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The economy may be booming, but nearly half of Americans can't make ends meet
Los Angeles Times ^ | 09/01/2018 | David Lazarus

Posted on 09/02/2018 9:33:46 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

By virtually any yardstick, the U.S. economy is doing great. Unemployment is near a two-decade low. The stock market is strong. Corporate profits are at record highs.

Yet a report out this week finds that almost half of Americans are having trouble paying for basic needs such as food and housing.

The Urban Institute, a left-leaning Washington think tank, surveyed more than 7,500 adults about their experience making ends meet. It found that about 40% of people ages 18 to 64 faced some sort of hardship last year.

“It’s certainly surprising and disconcerting that so many people are having difficulty meeting their basic needs,” said Michael Karpman, a research associate at the Urban Institute and coauthor of the report.

“What we found is that a lot of people have to devote much of their income to fixed expenses like rent or healthcare,” he told me. “If they’re hit with a large, unexpected expense, they simply can’t cover it.”

The stats become more troubling the deeper you drill down. More than 35% of families with at least one working adult reported difficulty meeting at least one basic need last year.

Almost a quarter of Americans experienced food insecurity, which is to say they didn’t always know if they’d be able to eat if they were hungry.

A staggering 18% faced issues paying medical bills, and nearly as large a percentage reported skipping treatment for an ailment because they couldn’t afford it.

Slightly more than 10% of Americans missed a rental or mortgage payment. Thirteen percent couldn’t pay a utility bill.

While much of these economic woes were concentrated among lower-income households, the Urban Institute found that many middle-class families also struggled to pay their bills.

“About 20% of middle-class people are having trouble, mostly with healthcare,” Karpman said.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: costoflving; debt; economy
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To: SeekAndFind

They can’t make it on $50-80K??????????????????? That’s sooooo far above what we live debt free on that I can’t even imagine what I’d spend it all on. Of course, we don’t have bling, new vehicles, a pile of fast food in the trash, the latest i-phone (old shared flip phone does the job), and we’re not out partying every weekend. Hubby had surgery this year and later more bills for complications and we managed to pay it off so don’t give me that hooey. Our Trump tax cut was a whopping $25/mo. which doesn’t cover the increased electric bill. Nearly 4 months’ income goes straight to property tax thanks to the Californians who invaded and never met a tax proposal they don’t like.

Every time the min wage is increased, it devalues money so they’re further behind than they were before.


21 posted on 09/02/2018 10:25:14 AM PDT by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.")
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To: SeekAndFind
"Can't make ends meet" equals "had difficulty paying at least one bill once during the last year" in the strange world of leftist headlines. Just like "facing starvation" equals "had to eat rice and beans three days at the end of the month" (insufficient variety is one of the symptoms of food insecurity in federal statistics, which gets promoted to starvation in the MSM).

I wonder what the percentage of people "couldn't make ends meet" during Obama's depression if measured by the same standards.

22 posted on 09/02/2018 10:27:55 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Leave the job, leave the clearance. It should be the same rule for the Swamp as for everyone else.)
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To: SeekAndFind

... because of Obamacare. Free stuff for all is destroying me.

No money to spare for more free stuff. Sorry, all tapped out.


23 posted on 09/02/2018 10:28:09 AM PDT by dhs12345
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To: SeekAndFind

The Economy is about one year into the REAL recovery after 8 years of an economy that was only comparable to the Great Depression under Obama and NOW they’re suddenly crying people can’t make ends meet? Where they hell have they been for the last decade?

Food stamp rolls are shrinking as are disability rolls. That would seem to contradict their claims about how bad things are now. They were obviously much worse a few years ago when they didn’t utter a peep about it. Gee, I wonder why.


24 posted on 09/02/2018 10:29:55 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: SeekAndFind

Jeez. These people would complain about the type of rope I’d lynch them with.


25 posted on 09/02/2018 10:30:01 AM PDT by Lazamataz (On future maps, I suggest we remove the word "California" and substitute "Open-Air Asylum".)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Urban Institute, a left-leaning Washington think tank,...

surveyed more than 7,500 adults about their experience making ends meet. It found that about 40% of people ages 18 to 64...

faced some sort of hardship last year.

.

.

Oh waaaaaaah, some sort of hardship.
I didn’t know there was supposed to be some guarantee against some sort of hardship.

I wonder how many of these people have smart phones that cost in excess of $200,
Or rate planes over $50?
How many have cable or satellite tv?
Or TV’s over 31”?
I wonder how many of them have a car over 10 years old?
I wonder how many of them stock a pantry?

I wonder how many of them work an extra part time job, on top of their full time job?


