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I think even the Mainers below the poverty level are better taken care of and in better shape than in other states, particularly in the South. We are just starting out here and do not own a home or any land, we have one vehicle which is only worth about $1500. We are below the poverty level but both work hard, and thanks to my husband's student aid we can pay our rent without much worry. We do rely on heating assistance and MaineCare, but in my mind these are almost luxuries. When we lived in New Mexico before, we were both working full time (at minimum wage, which there was $5.15/hr), there were no decent jobs to be had, even my office manager job paid minimum wage. NM would not give any health care even when I became pregnant, and we had to go into debt to pay those bills, even though we were doing all we could. No help for people in tough situations at all in that state, no matter how hard times were. I guess it was because of the influx of illegal immigrants who had abused the system there that made them tough about assistance, but it nearly killed us! We had no food to eat, could not afford the gas to drive the 35 miles into the city to work; the gas ate up half our paychecks. The people for the most part were impersonable and rude. We felt very poor there.
Now being back up in Maine, both of us working full time and my husband being a full time student also, we are not wealthy by any means at all but the jobs pay much better and living is much easier. People are friendlier and more willing to help out, it really makes you feel good.
So while our dreams of owning a home may be far off, we are happy and feel 1000 times richer than we did in New Mexico, where it was every man for himself and live and let die. Maine is rich in natural beauty, and there are jobs to be had so long as you're not too proud and don't mind seasonal work or what have you when necessary. People have a much better chance of making it up here, because the way things are, makes you believe that you can, and a little motivation does a whole lot of good!
you know what's also really totally messed up? the United states military are taking in felons, criminals, rapist, murders..... with waivers. They also had lowered their education standards tremendously and raised the bonuses. Oh also, they are taking in those with serious medical attention needs. YET, still wont take in perfectly healthy fit hard of hearing folks. There are billions of hard of hearing folks including myself who would love to join the service. I joined the young marines when i was 9 and i left when i graduated high school (out of state college), i was told and i was under the impression that young marines were supposedly get you prepared and help you to join the navy, marines, army... etc.
you see i'm stuck in the middle of everything and due to that, i'm poor as hell! but i'm very lucky to have friends around me and i'm very lucky that i'm not on the street! and toadling, you're correct. motivation does alot for us.
well many people have diff opinons about "poor" and it has a different meaning to many people. I consider myself poor. Yes i admit it, and now i will tell you why.
During freshman high school ('02 perhaps?), i almost had my savings up for a new truck (my first truck) and i had my learner's permit for a while. During the sophmore year, i finally had my license and i was in the market for a new pick up. For sure i really wanted a 05 silverado, but i had to be realistic... so i bought myself a 95 ford ranger. Today, i still have my ranger and i'm still living with my roommates. We are living in a house that's owned by the bank and we havnt gotten kicked out just yet. Our fridge isnt full, our cabinets have rats, our water pipes has broke on us (frozed) and we ran out of kerosene for our space heaters... all of the 4 roommates are jobless including me. We only have 1 vechile to travel or what not....
it's all cold here, no $, no food and i only have 3/4 full of gas in my truck. I'm not a drug user of any sort and the reason why i've been living in this house because i have no where else to go. i've been to dhhs and voc rehab several times. Also what's really messed up here is that i cant even do ANYTHING. for instance, i cant join the military since they said i'm disabled (hard of hearing), so i said to myself "okay, i'll just go over to the social security office and get the ssi/ssdi" so i applied 3 times.... yet still denied, they said "sorry, you're not disabled".
sorry, this is a touchy subject and many people dont understand how it's like being poor because the middle/upper classmens dont even understand one bit. Oh i'd love to have some spending money.... but nooo today society/world are so messed up.
PS: i know a family of 4 who are surviving in a tiny trailer on a small land, perhaps 1-2 acre? The mother works at wally world and the father works at mcdonald. It keeps me wondering at times....
I've been in a bad situation for a time myself...( I left my ex husband and went to a womens shelter for two months. I got a job (min wage) had food stamps, and worked my way up.
I didn't have this or that... and I sure didn't eat out then. I buckled down and made something of myself. I even got to go back to college and get my degree in as an MA and my MOT certificate too. ( the MOT has helped me learn the finances of owning a business as well)
But I don't think "Maine" is the only place in the US that has this problem. We all fall on hard times, and if the will is there.. the way will come.
Hang in there we all have to start at the bottom of the ladder, and sometimes take a step or so back, soon at some point we can make it to the end of the "ladder."
Okay then, to anyone in Maine that ever visited a food pantry or applied for heat assistance...we don't quite know how to let you know this, but, well ...
what you've been experiencing is not technically known as a "hard life." It's very subjective you know.
So, we're closing up shop now. It's been decided that you really don't need us.
See, here's the proof right here . . . there are 10 states poorer than Maine.
You've entirely missed my point. YOUR view of THEIR life is not necessarily their view of their life.... what's the term for that?? What you perceive as a difficult life may not be for that person, particularly if it's a choice along a path. We make choices that lead us to where we are, most of us are intelligent enough to realize that these circumstances are temporary. For example, I was able to see my financial difficulty as temporary, AND I was happier emotionally even though financially things were difficult. To someone else, the circumstances could have been perceived as a "hard life". I never once thought that. You don't know where people have been, and you don't know where they're going. To label them as ones who have a difficult life can be very crippling. "Hard life" is subjective, as is "poor", and unfortunately perceptions often place them hand in hand. Neither are terms to be tossed around... they can be damaging and misleading.
