Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You're right - it IS laughable that a grocery store would only be a mile away! And even more laughable that your neighbors would have cars or the time between multiple jobs to shepherd you around.
lol Agreed. As if those neighbors never, ever go to the grocery store and would never, ever say "do you want to go with me?"
The USA has the richest "poor" people in the world. Our poor people live like middle class in the rest of the world. Our poor people own cars. Thats not very poor.
"Unless you're utterly destitute you're not really poor."
The status quo isn't working well for the middle class on down.
Kansas is jailing people over unpaid medical debt!
Quote:
Tres and Heather Biggs' son Lane was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5 years old. At the same time, Heather suffered seizures from Lyme disease.
"We had so many — multiple health issues in our family at the same time, it put us in a bracket that made insurance unattainable," Heather Biggs said. "It would have made no sense. We would have had to have not eaten, not had a home."
Tres Biggs was working two jobs but they fell behind on their medical bills, then the unthinkable happened.
"You wouldn't think you'd go to jail over medical bills," Tres Biggs said.
Tres Biggs went to jail for failing to appear in court for unpaid medical bills. He described it as "scary."
"I was scared to death," Tres Biggs said. "I'm a country kid — I had to strip down, get hosed and put a jumpsuit on."
Bail was $500. He said they had "maybe $50 to $100" at the time.
At least you admit there isn't a problem getting food. But your neighborhood is the norm now. Which is sad since it proves too many parents are not taking care of their kids. Just in the last few years, for the first time ever, a majority of school aged children are on free or assist lunches. Explain to me how a family getting food stamps can't feed their own children? Pathetic
I'll go you one better, in my last neighborhood, the 2 closest schools had over 90% of the children on free or assisted meals.
Why feed your kids when government will do it cheaper or for free? THAT is the problem. Dependency.
The income limits for free or reduced lunch are much higher than the income limits for food stamps; many children receiving free/reduced meals are not on food stamps at all. And it is not only families with children in school. There are a lot of elderly in my area who depend on Meals on Wheels, which delivers free meals to them. They legitimately cannot afford to purchase food (and/or they cannot get the food to their homes and/or they cannot prepare said food).
The reason the poor in our country aren't hungry is that we have safety nets in the form of free lunch, food stamps, food pantries, and so on. What do you think would happen if all of that were taken away?
lol Agreed. As if those neighbors never, ever go to the grocery store and would never, ever say "do you want to go with me?"
In what world do your neighbors have cars in poor urban areas? I'm mystified that you think this is common.
I didn't live in a poor area when I experienced my poverty. I ended up getting a car because I could no longer walk the 5 miles round trip to the train to get to work or the additional 4 miles round trip the more affordable grocery store (not that the expensive one was that much closer). I was the only person in my building to have a car. Only one. Buying the car absolutely contributed to my financial difficulty, but my immune system tanked to the point where I could no longer take public transit.
For years living with roommates, I was the only one who had a car. I offered rides when I could. But again, you have to be pretty ignorant to urban poverty to think that you'd have a neighbor who had a car.
The status quo isn't working well for the middle class on down.
Kansas is jailing people over unpaid medical debt!
Quote:
Tres and Heather Biggs' son Lane was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5 years old. At the same time, Heather suffered seizures from Lyme disease.
"We had so many — multiple health issues in our family at the same time, it put us in a bracket that made insurance unattainable," Heather Biggs said. "It would have made no sense. We would have had to have not eaten, not had a home."
Tres Biggs was working two jobs but they fell behind on their medical bills, then the unthinkable happened.
"You wouldn't think you'd go to jail over medical bills," Tres Biggs said.
Tres Biggs went to jail for failing to appear in court for unpaid medical bills. He described it as "scary."
"I was scared to death," Tres Biggs said. "I'm a country kid — I had to strip down, get hosed and put a jumpsuit on."
Bail was $500. He said they had "maybe $50 to $100" at the time.
So you think a poor person has money to buy a cart?
If they used their money properly and saved every cent they possibly could, then yes.....they could buy a cart. How do I know? My dad was so poor that his family had him go get the ice (for the icebox, circa late 1930s/early 40s) because you could save a penny over having it delivered to the door. Now THAT is poor. Still, they managed to buy a little red cart that Grandma also used when she bought groceries from the peddlers and little store-fronts. So if THEY could afford a cart, so can poor people today - especially when you consider their food stamps, subsidizing housing, Medicaid, and free meals for their schoolkids.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
