U.S becoming a poor country (union, expenses, limitations, credit card)

[Tampaite]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Eh, I think you meant "creditors", not "debtors".

Oops thanks for correcting me

[Tampaite]

Originally Posted by montanamom

I agree. The credit availability just makes us LOOK wealthy. What would happened if from now on, absolutely everything had to be paid for in full with cash that people earned or saved from working current jobs, the way it actaully was several generations ago before "borrowing" for things became the norm.

Take away all the cars, homes, and everything else that people are now making payments on with credit and loans. In reality, until we pay these off in full, we do not really own them anyway, the lenders do. I call myself the "homeowner" of my house, but I do not really own it, in fact, I will not "own" it for 26 more years!

Now how "rich" of a country are we?

well said!

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by Tampaite

Link: US poverty on track to rise to highest since 1960s - Yahoo! News

The rise in poverty back to 1960s level indicates that as a country we have regressed. plain and simple!

You can spin all you want but if you have poverty, it will result in crime, drugs and ultimately instability.

From the article.... ""I grew up going to Hawaii every summer. Now I'm here, applying for assistance because it's hard to make ends meet. It's very hard to adjust," said Laura Fritz, 27, of Wheat Ridge, Colo., describing her slide from rich to poor as she filled out aid forms at a county center. Since 2000, large swaths of Jefferson County just outside Denver have seen poverty nearly double."

It certainly did not stop her from having a baby that she could not afford, and getting her nails done. Gee, I didn't notice a wedding band - guess you get more welfare and food stamps if you have an illegitimate baby (that you can't afford).

The problem is that people spend their money on video games, going out to eat, and other expensive "toys" instead of paying off their debts and saving for a rainy day. It's the culture of consumerism. Not that consumerism is wrong IF YOU CAN AFFORD WHAT YOU ARE BUYING.

Sorry, as a person who lives frugally I have little sympathy for someone who makes their own misery *and* poverty.

20yrsinBranson

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by MrRational

...for the extra 30-40 Million people we don't really have jobs for anyway.
The rest? They're doing pretty well actually.

I concur with GraniteStater, most po' people are not on the high end of the bell curve, intellectually.

20yrsinBranson

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by CityLover9

And, perhaps the scariest thing of all, is that the vast majority of people either don't seem to care at all or are simply too ignorant to know what's going on........

What???? and miss their reality shows? Are you crazy, CityLover? The gubmint will take care of them. They don't have to worry about a darn thing....Just as long as that check shows up every month....

20yrsinBranson

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Aside from creating bedrooms for those people to sleep in, and Target and WalMart stores for those people to shop in, and those little industrial parks where their insurance agent
and dentist have their offices... what genuinely productive thing has been created
(that didn't exist elsewhere tyvm) that isn't predicated on nothing more than serving
the needs of that additional 70-100 million people that didn't exist before?

The problem is that with all this great "development" the small-time farmer is dying out and we are being fed by factory farms that produce more food that is less nutritious and often contains toxic chemicals and genetically modified foods.

The results of this progress can be witnessed by examining the skyrocketing heart disease and cancer rates.

You cannot sacrifice good quality, locally grown food for the sake of progress. Besides, have you checked the food prices lately? They aren't going down. So not only do we have to suffer with inferior products, we are blackmailed into buying them by our need for food.

But that's off topic... so.......

I will revert back to my original statement the poor people are poor because 1. They don't manage their money well and 2. they find it is easier to stick their hand out than to get up at 5 am every morning and go to work.

20yrsinBranson

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

I will revert back to my original statement the poor people are poor because
1. They don't manage their money well and
2. they find it is easier to stick their hand out than to get up at 5 am every morning and go to work.

In other posts I've referred to the problem as one of "acculturation".
After several generations the drive and desire seems to be bred out.

To the degree they may even know that choice X is worse for them than choice Y...
what passes for a decision maker doesn't have much reason to choose the harder one.

...most po' people are not on the high end of the bell curve, intellectually.

School teacher: "we'll do the best we can with what you send us"

[RogueMom]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

It certainly did not stop her from having a baby that she could not afford, and getting her nails done. Gee, I didn't notice a wedding band - guess you get more welfare and food stamps if you have an illegitimate baby (that you can't afford).

20yrsinBranson

Well, you know, as these types of stories like to say, one day she just "discovered" herself pregnant...

[RogueMom]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

The problem is that with all this great "development" the small-time farmer is dying out and we are being fed by factory farms that produce more food that is less nutritious and often contains toxic chemicals and genetically modified foods.

The results of this progress can be witnessed by examining the skyrocketing heart disease and cancer rates.


20yrsinBranson

Is this what is making people stupider too? I have noticed a huge increase in this as well.

But I think I've concluded that, yes it is often hard getting up early every morning and heading out to a job and working hard in order NOT to have to stick our hands out, but maybe this has a way of increasing our basic brain power.

Where's the mental challange to sitting under the shade trees, walking up and down the streets all day, and shopping at Wal-mart for junk food and steaks at the first of month when that EBT card loads?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by montanamom

Well, you know, as these types of stories like to say, one day she just "discovered" herself pregnant...

Remember that the next time you see "them" want to cut even more funding for
sex education and to provide birth control and even abortion clinics too.