UNITED WAY says almost half of U.S.households can't afford the basics

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by 61falcon, Nov 14, 2018.

  1. Sanskrit

    Sanskrit Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2014
    Messages:
    17,082
    Likes Received:
    6,711
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Wrong. It's not as if someone is burning money in the backyard when they eat cheap. Money that isn't in a mattress or mason jars is always at work in the economy, whether it's in a bank being multiplied as it is loaned out or in the financial markets promoting innovation or infrastructure projects. That it isn't, or is hoarded away out of the economy somehow by "the rich" is just another LW lie narrative.
     
    crank and garyd like this.
  2. struth

    struth Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2018
    Messages:
    33,519
    Likes Received:
    17,956
    Trophy Points:
    113
    It’s all about people living in their means, the Dems just voted in a congresswoman from NYC who can’t even afford an apartment and we expect people to change this??
     
  3. DentalFloss

    DentalFloss Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2013
    Messages:
    11,445
    Likes Received:
    3,263
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I've got mine. You get yours. Full stop.
     
  4. TrueScotsman

    TrueScotsman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2016
    Messages:
    1,064
    Likes Received:
    481
    Trophy Points:
    83
    My wife and I cook at home together every day for our two kids, we certainly spend more than $5 a day, we never eat processed food, mostly organic produce and only meat that is organic and grass fed with no anti-biotics. That ends up being much more expensive, but much healthier and more sustainable for an economy and the environment.
     
    T_K_Richards likes this.
  5. Pants

    Pants Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2018
    Messages:
    12,820
    Likes Received:
    11,220
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Female
    Does living within your means include not running for office because you cannot immediately afford an apartment in Washington? Should low income people never run for office? We all know that campaigning is expensive - that's why Washington is filled with wealthy people. Don't you think that should change?

    And, she is not looking for handouts or saying that anyone else should pay for her living arrangements. She was making a point:

    Washington, DC is the fifth most expensive city in the nation, and Ms Ocasio-Cortez made the point that the obstacles such as this can block low-income individuals from seeking office.

    “There are many little ways in which our electoral system is not even designed for working-class people to lead,” she said.
     
  6. struth

    struth Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2018
    Messages:
    33,519
    Likes Received:
    17,956
    Trophy Points:
    113
    1) when you run for office, you don’t automatically win. So it’s not an immediate need for housing. In her case she even had more time since she won the primary which was the de facto election
    2) with that said, you should never take a job you can’t afford to take. It really highlights you aren’t prepared for the job if you can’t even maintain the basic requirements for the job. Sounds like you need to better prepare, keep dreaming and working towards it, but now you simply aren’t ready
     
  7. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2012
    Messages:
    56,572
    Likes Received:
    16,659
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Dude it is all but impossible for ninety percent of the people in this country to live a worry free life no matter how much money they make or how much stuff they have. That is just human nature. And the chief cause isn't substandard wages it's the 24 hour news cycle.
     
    spiritgide likes this.
  8. ArmySoldier

    ArmySoldier Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    32,222
    Likes Received:
    12,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    People nowadays need more stuff, spending more money. My fiance needs a laptop, a tablet, and a phone. She doesn't ACTUALLY need them, but she claims she does.

    We also have things like Netflix, Gym memberships, Hulu, bar tabs...etc.

    All things that we don't actually need. You don't need to pay 20 bucks a month for a gym when you can do pushups and run outside.

    You don't NEED a brand new car and pay 350 dollar/month car payments when there's public transportation.
     
    crank and cyndibru like this.
  9. Pants

    Pants Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2018
    Messages:
    12,820
    Likes Received:
    11,220
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Female
    So then you are in the camp that low income people do not belong in government?
     
  10. slackercruster

    slackercruster Banned

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2011
    Messages:
    2,194
    Likes Received:
    509
    Trophy Points:
    113
    OP, no surprise. Cost of living has skyrocketed. A lady in CA told me she has to pay $150 a day for illegal alien baby sitter.

    My question is...why not zillions more homeless??? How can they afford the rent?
     
  11. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2012
    Messages:
    56,572
    Likes Received:
    16,659
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Public transportation here is wonderful provided you don't mind taking an hour to get somewhere you could drive to in fifteen minutes.
     
  12. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2012
    Messages:
    56,572
    Likes Received:
    16,659
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Dude if you have enough ambition to run for office why not spend a little of it before hand to earn some money?
     
  13. Pants

    Pants Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2018
    Messages:
    12,820
    Likes Received:
    11,220
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Female
    Dude - if ambition could be translated into earnings, we wouldn't have such a sizable middle and lower class!
     
  14. mitchscove

    mitchscove Well-Known Member Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2016
    Messages:
    7,870
    Likes Received:
    4,479
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Not according to the census bureau. The poverty rate decreased from 2016 to 2017 and the GINI coefficient remained the same

    The official poverty rate in 2017 was 12.3 percent, down 0.4 percentage points from 12.7 percent in 2016. This is the third consecutive annual decline in poverty.

