Almost half of US families can't afford basics like rent and food

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: CB328

When was the last time all Americans could afford rent and food?

Never. Not in any country no matter how prosperous.
problem is more are below that poverty line than say 20 years ago.

Its a fact that wages have stagnated at best in most western country's and social mobility has decreased.

The only western country that's done well since 2008 is Iceland that held the banks accountable for the massive clusterFK they created.

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: DBCowboy
There have always been poor people. There have always been people below the poverty line.

It is only "our" business when we choose to help those with less.


But the key thing about individuality is you have the opportunity to make it or break it all on your own.

Only in liberal la la land does a bell curve not exist.

Mathematically, there will always be poor people. At least here in the US our poor people actually have it pretty good compared to the rest of the world.

From an article I posted earlier. The bottom 5% in the US live better than the top 5% in India. Let that sink in...

You reckon his source is rubbish and you post a source that says the bottom 5% in the U. S live better than the top 5% in India..... Wowsers do you really believe that crap like really? I

I think if somebody can't afford food or rent it is pretty much their own fault. Seems to be a lot of work out there.

As far as wages not going up, maybe across the board that is true, but not for me.
Just as an example... When I joined the sheet metal workers union in 1988 I started at $8.01(on the check) an hour as an apprentice. 50% of journeymans pay, so around $16 an hour for JM.

Today as journeyman make 32.56 I think, on the check.

So those wages have gone up 100% in 30 years though. I'm no economist so IDK if that has kept up with inflation? My house is paid for, my truck is paid for almost have our car paid off.

Unions across the country are taking travelers (union members from other locals) because they don't have enough people to fill the jobs. So there are good paying jobs out there.

originally posted by: tinner07
So those wages have gone up 100% in 30 years though. I'm no economist so IDK if that has kept up with inflation? My house is paid for, my truck is paid for almost have our car paid off.

Since 1988 prices have gone up by about 200%.

originally posted by: Nyiah

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: CB328

When was the last time all Americans could afford rent and food?

My late grandmother used to joke, before we moved north, that they had more to live on & not starve or go homeless when she was a kid in the Great Depression than families do today.

She was a sarcastic old broad, but she might not have been joking, either. Sometimes truths were just heavily dipped in the sarc & we didn't realize it.

Likely your late grandmother was quite right.

The 1% are buying Gulfstreams, the 99% are working 2 jobs just to make ends meet.

I think if somebody can't afford food or rent it is pretty much their own fault

Is it there fault that the average house now costs $300,000 and medical insurance is hundreds or thousands of dollars?

originally posted by: CB328

I think if somebody can't afford food or rent it is pretty much their own fault

Is it there fault that the average house now costs $300,000 and medical insurance is hundreds or thousands of dollars?

Where are you getting that the average house is $300K? And yep...thanks to Obamacare, medical insurance is really high and we couldn't keep our docs.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
Where are you getting that the average house is $300K? And yep...thanks to Obamacare, medical insurance is really high and we couldn't keep our docs.

The median price of a home in the US is about $200k, but that's across the entire country and includes all the more rural areas where high paying jobs don't exist. To live in an area where you can reasonably expect to work for above $10/hour it is much higher than $300k.

This shouldn't be too surprising, it takes $350k/year in the US to be middle class these days.

originally posted by: projectvxn
There are WAY more jobs than people here. and most pay pretty well.

The US is at full employment right now. By the numbers, we have fully recovered from the 2008 recession in terms of employment. Wages have not recovered, and the nations finances have not recovered (interest rates are still far too low, no one has savings, etc) but the job situation is as good as it can realistically get.

That said, the quality of jobs is no longer the same and there's more to saying jobs are here, because they need to be the types of jobs that people are qualified to do, and more importantly that they want to do.

Also, I've learned that peoples definitions of "paying well" are generally pretty far off. Middle class in the US starts at about $350k/year today, most people think a well paying job falls far short of that.

