A RECORD 7 Million plus Americans 3 months late on car payments.

The funny thing is, we're barely pimples on the butt of the real money in this country. But they'd tax the **** out of us like were Rockefellers if they could. They love the jobs you provide them, but don't want you to live significantly better than them. You can afford to be knocked down a notch, therefore you owe them.

 

I'm actually okay with taxes (and owning investment properties as I do, taxes can be significant), because I support social security for the aged and disabled, public education, public healthcare, and any other services which level the playing field. That level field being crucial to the measurement of the 'man' who's had access to it all his life, yet has still found a way to fail.

 

People who are in fat city do not fallen behind on their loan repayment,people who are struggling to get by DO!!

 

Such people are not 'struggling'. Even the smallest effort (ie, struggle), applied consistently, will result in reasonable financial security in the First World.

 

Because people operating in our economy, considering wages, taxes, inflation, investment, depreciation, financing, balancing and reconciling accounts, credit... is just like a farmer in the mountains?

We live in a complex society when it comes to finances, and people need to be taught how to plan and budget.

 

crank.Then how do you account for the news released not to long ago during the shutdown that 40% of working Americans are one unexpected $400 bill from financial disaster???Most working Americans are living with no margin of financial savings.

 

Remember that we are talking about kids that eat laundry detergent so they can post the video online.

 

That's precisely my point. Living within your means is a character trait, it is not 'education'. It doesn't matter how simple or how complex your society is, the equation remains the same. 2 + 2 = 4, it doesn't = 5. Those who are disciplined will always be aware of that. Those who are undisciplined will always pretend the answer is 5.

Living within your means is NOT a function of information, it's a function of your character and 'emotional maturity'. No plan or budget will ever make a difference if the individual you're attempting to educate is determined to be self-indulgent.

 

I account for it by observing that you have a lot of very self-indulgent people in America.

If a working person of modest means is spending any money at all on 'fun' (fast food, holidays, smart phones, new clothes/shoes, alcohol, cigs, big tv, renting a house beyond their means, etc etc etc), then they are not poor, and require no sympathy or consideration whatsoever.

 

We are not just talking about those with minimum wage jobs here, we are talking of some with no savings with $100,000 incomes.

 

Yes, that's exactly who I'm talking about. Those with very low income. Once again, if they spend even a single dollar on any of those 'fun' things, they are not poor. And clearly, if you ARE spending money on such things, you could just as easily put that money in the bank. You're talking about people who have the luxury of choosing to waste money.

 

To be precise the “average” wage in the USA 23.19 an hour.

The “median” is 15.17 an hour and more representative of reality. A damn fine middle class wage thirty-odd years ago!

Right now the median wage runs roughly 65% of the average and that % has been falling annually too.

 

If everybody operated on a cash basis, I would agree with you.

But we don't.

Learning how to balance a check book and prepare a budget is a skill that needs to be taught.

 

Trump's sociopathic narcissism may have pushed us into recession...

 

Again, these are almost animal level fundamentals. If you only have $1000 (in any form, cash, wheat harvest, cheque book), you cannot spend $1100. No amount of doing spreadsheet budgets will change that, and no amount of spreadsheet budgets will stop the person determined to spend $1100, from spending $1100.

 

And.. evaluating the ROI of financing a college degree fits right into your simplistic view?

Sorry, it isnt that easy. Not sure why you would be opposed to educating people. Seems backwards to be but whatever.

 

I'm NOT opposed to education, I'm the one saying it's incredibly important that parents teach self-discipline (in ALL things) from early childhood .. by both active teaching, and by modelling self-discipline themselves. If this is not done, and a child reaches adulthood without any kind of self-discipline, no spreadsheet will make a difference. Such people don't need to learn to spreadsheet, they need to learn to CONTROL THEMSELVES.

 

I.E the "we want Democratic Socialism" crowd.

 

We're ok with taxes too. Ones that pave the roads, fund the military, support emergency services, the old and the infirm and the like...

We're not ok with funding people's sex changes and "paying a living wage to those unwilling to work".

 

100%.

But what's hilarious to me (and others) is that those who want such luxuries claim to be 'socialists'. You could not possibly find a better example of spastic capitalism and the wealth that comes with it, than the funding of the lazy and the narcissistic.

 

Yes, I think that would be a safe conclusion.