    The money income Gini index was 0.482 in 2017, not statistically different from 2016. Changes in money income inequality between 2016 and 2017 were not statistically significant as measured by the other indicators: the Theil index, the MLD, or the Atkinson measure.

    https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.html

    We'll have to wait to see how the tax cuts effect the numbers.
     
  15. ArmySoldier

    ArmySoldier Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2014
    Messages:
    32,222
    Likes Received:
    12,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Yea. I'd rather get up early and wait than pay for all the gas. I only have 50K miles on my truck and I bought it in 2011. Granted I've deployed and been stationed elsewhere for a chunk of that time...but it's also because I mainly use public transportation. So much cheaper.

    I prefer the bus over the metro because on the bus I get cell reception. Metro is much faster and more convenient, but it's cheaper to drive than to take the metro here in the DC area.
     
    crank likes this.
  16. Wildjoker5

    Wildjoker5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2011
    Messages:
    14,237
    Likes Received:
    4,758
    Trophy Points:
    113
    That also doesn't include the days where my kids want Ramen and an egg for their meal. I used to eat for more, till my wife lost her job. We haven't taken a single penny in government help, just changed our life style.
     
    crank likes this.
  17. 61falcon

    61falcon Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2018
    Messages:
    21,436
    Likes Received:
    12,227
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    The gigantic disparity between CEO and Executive salaries compared to rank and file employees has all taken place since 1980 when companies began terminating their employee pension plans following the introduction of 401K plans.Over 100,000 pension plans were ended during the 1980's.CEO's and boards of directors took the money saved from no longer funding pension plans and divvied it up between themselves and fellow executives,creating the huge increases in their salaries,which they have further enhanced over the intervening years.
     
  18. Wildjoker5

    Wildjoker5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2011
    Messages:
    14,237
    Likes Received:
    4,758
    Trophy Points:
    113
    How so? If I spent double that amount, that doesn't mean its better for the economy. Saving the money on the food was my point that the "basics" can be achieved for much less that the $15/hr people harp about. If/when my wife gets a decent paying job again, or I get promoted, I can spend more for the "luxury" foods. Till then, I chose to save the money and spend it on other things in my life and my kids lives. Its good tasting food, not fattening, and all my in my house are full. What people fail to realize is that capitalism works because people have a choice on where to spend their money, and good products sell while bad products aren't heard from again.
     
  19. Wildjoker5

    Wildjoker5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2011
    Messages:
    14,237
    Likes Received:
    4,758
    Trophy Points:
    113
    And the wage gap between peons and the leaders of the communist party in China was far larger than in the US. You think Chavez or his lackeys in the VZ government are eating their dogs to stay alive? I would much rather prefer to be in charge of my own 401k than to hope the big business I used to work for will still pay me a pension. Unions are forecasting shortfalls for their pensions all the time, that's why the majority of the auto bailout went to the unions instead of the company.
     
  20. struth

    struth Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2018
    Messages:
    33,519
    Likes Received:
    17,956
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Not at all...but there are a number of levels of Govt. local, state, and federal...different positions etc.

    But if you can’t afford to live in DC, don’t run for office that requires you to move there. It’s essentially fraud on your voters who thought you could do the job. Maybe you should start working at local or state govt that doesn’t have the same requirements. Work a second job to save money to rent a place in DC then run. There are options. But every job is gonna have requirements, don’t let your income get in the way, meet those requirements.
     
  21. struth

    struth Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2018
    Messages:
    33,519
    Likes Received:
    17,956
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Ambition does translate to earnings, that’s why we have such a sizeable middle class, and growing upper middle class. Dems like to kill ambition hence the dependence class we often call poor people. Very sad
     
    Wildjoker5 likes this.
  22. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2012
    Messages:
    56,572
    Likes Received:
    16,659
    Trophy Points:
    113
    That wasn't legal then either.
     
  23. Pants

    Pants Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2018
    Messages:
    12,820
    Likes Received:
    11,220
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Female
    I understand your point - you've made it very clear and coherent. But I'm afraid I can't agree with it. Saying 'it's essentially fraud on your voters who thought you could do the job' suggests that she can't do 'the job' because of her income.

    She is meeting the requirements - she is moving to Washington to do the job. She was highlighting the financial barrier of becoming an elected official. It isn't a conversation that we've heard much about, and she is now talking about it. Nothing wrong with that.
     
  24. garyd

    garyd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2012
    Messages:
    56,572
    Likes Received:
    16,659
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Backwards, that is in fact why we have such a sizeable middle class and how Middle class becomes upper middle class and beyond.
     
  25. Pants

    Pants Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2018
    Messages:
    12,820
    Likes Received:
    11,220
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Female
    What you see as 'ambition killing', I see as 'offering a hand up'.
     

Share This Page