I go by the idea that if you can't realistically hit that within 10 years, the job/career path isn't worth following.

originally posted by: TheRedneck
Now it's normal people's turn.

Normal people thrived under Obama, in particular his second term. Maybe you're the abnormal one?

a reply to: Aazadan

Middle class in the US starts at about $350k/year today, most people think a well paying job falls far short of that.

what? 350k a year where I live would put you in the rich category what fantasy land is this?

originally posted by: howtonhawky
How much money per hour does one have to make in order to survive on their own in the usa?

It varies greatly by region, so there's not a single answer. In some areas of the US you can survive on your own with a relatively nice apartment, and enough food to get by, on about $10,000 per year. In other areas of the US the exact same quality of life costs $100,000 per year.

I just moved out of a town I lived in while finishing up another degree. I lived there for four years. My apartment cost me $450/month with all utilities included. It had heating and central air, was 2200 sqft, and came with a yard (lawnscapers were included in my rent). It wasn't in the nicest town or in the nicest neighborhood (my neighbors ran a puppy mill in their back yard, and were drug dealers the rest of the time), but it was a nice apartment and it fit my budget of about $950/month in income at the time I signed the lease.

Where I moved now is a nicer town with a still low cost of living, in a good neighborhood for a single person. My new place is 4000 sqft, allows pets, and costs me $600/month plus utilities (so about $800/month in total). I've lived in this town before on an income of about $11,000 annually and was able to make it. I have more income now, so I get to live better... but it can be done.

Eventually I might even be able to afford to buy a home at this rate.

Our towns median income is below full time minimum wage.

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: Aazadan

Middle class in the US starts at about $350k/year today, most people think a well paying job falls far short of that.

what? 350k a year where I live would put you in the rich category what fantasy land is this?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: Aazadan

Middle class in the US starts at about $350k/year today, most people think a well paying job falls far short of that.

what? 350k a year where I live would put you in the rich category what fantasy land is this?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Your argument in the linked thread is for a family of 4. If you choose to have a single income in your house and have 2 kids and 2 cars and whatever else it is you want then sure you'll have to make a lot of money.

$350k is certainly not required for middle class....I live in a very nice suburb of Atlanta. Houses in my neighborhood start at about $295k and are as high as $1.3M. Now directly across the street I can get almost identical houses for $95K to $750K. This is solely because of the elementary school district. And it is literally right across the street....same houses, same neighborhood pool, same parks we all play in.

I flip houses and regularly buy them under $100K all over Atlanta. Sure they aren't move in ready, but people are naturally lazy and take the path of least resistance....they want move in ready and often will pay a lot more for it.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: howtonhawky
How much money per hour does one have to make in order to survive on their own in the usa?

It varies greatly by region, so there's not a single answer. In some areas of the US you can survive on your own with a relatively nice apartment, and enough food to get by, on about $10,000 per year. In other areas of the US the exact same quality of life costs $100,000 per year.

I just moved out of a town I lived in while finishing up another degree. I lived there for four years. My apartment cost me $450/month with all utilities included. It had heating and central air, was 2200 sqft, and came with a yard (lawnscapers were included in my rent). It wasn't in the nicest town or in the nicest neighborhood (my neighbors ran a puppy mill in their back yard, and were drug dealers the rest of the time), but it was a nice apartment and it fit my budget of about $950/month in income at the time I signed the lease.

Where I moved now is a nicer town with a still low cost of living, in a good neighborhood for a single person. My new place is 4000 sqft, allows pets, and costs me $600/month plus utilities (so about $800/month in total). I've lived in this town before on an income of about $11,000 annually and was able to make it. I have more income now, so I get to live better... but it can be done.

Eventually I might even be able to afford to buy a home at this rate.

Our towns median income is below full time minimum wage.

Where pray tell is this? Even the median rent for Detroit is in the 800 range! Are you sure your old place wasn’t a meth lab once?

a reply to: CB328

If you believe that 43% of households can't afford food shelter and transportation, you're dumber than CNN for posting such absurdity. 43% LMAO. Sometimes you should stop and think before posting.

