kind of cash you are letting things go no car insurance health insurance ect. You have to do this to get any real money in savings in the bank. Or you have 3 room mates or someone is giving you a break on the rent. The main point is however wages are heading down for most workers in the US. Yes some people were living above their means. However tons more never made a living wage to start with. It is a race to the bottom in most cases.
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I only take home 17k after taxes (20k before). I have $500 a month left over each month after my bills that I put in savings. If the car needs $700, no problem. I do not have student loans, but I do have the same bills everyone else has such as rent, car insurance, internet etc. All this talk about 41k being a low salary is total hogwash. I guess if someone had a wife and 6 kids to support it would be, but for a single person it is quite a lot money. I could live very well on that kind of money.
