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That's impressive, though unrealistic in my world. How did you have health insurance for only $120/month? And when I had to use public transportation, including parking at the train station, I was spending $275, and that was several years ago. I see you have no car expenses whatsoever. Some places don't have bus routes that come near them, so a car is essential to working.
Also, you were single at the time. What if this was a family? Let's see....both parents work at minimum wage, 7.25 x 40 x 2 = 2513. After taxes $2010. Parents work different shifts so only 3 hours a day overlap to reduce child care costs.
Rent in crappy unsafe area $550
Day care for 2 children (3 hrs a day, $6/hr at neighbor's house) $390
Utilities $200
Landline phone (no cells) $20
Used car payments $300 (they need 2 cars because they work different shifts, no bus line nearby).
Auto Insurance, basic PLPD $150
Gasoline $120
Health insurance $300
Food $500
This already adds up to $2530...more than $500 beyond what they earn. This includes NOTHING extra whatsoever, no clothing, no doctor bills, no car repairs, no Christmas gifts, no basic necessities like shampoo from Walmart. So, clearly, one of the parents has to take a second job. Now the husband and wife see each other even less, the children see that parent even less.....they'll do what they've gotta do, but it's not in the best interest of the children to have a family that is seldom together.
Some of you would probably say they shouldn't have had children if they couldn't afford them, or they should have gone to college so they could have a better job, or they should start their own business. Easy to say, but not always possible. Maybe they didn't have the grades to get into college, and they don't know the first thing about starting a business, and certainly can't get a loan to start a business! They are very hard workers, but they don't have a specific "skill set" that any local company thinks is worth more than minimum wage. The fact is that some people are born in this country who have a lot of strikes against them, and they don't have the resources to just get over the uphill climb and ever earn a hundred grand a year, which some of you make sound so easy. Some kids are lucky to get out of high school and out of their crime-filled neighborhoods ALIVE.
I know it's possible to overcome adversity. My dad had an 8th grade education and my mom made it through 10th. Yet I worked hard and put myself through college, and though I didn't choose a profession that pays well (the internet didn't exist back then, and I had no guidance from my parents on such things), I have done well enough despite my lack of family support for my higher education. Thankfully I had the foresight to get an education before having children. But some teens/young adults, for whatever reason start a family before they have figured out the "real world" and its costs, and they aren't well established in a decent paying job, and they don't realize until later on that they are basically trapped in a life of poverty.
I see a complete lack of compassion in this thread for those in such a situation.
Why are you spending $500 on food? Why do you live somewhere where you have to have a car? That doesn't make much sense, given the financial constraints. Why aren't people studying at night to improve their skill set so that they actually become skilled workers? Why are they only working 40 hours/week?
Where the hell did I ever say it would be easy? Obviously it isn't easy. My living in an apartment where turning a window A/C unit on at the same time as a microwave would blow a circuit was hardly 'easy'. We should never promise someone an easy life, we promise that it is doable.
A lack of compassion? Time and time again on this thread I have mentioned that I give a large chunk of my current paycheck to personally help people in need, and I have continually asked liberals on this thread what they PERSONALLY give to those who need help. No one has replied to that question.
Compassion is actually stepping up to sacrifice your own time and money to help other people. Compassion is not voting for a socially liberal candidate and then going back to your life without actually choosing to give up something yourself.
The majority of the wealthy, even among the top 10, did NOT inherit their wealth. They earned, made sacrifices, saved, and invested their way to wealth.
Some can persevere and do that. They become wealthy. Others do not become wealthy because they are content to be irresponsible, lazy, and complain.
From your posts, it appears that you've elected to jump on the irresponsibility bandwagon.
That's funny. All I said about myself personally is that I have three children and five grandchildren. That I was on welfare for about a year 40 YEARS AGO.
And from that you consider me to be irresponsible, lazy, and a complainer?
That's funny. All I said about myself personally is that I have three children and five grandchildren. That I was on welfare for about a year 40 YEARS AGO.
And from that you consider me to be irresponsible, lazy, and a complainer?
If you're not, why take that position? Why complain about what you don't have, incessantly?