26 posted on 09/02/2018 10:30:16 AM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: SeekAndFind
there is virtually no excuse in the Trump economy
27 posted on 09/02/2018 10:36:55 AM PDT by Chode ( WeÂ’re America, Bitch!)
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To: SeekAndFind
The economy may be booming...

Whoa, that must have hurt for the LAT to admit. I see, though, that as usual with a Republican in the White House, the standard has been moved back to perfection and anything less is simply unacceptable. This wouldn't be as obnoxious if they applied this to 0bama's administrations as well, but everything was perfect then.

28 posted on 09/02/2018 10:38:48 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: SeekAndFind
Because Flush or Broke, too many people live from paycheck to paycheck. Living on credit cards that stay maxed out, insisting on instant gratification.

I haven't paid a penny in Credit Card interest for over 15 years. Everything I own, 13 year old truck, home, etc is paid for with the exception of my newest Harley. I've been retired for 2 1/2 years and still put money in savings every month.

29 posted on 09/02/2018 10:39:20 AM PDT by Feckless (The US Gubbmint / This Tagline CENSORED by FR \ IrOnic, ain't it?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Yeah right. And when I go into the 7-11 or other similar establishments I have to wait for some the the same people described in this article to lay down 10, 20 or more dollars for government encouraged games of chance called the “Lottery” (and don’t ya know it is for the children and their education). When responsible adults are able to again take charge of our culture, we will may have a chance.


30 posted on 09/02/2018 10:42:28 AM PDT by Shark24
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To: Kickass Conservative

Actually, foodstamp usage has dropped by over 8 million from its high in 2013,

ALL while our population has grown by about 12 million, from the same time


31 posted on 09/02/2018 10:43:10 AM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: SeekAndFind

My wife and I are 76. One thing we enjoy on the way home from a shopping trip is a McDonald’s ice cream cone. A week ago two cones were $2.16. Yesterday it was $2.54. Yeah, big deal ...38 cents. To me it is symbolic as to what will be happening to fixed income seniors. If everything went up by that percentage, then the senior demographic is screwed with this bright new and exciting economy. McDonalds had an across the board price increase by the way. But I hope Mr Trump is keeping this voting block in mind.


32 posted on 09/02/2018 10:45:56 AM PDT by ThePatriotsFlag (We are getting even more than we voted for.)
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To: SeekAndFind

It’s now our fault that a lot of people don’t live within their means?


33 posted on 09/02/2018 10:49:24 AM PDT by SaxxonWoods (Hmmm.)
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To: SeekAndFind

And under Bush and Zero, things were peachy? Nope. America survived 16 years; first under false conservatism then under socialist ploys. America is scratching its way back up.


34 posted on 09/02/2018 10:50:06 AM PDT by vpintheak (Freedom is not equality; and equality is not freedom!)
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To: Pollard

WHO...is actually working for minimum wage?

The fast food joints by me have signs in their windows offer $11-$11.50 an hour.

A small town in west central Michigan has signs in their windows for $10.50

Places now have to pay their average workers MORE just to keep them, as workers are looking for and finding jobs that pay more.


35 posted on 09/02/2018 10:51:10 AM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: SeekAndFind

“Slightly more than 10% of Americans missed a rental or mortgage payment.”

Improper conflation. Late mortgage payments are at a multi-year low, as are foreclosures.


36 posted on 09/02/2018 10:51:46 AM PDT by SaxxonWoods (Hmmm.)
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To: SaxxonWoods
It’s now our fault that a lot of people don’t live within their means?



"Oh, it's so obvious now, I've seen the light! Ah well, I must be punished then, mustn't I? 'You're a naughty boy Fawlty, don't do it again!'"

37 posted on 09/02/2018 10:52:27 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Amazing that these endangered people with “food insecurity” can drink beer, buy cigarettes or dope, sport hair weaves, eyelash extenders, and custom finger nails. Their children are fed free breakfast and lunch, with a bag of food to be taken home over weekends. The “free lunch program” also extends through the summer, while school is not in session. It appears that taxpayers have given much more than should be required, to people who never will have enough freebies.


38 posted on 09/02/2018 10:57:51 AM PDT by txrefugee
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To: SeekAndFind
If we had a guaranteed minimum income of $100,000 in this country, nobody would have any problem paying for their basic needs.

/s in case you couldn't tell

39 posted on 09/02/2018 11:06:10 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Pollard
To be honest, wages have been stagnant for a long time, especially for blue collar and service industries yet prices on most everything have doubled or tripled in the same period. It will take some time but things will get better.

Someone gets it.

After about 30 years of "America last", open border free for all...Then Obama, it devastated millions of Americans. Some will never fully recover...Not enough time left.

40 posted on 09/02/2018 11:07:13 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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