Posted on 05/17/2018 9:56:10 AM PDT by fwdude
The economy may be chugging along, but many Americans are still struggling to afford a basic middle class life.
Nearly 51 million households don't earn enough to afford a monthly budget that includes housing, food, child care, health care, transportation and a cell phone, according to a study released Thursday by the United Way ALICE Project. That's 43% of households in the United States.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
If the democrats had their way, that number would be 100%.
And giant flat screen tv’s.
Mostly because of subsidized high risk loans.
I moved from Seattle to rural, south central KY 7 years ago. Because labor prices are lower here, a lot of labor intensive stuff is a lot cheaper, but I wondered what it meant for car purchases. Naturally one thing it means is that people drive a lot more beaters around here, but there is another outgrowth of this:
Here, rebuilding salvage autos is a huge business. In fact, when I bought my Silverado Z71 4x4 I got a salvage vehicle. The funny part was that when I went to the Boieng Credit Union to get my loan, they said they don’t loan on salvage titles. So I went to my local bank that carries my mortgage and asked if they did. My loan officer said, “We better. My truck has a salvage title.”
Of course housing is mostly excluded from inflation statistics, which is a big reason using those statistics doesn’t tell the whole picture.
When I see a “struggling family” using a flip phone, or a land line...and when the poor are skinny...and they are driving cars older than mine...I’ll believe this report!
“It’s housing that is killing people.”
Amen, I am remodeling a bathroom and spending around two grand for materials, if I had a contractor do the job it would cost me fifteen grand. When I was a first grader fifteen thousand would have bought a sizable farm in this area with a very nice house and barns etc. with enough timberland to be living off timber, pulpwood and firewood sales now. I remember when forty dollars a month would rent a not impressive but quite livable house here and there were some for even less. The current cost of housing is insane.
Indeed. My wife and I have problems comprehending others' lifestyles, when we have conversations with them. On the one hand, they're complaining about not being able to afford life, some even saying they can't afford to feed themselves; and in the same conversation bragging about the fancy vacation or new gadgets they bought.
Here in the San Francisco area, you can see people fishing from the shore or piers. They're all Asians and supplementing their diets with the fish and crabs they catch. You won't see any whites, blacks or latinos doing that. They expect their fish to be prepared and packaged and found in a store ready to microwave.
“They’re all Asians and supplementing their diets with the fish and crabs they catch-—
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That’s to feed the kids who will probably all end up at Ivy League universities.
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It’s TRUMP’S FAULT... I mean where was it for the past 8 years? The media must have been in Fantasyland with unicorns and rainbows...
This is Bulls hit. People are on welfare/food stamps not because they need it but because it is pushed on tem by welfare agencies. Like the breakfast at schools. They do their best to get everyone signed up. It justifies the system.
The retail customer sees minimal or no benefit and increased unemployment a social costs.
Protectionist, (Patriots) understand that a tariff will increase prices. We get it. WE WANT THAT. It's a one time inflation due to higher labor costs in the USA. Again, we understand the economists. We are not stupid. But the payoff from higher import tariffs comes in lowered social costs and higher quality products. We are willing to pay more for a strong viable industrial base. I WANT TO PAY MORE.
I found out last year that I could live on $20k...and save up some money. Even went out a few times, and visited friends.
Housing and food.
Food’s been going up near 10% a year.
Several years ago, entry level minimum wage jobs paid about $8/hrs. I have no idea what they pay now, but I do know the cost of nearly everything has doubled or tripled in that time. If people couldn’t make it on minimum wage then, they sure can’t now. But anyone who makes that little, and has a few kids, is eligible for assistance of various types. When our kids were growing up, we didn’t have two nickels to rub together for anything extra, but we had a pretty nice house, and some of those years, we had a newer car, but with food and utilities, we had nothing left over for the things I see “poor” folks have, nowadays. I have no idea where they get the money. I do know that as soon as our kids were old enough, they went out and got jobs, so they could buy some of the things they wanted that we couldn’t afford, and they’ve been working hard ever since. We have a relative, though, who has been on welfare her entire adult life, and wouldn’t let her kids go out and get jobs, because it would affect the welfare. When each kid reached 18, the welfare benefits for them stopped. Only then, did the mom let the kids get a job. And when one would get a job, she would make them pay 1/4 of the household bills, til they were paying 3/4 of the household costs. She thought absolutely nothing of living off her kids. And of course, SHE never got out and went to work. Every time anyone gave those kids birthday or Christmas money, she’d make them pool it together, “so we’ll have money when we need anything extra”. She finally wised up a little when one of the kids went off the deep end. She’s going to apply for a job any day now...
Several years ago, entry level minimum wage jobs paid about $8/hrs. I have no idea what they pay now, but I do know the cost of nearly everything has doubled or tripled in that time. If people couldn’t make it on minimum wage then, they sure can’t now. But anyone who makes that little, and has a few kids, is eligible for assistance of various types. When our kids were growing up, we didn’t have two nickels to rub together for anything extra, but we had a pretty nice house, and some of those years, we had a newer car, but with food and utilities, we had nothing left over for the things I see “poor” folks have, nowadays. I have no idea where they get the money. I do know that as soon as our kids were old enough, they went out and got jobs, so they could buy some of the things they wanted that we couldn’t afford, and they’ve been working hard ever since. We have a relative, though, who has been on welfare her entire adult life, and wouldn’t let her kids go out and get jobs, because it would affect the welfare. When each kid reached 18, the welfare benefits for them stopped. Only then, did the mom let the kids get a job. And when one would get a job, she would make them pay 1/4 of the household bills, til they were paying 3/4 of the household costs. She thought absolutely nothing of living off her kids. And of course, SHE never got out and went to work. Every time anyone gave those kids birthday or Christmas money, she’d make them pool it together, “so we’ll have money when we need anything extra”. She finally wised up a little when one of the kids went off the deep end. She’s going to apply for a job any day now...
Let me in on your secret!
“We are not stupid. But the payoff from higher import tariffs comes in lowered social costs and higher quality products. We are willing to pay more for a strong viable industrial base. I WANT TO PAY MORE”
I know you’re not stupid, but I think you would be screwed in they end of paying far more for no gain.
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