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This isn't exclusive to Asians, but point well taken. A lot of Mexicans in my area (for instance) are big on doing this as well, and it really pays off in the long-term. It's certainly easier to live well when you have 6-10 incomes under the same roof at $30-$80k per-year, per-person. Many of these folks are small business owners and/or work in skilled trades and are electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs, construction/renovation types. We know multiple families who've done this. Eventually they purchase a reasonably large plot of land, and, over time, subdivide it and build a 2,500-3,500sqft home on each subdivided lot. The entire family works towards paying off each home one at a time until each household is debt-free, which often takes only a couple of years at most.
I realize that some families just cannot live together for whatever reason, but where it's possible to do so, it's almost foolish not to now-a-days. Forsaking the prospect of long-term stability in favor of selfish instant gratification has a tendency to bite one very hard in the behind. I ask acquaintances, employees, and friends of mine still in their 20's about this rather frequently: Would you rather be debt-free by 40, or debt-poor by the time you already have one foot in the grave? Unfortunately, most folks seem to meander through life tacitly presuming they're going to live forever. That is, until they're reminded abruptly of their own mortality and discover it's already too late.
And make terrible neighbors who park 8+ cars in the street, make a lot of noise, work for cash, get HUD benefits, get free lunches for their kids at the local school and pay no federal or state taxes, among other things.
And make terrible neighbors who park 8+ cars in the street, make a lot of noise, work for cash, get HUD benefits, get free lunches for their kids at the local school and pay no federal or state taxes, among other things.
Yes, this happens as well, and too often. Though as with the previous example, it's not exclusive to one particular ethnicity. You'll regularly see your example among all racial demographics throughout a majority of non-gated Florida, for example.
no the leg spreader which sounds like might be you given your obvious attempt to deflect
You are deflecting. I specifically said children do not make a choice to be born into proverty. Then you and others start talking about the parents. Sad you deflected
At the end of the day the child did not choose to be poor.
Sounds like 43% have the proper motivation to work harder, get better educated and find better ways to add value to a business that will pay them more.
Businesses pay what supply and demand dictate for a given task in their organization, not what United Way deems appropriate for that worker to properly take part in the modern economy under their definition of "properly taking part.".
Landlords charge what supply and demand dictate, not what United Way deems fair based on that person's income and ability to properly take part in the modern economy.
My salary allows me to have a solid middle class lifestyle for my household structure and my geography. That same salary would not suffice were I to have 5 extra kids and then move to Pacific Heights, CA or Manhattan. I'd be well below the poverty line based on those outrageous housing costs. Even in my little corner of Ohio, I could live in far more expensive neighborhoods than I do and pay more per square foot than I do. Heck, I could refinance my home to a worse mortgage and pay more for the same house. But I have done things to lower my costs and keep them low, so my salary works out just fine.
Thing is, I control all of that. I control my revenue, my costs, my savings, my spending, etc. I could get a 20% raise tonight if I took a second job delivering pizza. I don't want to work the extra hours and I am happy with where I am on the quality of life curve, so I don't take a second job delivering pizza...but I could. The jobs are out there, and they'd hire me no sweat. United Way says needing $1000 per week means you need to make $25 an hour. No, it means you need $1000 per week. Across 80 paid hours, that's $12.50 an hour.
People priced out of the middle class lifestyle a defined by the United Way can work more hours, delay gratification, have less/zero kids, live where it's cheaper, get a roommate or two, spend more time learning new skills, etc. Any/all of these things will help move them towards that middle class lifestyle if they so choose. But they do have choices. FFS, I had roommates until I was almost 30. Saved me money, saved them money, we all came out ahead. I had second and third jobs...for years. Some of those jobs sucked and were seriously hard labor (do tree work for a year as a general laborer....trust me, it sucks), but they added cash to the bank account, and allowed me to save/do more.
It's a cultural lie based on pure myth that there are no jobs out there. There's lots of jobs out there, just fewer and fewer people who are willing to do them. I am of the old school where no job is beneath my dignity and a week has a lot more usable hours than 40. Between growing up poor and spending 10 years in the military, I tend to take a lot less stuff for granted than other people. Lots of successful people think like me, not that may poor people do. Not saying working harder than others is fun, but if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. If you want a thing, go earn it, and that includes some vision of middle class life.
Bottom line, we are telling people to be FISCAL and be RESPONSIBLE for their actions which the left NEVER demands nor does itself!
So blame the kids. Is that what you are saying? I don't get how folks on the right are against Planned Parenthood yet could give a hoot about poor kids.
I don't get why so much focus is on PP. They only have 650 clinics, nationwide. Meanwhile, there are over 14,000 Public Health Department Family Planning Clinics located nationwide, which provide free and/or very low-cost (sliding fee scale) birth control. Taxpayers are ALREADY paying for 14,000+ Public FP Clinics that provide free contraception. The 650 PPs are redundant and unnecessary.
And on that note, I will add why I will NEVER support PP... When I worked with high school students in an advisory capacity, I became aware of how PP was ripping off high school girls just trying to be responsible. Those girls, high school students, so extremely low-income (part time job, if any job at all) or no income at all, would go to PP and because they didn't want to use their parent's insurance because the parents would get the itemized EOB (Explanation of Benefits) for any services rendered, they went in, said they had no income and no insurance. PP charged them full price, in cash, for the exam and any contraceptives they dispensed.
To PP, it's not about providing a service, it's about exploiting others to rake in $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
The local public health department family clinic? No questions asked. Free exams and contraceptives for those high school girls. Because anyone with half a brain knows high school girls have no/low-income.
* This year about 54% of homes in the U.S. had more than 3 or more television sets.
* The share of Americans that own smartphones is now 77%.
* According to the survey of 4,000 American households, 48 percent of US homes reported owning a dedicated game console.
* Despite the slow decline of pay TV households in recent years, the revenue in the North American industry has risen from 70.59 billion U.S. dollars in 2010 to 108.58 billion U.S. dollars in 2015. However, this revenue is also expected to fall to less than 95 billion U.S. dollars by 2022.
What does this have to do with anything? TV sets, smartphones, and game consoles are dirt cheap.
Housing, health insurance, transportation, and food are outrageously expensive.
Very interesting article and yet so many in the politics section on this board continue to argue for more power to the wealthy more tax cuts fewer regulations. Its almost as if the natural state of lightly regulated capitalism is a return to feudalism.
And more illegal immigrants so big business can keep wages low.
Bottom line, we are telling people to be FISCAL and be RESPONSIBLE for their actions which the left NEVER demands nor does itself!
Disclaimer: I do not identify with either the left or right.
It seems to me that a lot of people want to give advice, because they may feel superior to those that have less money than them. Problem is, your advice doesn't solve the problem whatsoever.
Trust me, my family and I are very responsible. We don't have cable. One of our cars is paid off. We don't use credit cards. We rarely go out to eat. AND we earn way more than the median. Last year, we earned over 150% of the median, this year it will probably be over 200%.
Yet still, with all that....we are not what middle class used to be. Why is that? Its because wages relative to expenses are in the toilet. We should be doing well, not just getting by.
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