Why Poor People Stay Poor

[madamesilverspurs]

...
"Because our lives seem so unstable, poor people are often seen as being basically incompetent at managing their lives. That is, it’s assumed that we’re not unstable because we’re poor, we’re poor because we’re unstable. So let’s just talk about how impossible it is to keep your life from spiraling out of control when you have no financial cushion whatsoever. And let’s also talk about the ways in which money advice is geared only toward people who actually have money in the first place."
...
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2014/12/linda_tirado_on_the_realities_of_living_in_bootstrap_america_daily_annoyances.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_bot

[PatrickforO]

1. Thank you for this post.

I'm sharing it with quite a few friends, and it should be required reading for every legislator and other elected official. People don't get it.

[w0nderer]

3. LOL

reading comment from us both at the same time

[w0nderer]

2. I always wanted to see a

Suze Orman show where she not only did a budgeting option for working poor but actually lived by it completely for say a quarter year. AND got her own hiney out of the 'situation' without resorting to old contacts or doing speeches.


That'd be interesting.

----

excellent Article, seems like a book all politicians should read, actually anyone claiming to be a democrat or progressive probably should read it.

you should also repost it to general discussion
(yes, less safe group) ,if you want me to, i can do it instead, i'm ok with pissing people off, but i'd rather not steal your thunder.

it needs to be 'generally' known

[madamesilverspurs]

5. Will post in GD.

Just took a few minutes to climb into my asbestos suit . . .

[babylonsister]

6. Hahaha!

Seriously, let's see who comes out of the woodwork!

[w0nderer]

9. that's kinda my thought

let's identify the 'pretenda-progressives'

[w0nderer]

8. Hellfighter hose ready

*hitting you with cooling water*

hellfighter==oil drill fire //firefighter

i'll be there to knr!

[NV Whino]

4. I thought I had prepared for my old age

I had set up three sources of income.

1. Managing high end property. Main income.
2. Graphic design. Augmented main income, and fun.
3. Fine art. Frosting on the cake to be used for fun stuff.

Bush and company moved into the White House and proceeded to trash the economy.

1. Property stopped selling, and property owners stopped improving their holdings.
2. Wineries (and other businesses) stopped hiring outside designers and decided to do everything in-house. Generally badly, but….
3. Fine art sales just plain disappeared.

Needless to say, I'm not having any fun.

[w0nderer]

14. which one now makes more

i've noticed graphics designs failing last couple of years, didn't know reason


have you considered (off top of head) political toons or art?

not knowing what your art is

as always ...good to see you mate


it's sad that people aren't improving houses/property nowadays

[Travis_0004]

7. Simply put, it cost money to save money

I bought a house. I thought, 'why the hell would I pay PMI, that is throwing money away, so I put down 20%.'

My mortgage is also 350 a month. It would easily rent for 1,000, so right there saving money with a 'rent' of 350 is quite easy.

Credit card interest, whats that?

Auto insurance charges a 5.00 monthly fee, if you pay each month. I just pay 6 months up front and avoid the fee.

Man, my heating bill is high. OK, I'll pay 2k to insulate the attic. I'll see a ROI of 2-3 years anyway. Meanwhile a poor person couldn't afford it, or their landlord would be unwilling to invest the money.

There are lots of ways that poor people get nickeled and dimed, and somebody with means can avoid those fees.

[LiberalArkie]

10. I bought a heat pump water heater a few years ago. Sure is expensive to buy, but cut my

electricity bill in half. Payoff is supposed to be 5 years mine was in 2.

[Travis_0004]

11. Yup

I'm not so sure a heat pump would work so well when its -10 outside, (and most people use gas, not electric), so you don't see them up here too often.

I'm proud to say my water heater was installed in 1971. The warranty expired in 1986, so I guess I'm on my own when it comes time to replace it

[LiberalArkie]

12. Where it is handy here in the south is the cool air it puts out during the warm months. When it gets

to be winter I just push the non-hybrid button and it is a regular water heater. Propane is too expensive to use for heating water for my taste.

[Travis_0004]

13. Makes sense

I agree that propane can be expensive, but up north, we all have natural gas where I live. In the summer, I pay about 30 bucks for a delivery charge, and less than 5.00 for actual usage, but in the winter it saves hundreds.

[w0nderer]

16. northern europe

even southern scandinavia they are all the rage

and work well

but once they hit cold (5f or -15 C) they are close to useless

when i lived in those areas i kept (wood stove, oil stove and kerosene room heaters)
oil furnace was primary, but painted south side of house dark (absorb heat)
wood was backup in case i couldn't afford oil
and
kerosene in case power went out

[w0nderer]

15. -10 F a heat pump will do nothing for you

they are effective down to -15C approx 5F


where i used to be most people used wood/pellets or oil

however i did use solar passive (southwalls are painted dark color)
that does actually do a few percent

[FSogol]

22. Many heat pump systems have an auxiliary electric heating coil.

Those are expensive to run. Heat pumps work better in areas that don't have the really extended periods of cold weather.

[KentuckyWoman]

17. Almost everyone dies within a rung or two on the ladder from where they are born

It is a complete myth America offers much in the way of upward mobility. Yes it can be done and people do it. But the deck is HEAVILY stacked against it.

http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/11/11/rising-up-the-ladder-in-america-whos-upwardly-mobile/

[rpritchard93]

18. Yes!

Well said!

[rpritchard93]

19. I struggle day in and day out.

This post was wonderful. My wife and I got married this summer. We are both students at the University of Delaware and we also work full time. We have a million things to juggle and we work hard to make it happen. Nonetheless, we can't seem to put money away. We can't save because we have rent, we pay for books, we pay for overpriced car insurance. Worst of all, we work for minimum wage. These aren't issues that we can change. Yet we still receive the brunt of criticism as the working poor.

Thanks for this post!

[madamesilverspurs]

20. Sometimes it helps to know we're not alone, yes?

And welcome aboard!

[rpritchard93]

21. Yes.

Exactly what I was thinking. Although I know I'm not alone. I see it every day when I meet my neighbors in the hall....