[mralabama]

From the article it seems pretty clear that the poor should be pushed out of the cities and made to buy cars.

[P9CCd35R]

It also doesn't say what that certified nursing assistant's boyfriend makes.

If he is like the boyfriends that my sister has, he is likely just bumming off her and makes nothing beyond what he spends on booze//drugs/etc.

JM

[Ngdyoysv]

The issue is that there are a lot of poor, and not too many rural areas with jobs/etc to send them too.

Salem sent some of it's welfare cases to my little town of ~1600 people, which was around 45 minutes away.

There were no jobs to get (the mills had closed a decade before), and so the people who moved to assisted housing on welfare had no choice really but to stay on welfare. I think the school system employed more people then most other businesses.

Most of the kids at the school were on reduced/free lunches/etc.

JM

[IRMartin]

Rural areas send everyone to the cities, there just isn't enough growth/jobs/etc in the rural areas.

People go to the cities to get jobs, this has been going on for over 100 years.

For this I am including suburbs as part of the cities.

JM

[Wachearex]

I'm sure I make in the same ballpark as what some of these folks make. Yet I'm smart and don't fall for these traps described in the article and I do alright. Plenty of jingle in my pocket. I even buy stocks.

The problem is education. There is very little understanding of economics, even basic stuff. A lot of people also need instant gratification. I know plenty of poor people living in trailer parks with big TVs and XBoxes. I don't blame them for wanting some pleasures in life, but people need to think long term.

A former housemate had a bunch of debt on like 6 different credit cards and was paying the minimum payment on each. I worked out some spreadsheet showing how much interest she was paying on them all and how much she'd save if she put just a bit more money into paying off the cards earlier. She was in tears looking at the numbers, she just had no idea.

[Czrzftmz]

Lifestyle choices compound these problems. I suggest giving up cigarettes or alcohol to everyone I know who is tight on money. The blank stares I get back tell me these people are poor out of choice.

[iodillalm]

I agree with a lot of the article. Having spent a lot of time in urban communities I have witnessed the high prices, especially of food. Still, when I was in that situation I learned to cook and am I much better cook because of it. Also, many times there is a certain local cuisine that will be readily available and really cheap. Measuring the cost of food at convenience stores is not a good measure. Also, most people in those areas don't eat food they have to prepare, they will generally eat high calorie ready made foods. This is from my own observations.

Spending choices, IMO, are the biggest issue with poor people, as it is with me and my financial situation. My wife and I invested in a washing machine because of the reason that laundry mats were an inconvenience and expensive. If you can't afford or accommodate a washing machine you can always wash your clothes in the sink and line dry. We also used to eat chicken broth and veggies a lot, very cheap and nutritional.

Bikes are also good modes of transportation. I have been lucky with my vehicles so I haven't really faced that hardship. Health insurance is easily affordable if you attend a school. If your work doesn't supply health insurance than you should probably be in a school to get a job that will, and then get their health insurance. Health insurance has been the hardest thing for me to maintain since I left my job at Johnson&Johnson, mainly because of pregnancies (existing condition), my changing jobs, and contracting work.

[Knongargoapex]

And I don't buy the "it costs more to be poor because some poor people are dumb enough to take payday loans". That's "it costs more to be stupid."

Actually, Kuci: it's one way of saying that the price of liquidity for the poor is higher. It's the one actual point that the article has.

[didrexx]

Actually, Kuci: it's one way of saying that the price of liquidity for the poor is higher. It's the one actual point that the article has.

Yes, but we have no idea how much of that is due to the natural operation of the market vs. how much is due to poor eduction or understanding of finances.

[proslaviy]

Yes, but how much does their vodka cost at the local market?

[fuslssdfaa]

I ****ing hate laundromats.

[YmolafBp]

I am tight on money...

:blank stare:

(Never smoked, never drank alcohol.)
The point is that I say that to people who do. If you are tight on money I suggest canceling your internet

[gregmcal]

That's why you always find an apartment in a building with its own machines.

You've obviously never lived in a poor inner-city neighborhood. Well, I was in Washington Heights. That's like the Hills to Harlem.

[halfstreet]

get a decent education while growing up, get a scholarship, and move out of the ****ing slums.

Some of us aren't intelligent enough to escape the slums...

[Coollabioto]

then stop complaining.

Why? It's not my fault that I was born stupid.

[Uhmavano]

The point is that I say that to people who do. If you are tight on money I suggest canceling your internet

I don't pay for internet, and the income I do have is made over the internet. Try again

[endulundaSauh]

But then I would lose all the clients I've lined up in regards to self-biased's exemplary advise... er... I mean ... n/m

[xkQCaS4w]

Yes, but how much does their vodka cost at the local market?

Unfortunately, not very much.

[finasteridonline]

That's why I decided not to do business consulting. Too easy.

[ggdfgtdfffhfyj]

Rural communities sending their poor to the cities? You guys are out of touch with reality.

(1) I see evidence every day that this happens
(2) Mostly, I was pointing out the absurdity of the POV of the article -- focusing on the urban poor to the exclusion of other impoverished people, when there's a heck of a lot more poor people in rural areas