You've entirely missed my point. YOUR view of THEIR life is not necessarily their view of their life.... what's the term for that?? What you perceive as a difficult life may not be for that person, particularly if it's a choice along a path. We make choices that lead us to where we are, most of us are intelligent enough to realize that these circumstances are temporary. For example, I was able to see my financial difficulty as temporary, AND I was happier emotionally even though financially things were difficult. To someone else, the circumstances could have been perceived as a "hard life". I never once thought that. You don't know where people have been, and you don't know where they're going. To label them as ones who have a difficult life can be very crippling. "Hard life" is subjective, as is "poor", and unfortunately perceptions often place them hand in hand. Neither are terms to be tossed around... they can be damaging and misleading.
I agree ...
Those shelters and food cupboards are for people or families that have fallen on hard times.
It doesn't truly mean it's "forever".
I know many people that can say, "I've had a hard time in my life, but that was then and this is now. "
Those programs ( which are all over) are simply a helping hand, which most people anywhere you go have them. Even the richest of people can lose it all and be with out if a terrible storm comes or fire and takes it from them.
My parents lost their home when I was 17 to a house fire.....
...so0oo we were homeless. We lost everything!!!
We had to bunk down with my grandmother until we figured out "We're we buying a home or replacing a home."
So after 4 months there...we "rented" a home for 3 months and during that time, my parents got their insurance money and started to build a northern log home.
Hard times happen... but they don't usually stay that way. After one is finished having a hard time, it seems to be another persons turn.. and so on .. and so on.
My parents lost their home when I was 17 to a house fire.....
...so0oo we were homeless. We lost everything!!!
We had to bunk down with my grandmother until we figured out "We're we buying a home or replacing a home."
So after 4 months there...we "rented" a home for 3 months and during that time, my parents got their insurance money and started to build a northern log home.
Hard times happen... but they don't usually stay that way. After one is finished having a hard time, it seems to be another persons turn.. and so on .. and so on.
While this situation may have been horrible for you and your family, I would hardly call it hard times. Not to sound (intentionally) rude, but if your parents had the option of buying a new home or rebuilding the old one than you were better off than most.
Wealth is a personal assessment of what you have vs. what you want. If what you have equals what you want than you are a wealthy person regardless of what your bank statement or others may say. Now, with saying that, to answer the question if Mainers are poor I would have to say that unless you were born and raised in this state you should have no opinion of it other wise. Some of you gave up making mucho bucks back in Metropolitan X to move to Maine and become 'rich' living the simple life, but, I can guarantee you that there are many born and raised Mainers who would give their left nut for the opportunity to make 90K more a year. At least you had that option. At least you had that nice apartment. At least you had that new car. Tons of people around here are not even going to have the chance of knowing that. So yeah, since you got to taste the good life and realized that it wasn't all that it is cracked up to be and now you just want to live on the simple side of things you are a very rich person.
While this situation may have been horrible for you and your family, I would hardly call it hard times. Not to sound (intentionally) rude, but if your parents had the option of buying a new home or rebuilding the old one than you were better off than most.
I had to delete my post.
Last edited by peachie_in_maine; 01-10-2009 at 05:28 AM..
Wealth is a personal assessment of what you have vs. what you want. If what you have equals what you want than you are a wealthy person regardless of what your bank statement or others may say. Now, with saying that, to answer the question if Mainers are poor I would have to say that unless you were born and raised in this state you should have no opinion of it other wise. Some of you gave up making mucho bucks back in Metropolitan X to move to Maine and become 'rich' living the simple life, but, I can guarantee you that there are many born and raised Mainers who would give their left nut for the opportunity to make 90K more a year. At least you had that option. At least you had that nice apartment. At least you had that new car. Tons of people around here are not even going to have the chance of knowing that. So yeah, since you got to taste the good life and realized that it wasn't all that it is cracked up to be and now you just want to live on the simple side of things you are a very rich person.
thiers a balance,,,,you can have a brand new 60k vehicle,,,but if you cant enjoy it,,,whats the sense??
i know folks that make big bucks,,,but thier lifestyle is hell, working all the time,,stressed to the hilt, cant sleep, etc
and when some folks get extremely stressed , they cope in many ways,,,by the bottle, by gambling, by cheating, by pills
thiers much to be said, about simple pleasures, appreciating what youve got,,,not wanting and being envious of what you dont have
Its possible that he'll always be "poor" no matter how much he makes.
Indeed... my moment of enlightenment on the issue of "being poor" came listening to a radio interview of one of the Rockefeller clan back in the late 70s or early 80s.
At that point I was living and raising my family in the boonies, "with chickens and without electricity" and we were on welfare (... again... ) because my husband had quit yet another job. We had a BIG garden, raised critters for meat, cut wood for warmth, etc , and quite honestly what I was doing at the house was keeping us fed and warm... but constant triage on a pile of needs (not wants, mind you but needs... like sox or underware for the kid that just had a growth spurt...made me think that "just a little bit more" $$ would fix the problem.
The "ah ha!" moment came at the end of the interview when the young-sounding reporter said, "Mr. Rockerfeller, I have to ask you the one question that is on my mind and the mind of all my young colleagues... 'How much money is enough?' " His reply "A little bit more" whapped me 'longside the head like the proverbial Celestial 2x4 and totally changed the way I looked at the universe.
Then and there, I decided that if even Rockefeller thought "a little bit more" was the solution... and hadn't got there yet .. I sure had heck chouldn't and had better come up with a different solution, and my solution was to need less.
And it worked, for me. the bottom line (back to the underware and sox) became as long as there was one to wear, one to wash and enough firewood to get #2 dry before the morrow, we were good.
Not saying this works for everyone, but since then I have had times of more $$ and times of less $$... times of unemployment and times of many jobs, I've live in the city, the country and in between and I've rented and now own. I may have had to budget and 'save up' but I have been able to and have not been "poor."
Just my few electrons worth...
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