Some of you would probably say they shouldn't have had children if they couldn't afford them, or they should have gone to college so they could have a better job, or they should start their own business. Easy to say, but not always possible. Maybe they didn't have the grades to get into college, and they don't know the first thing about starting a business, and certainly can't get a loan to start a business! They are very hard workers, but they don't have a specific "skill set" that any local company thinks is worth more than minimum wage. The fact is that some people are born in this country who have a lot of strikes against them, and they don't have the resources to just get over the uphill climb and ever earn a hundred grand a year, which some of you make sound so easy. Some kids are lucky to get out of high school and out of their crime-filled neighborhoods ALIVE.
I know it's possible to overcome adversity. My dad had an 8th grade education and my mom made it through 10th. Yet I worked hard and put myself through college, and though I didn't choose a profession that pays well (the internet didn't exist back then, and I had no guidance from my parents on such things), I have done well enough despite my lack of family support for my higher education. Thankfully I had the foresight to get an education before having children. But some teens/young adults, for whatever reason start a family before they have figured out the "real world" and its costs, and they aren't well established in a decent paying job, and they don't realize until later on that they are basically trapped in a life of poverty.
I see a complete lack of compassion in this thread for those in such a situation.
Lack of compassion? Why should we be compassionate towards the choices people made under their free will?
If you are born in this country and relatively healthy, you have absolutely no excuse. You start a family before you have the means? Well, who should be responsible for that? The government? The tax payers?
That's funny. All I said about myself personally is that I have three children and five grandchildren. That I was on welfare for about a year 40 YEARS AGO.
And from that you consider me to be irresponsible, lazy, and a complainer?
LOL
If you are not, why advocate for those who are irresponsible, lazy and whiny?
Not much motivation for an unskilled worker to actually get a job is there?
That is one of my points!
There seems to be a lack of consensus on what constitutes a "living wage." Perhaps some posters here are so far removed from poverty they can't even fathom what it's like to try to live on $9.00 an hour.
I have lived on less...bought clothing at thrift stores, ate mac and cheese, etc.
Why should a company pay its workers a living wage if they can just let all the taxpayers chip in?
Exactly. So companies are making their profits AND being subsidized by the taxpayers, while paying minimal taxes themselves. So much for conservative 'freedom', right? Unless they mean freedom for the corporations to rape the taxpayers. I thought cons were all about INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS?
Because of people that think like you, that "the weak" should get "killed and eaten." That sort of mentality is what has led to the current disastrous economic situation in the United States, which is affecting everything from low wages, sky-high profits of corporations, jobs having been shipped abroad for the greater profits of corporations, and a leak of funds into the industrial-military complex of corporations which has rendered our country penniless.
LOL. That phrase has everything to do with Jersey attitude and absolutely nothing to do with any political stance. I guess you haven't read any of my posts.
Do you think people in New Hampshire believe that if they are not living free they will kill themselves? (Live Free or Die ~ state motto).
Government spending does not create wealth, it destroys it. Redistribution of wealth does not grow the economy. That's why I'm not a liberal.
But, these corporations are FORCING the government spending by greedily paying their workers less than they need to actually LIVE and WORK for the corporations.
If they'd spread the wealth more equitably within their organizations, government would not have to step in to prevent people from starving.
Why are you spending $500 on food? Why do you live somewhere where you have to have a car? That doesn't make much sense, given the financial constraints. Why aren't people studying at night to improve their skill set so that they actually become skilled workers? Why are they only working 40 hours/week?
Just wanted to make sure you understood this was hypothetical, and not about me.
How much do you think a family of 4 would need for a month's worth of food? Even if my guesstimate of $500 was cut in half, they'd still be over budget.
You ask why don't they live somewhere they don't need a car? Perhaps this hypothetical family doesn't have the money saved up to move somewhere with a bus system. Most little towns don't have a public transportation system.
In my scenario they couldn't afford internet, so online classes won't work. They weren't overly intelligent, by genetics, so they barely graduated high school. But perhaps there are books they could study from to prepare for a better job, you may have a point there. Hopefully they have a good local library, "the great equalizer" as public librarians like to call it, where they could use the internet and find some resources, if the library hours work with their jobs.
And I did include the possibility of one or more of the parents working more than 40 hours a week, but then they're spending more on day care, and their kids are spending less time in a family unit.
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A lack of compassion? Time and time again on this thread I have mentioned that I give a large chunk of my current paycheck to personally help people in need,
My sincere apologies for not acknowledging your compassion and generosity. Seriously, that's great.
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