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There are working poor in this country to be sure....mostly people who think that minimum wage is supposed to be a living wage instead of a training wage.
They then complain that minimum wage needs to be raised because they can"t raise a family on it....WELL DUHHH....your not supposed to raise a family on it.
If thats all they can make, maybe they should not be having kids just yet at this point in their lives.
Other than that, I see very few poor people who fit into your statement of "working their asses off"
It sort of goes like this...People who are willing to work their asses off generally are not poor....... or at least don't stay that way for long.
Mexican or otherwise.
Jesus ****ing christ, the people on this forum sometimes... My intent should be pretty obvious to organisms with more than once cell.
People work three or more jobs and barely pay the bills because they make minimum wage. Hard jobs, too. How are they supposed to get OUT of poverty, again?
There are working poor in this country to be sure....mostly people who think that minimum wage is supposed to be a living wage instead of a training wage.
They then complain that minimum wage needs to be raised because they can"t raise a family on it....WELL DUHHH....your not supposed to raise a family on it.
If thats all they can make, maybe they should not be having kids just yet at this point in their lives.
Other than that, I see very few poor people who fit into your statement of "working their asses off"
It sort of goes like this...People who are willing to work their asses off generally are not poor....... or at least don't stay that way for long.
Mexican or otherwise.
Illusions, illusions, illusions. Does it make people feel "safer" to believe that sort of thing? I see a LOT of people "working their asses off." Try opening your eyes.
BS! I never had a chance to save lots of cash. Do you realize how high the cost of living has become, since the eighties?? Many, if not most folks in middle-age these days, either never made enough money to save-up tons of money, or lost their savings, due being jobless, or other misfortunes such as divorce, illness, or other catastrophies. Saving lots of money by mniddle age is fine in theory, but in the real world, especially today, it's not always possible!
I know plenty of people that were able to get ahead in the Boston area, despite the high costs of living and not being paid high wages. Many times it took having a part time job in the hospitality industry. Many savvy people who were building up their own businesses saved on health insurance by having a job at a hotel chain that gave them access to cheap health premiums. And whether married or single, there was plenty of share housing situations. If a car was needed, it was never bought new and it was always a Japanese car.
And if you've had this problem with a lack of money since the eighties, then you've also had many decades to learn additional work skill sets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by artwomyn
As I've said MANY TIMES, employers want to hire those with experience in the job that's open. Why would they hire me, when they can hire experienced Nannies, and building Managers? I have no such experience, and employers have the luxury of hiring people that are experienced, in whatever job that they have available these days.
As for working in a restaurant, that would be idiotic. Not just because I happen to be overqualified, but because I'm too old to be on my feet all day, and because I can't survive on what they pay in a restaurant job, especially in a big expensive city.
I have to have a job, that's right for me, based on my skills, financial needs, physical abilities, and likelihood of being hired for a job that I apply for. Thinking 'outside the box', doesn't mean that I can afford to disregard being practical. Even if I could afford to move to a big city, why would I choose to live with people that I don't know. It's too risky, and any poster on this thread who suggests that, doesn't have a clue!
I recall you being around 48 or 46 years of age. I am 52 and doing just fine as being on my feet all day in the F & B industry. I just worked an 11 hour shift on NYE while walking on concrete floors. And I worked with a man that was 62 years old, and he seem to do just fine without any complaints. He had a great smile on his face all night and was friendly with the customers.
And I agreed with everyone else that is suggested that you find a roommate share. I know many people that have roommate shares with people that they initially weren't friends with. Why are you so suspicious of strangers and thinking the very worst of them? And if you are having money issues, then most likely you haven't burdened yourself with expensive possessions that can be stolen and pawned. If you have family jewelry or valuable documents like birth certificate or passport that you need to secure while at work, then rent a small safe deposit box at a bank and wear the key on a chain around your neck.
I feel that with your sour attitude on life, you lack a real smile on your face during your waking hours. You surround yourself with negative energy which drives away people. Otherwise, where is your supportive network of family and friends? You are a complainer by nature who makes her own bad luck.
I've talked my way into many jobs where I didn't have previous job experience in that field. But I am well spoken and had confidence that I could do well at whatever that job was. I also would research the job and that particular company before going in for the interview. And I would be able to point out in what ways I would be a great asset to their company and why I would be an excellent fit for that job.
And Brauwyn makes a good point, a lot of waitstaff are people with more advanced skillsets who are just treading water there until they can get a job in their field. And working at those restaurants (and being a great co-worker) is an excellent way to network for a rooming situation and future job connections... and possibly for friendship. Also I think that it's a mistake to focus so much on finding a neighborhood to live in with a high percentage of lesbians. Just find yourself friends from all walks of life. As to meeting more lesbians, just volunteer and participate in a few GLBT group activities. Every major city has these groups. Also, every college campus has an GLBT support group. Even if you aren't a student with the college, they aren't going to turn you away. And surely they will have good suggestions for you. Otherwise, another suggestion is finding work on a college campus.
You've got to stop being a whiner, stop griping about your Northampton experience, and start acting more positively. Some compromises will be necessary, like looking for a roommate share. Just take your time and visit a lot of roommate listings. Only YOU can help yourself. Only YOU can turn your life around. You have to be more gracious about what life has thrown you and to be able to quickly turn lemons into delicious lemonade. And being successful in life does take real effort. No one is going to chase after you and hand you opportunities on a silver platter.
In many cases it has nothing to do with training or retraining..it's labor costs. You can get a programmer in China/India/Phillipines/Brazil/etc for 1/3 the cost of a US programmer. And that's what's been happening in IT since the mid 90's.
My brother in law is a damn good programmer and earns over $100,000 annually, plus full benefits, plus earned a $10,000 Christmas bonus this year.
Is the company that he works for stupid, ignorant or do they just want to be nice?
After 80 pages, has anyone defined "poor" and has there been a consensus on that definition?
Very few of you are being straightforward about what it is you are advocating and/or debating because there are all of these side debates with pointless bickering.
I have yet to see evidence that America hates the "poor" or even who exactly are these "poor" referenced in the OP.
"Poor" is a state of mind.
Looking back, we had very little while growing up. We had no idea that we were "poor" in some peoples eyes.
My father bought a "fixer upper" in a lower middle class neighborhood.
It took him years to be able to fully renovate the house while we lived in it, but he did it by working two jobs most of the time, and working on the house on his time off.
(He never sat on his azz waiting for help)
He finally saved up enough money to buy a cheap tow truck and started his own towing business. After a few years, he owned a repair shop.
He saw the writing on the wall, because shortly after starting his business, the company that he spent 30 years working for locked the doors one day.
He is 72 years old and still works 3-4 days a week, even though he doesn't really need to.
The definitions of poor do vary. I personal do not consider lower-middle class to be poor. Some might. I usually consider the poor the bottom quarter of family income for Americans (making less than roughly $25,000 a year for the average size family). There are geographic considerations to be had as well. The median income is roughly 46k nationally for a family of 3.
Some people would define poor has having a family income of less than 46k per year. This is where it gets dicey, a family making 16k a year is below the poverty level and truly poor no matter where one's family is. A family making 40k a year is only slightly below the median...and in some locales would be above in terms of purchasing power.
So reiterate roughly the lowest 25% of families are poor. They are marked by the lack of home ownership and education. Their communities usually have the worst schools and highest crime.
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