This article has so much intellectual dishonesty, it's hilarious. Take this paragraph for example:

For instance, in Seattle's King County, the annual household survival budget for a family of four (including one infant and one preschooler) in 2016 was nearly $85,000. This would require an hourly wage of $42.46. But in Washington State, only 14% of jobs pay more than $40 an hour.

So we're to compare cost of living in one county to the wages of the entire state? Really? These aren't valid comparisons.

United way sure makes you dig a lot for the source data, I wonder why?
Here's why:

The transportation budget is calculated using average annual expenditures for
transportation by car and by public transportation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer
Expenditure Survey (CES).

and

The health care budget includes the nominal out-of-pocket health care spending, medical services, prescription drugs, and medical supplies using the average annual health expenditure reported in the CES

Basically, they're shocked to find out that 43% of people are below average. Welcome to statistics people. 49% are below average and 49% are above, by definition.

a reply to: Aazadan


Try again mate, I paid 95k for my house, I know several markets where you can get a decent house for less than that, and you can get land for less than 2k an acre.

Which means you can have a job that doesn't pay 150k a year and live quite well.


Also if I am brining in 80-90k a year and I only need to make 40k a year to pay all bills...I am not poor I am upper middle for my area.

You really need to get out of the big city and see some more of the country your numbers are probably accurate for the expensive coastal areas and that's about it.

a reply to: CB328



We are a country of 326 million people. Back in the Ozzy and Harriet days the population was around less than half of that. Its ludicrous to think we can maintain the same standard of living with a population that has doubled and less good living wage jobs now than then. I know everyone wants to beat down the republicans for this, but what is the democratic solution?


Democrats? Flood the country with illegal immigrants and push trade deals like NAFTA and the TPP. And lets not forget the H1B1 program. Never mind that we cant feed and house the people already here, lets drastically increase the population of low skilled illiterate workers.

originally posted by: KTemplar

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: howtonhawky
How much money per hour does one have to make in order to survive on their own in the usa?

It varies greatly by region, so there's not a single answer. In some areas of the US you can survive on your own with a relatively nice apartment, and enough food to get by, on about $10,000 per year. In other areas of the US the exact same quality of life costs $100,000 per year.

I just moved out of a town I lived in while finishing up another degree. I lived there for four years. My apartment cost me $450/month with all utilities included. It had heating and central air, was 2200 sqft, and came with a yard (lawnscapers were included in my rent). It wasn't in the nicest town or in the nicest neighborhood (my neighbors ran a puppy mill in their back yard, and were drug dealers the rest of the time), but it was a nice apartment and it fit my budget of about $950/month in income at the time I signed the lease.

Where I moved now is a nicer town with a still low cost of living, in a good neighborhood for a single person. My new place is 4000 sqft, allows pets, and costs me $600/month plus utilities (so about $800/month in total). I've lived in this town before on an income of about $11,000 annually and was able to make it. I have more income now, so I get to live better... but it can be done.

Eventually I might even be able to afford to buy a home at this rate.

Our towns median income is below full time minimum wage.

Where pray tell is this? Even the median rent for Detroit is in the 800 range! Are you sure your old place wasn’t a meth lab once?

Small town Ohio, Portsmouth. Median income in the town of about $12,000 per year. That means low rents. Detroit is much higher col even if it’s low by city standards.

originally posted by: network dude

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: DBCowboy

It is a fact that middle class income stagnated under Reagan and it's never really recovered despite cost of living continuing to rise. Meanwhile the salary for CEOs has skyrocketed over the same period of time.

And yet, in all that time, it's been a strict republican rule! Oh wait, we had 8 years of Clinton and 8 years of Obama mixed in there. 16 years of democratic rule, and still seem to have this issue. If I was a thinking man, I would say you can't really place blame on just one side. Glad I'm not one of those.

so, your political incite is so keen, that you think a president controls the entire government....you need to take a 6th grade class all over again....you know...to learn how our government works.