Low-Wage Workers Finding It’s Easier to Fall Into Poverty, and Harder to Get Out

[Jaskalas]

Labor will continue to be devalued until a revolution changes many basic concepts of society. That anyone can "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" is a lie. Some old coot's dream of an age gone by. A minority of happy workers is not sufficient when the majority needs their share. The system we have today is destined for collapse.

Today our leaders fight to keep prices high. To maintain order in a system that screws those who need basic care. House values plummet? Let's print trillions to keep them for the investment class while we serve eviction notices to millions. Trickle down, Wall-Street style.

The plight of the poor is real and must be recognized. It must be addressed, not by fairy tales of fancy or by the printing of currency. Money is not the answer to our problem. In fact, it IS the problem.

We must drive prices lower, we must eliminate them altogether, for the basic services to be provided to our entire population. Yes, to everyone. This notion is revolutionary, it is foreign to how we think - and it will appear strange to all of you. It does to me, but it is the only positive solution towards our impending calamity.

 

[ivwshane]

Why? Did you RTA?

People with College Education not finding jobs much over minimum wage.

Sorry, in my haste to beat the "they need to get a better education!", or the, "too many people gettings stupid degrees!", posts, I forgot to add the sarcasm tag.

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=37

 

[Zaap]

Lol. Whatever.

The "plight" of what poor? The billions of ACTUAL poor people living on pennies a day in truly squalid conditions? Those poor? The real ones?

Or the "plight" of the Excellent First Worlder "poor" who's gone maybe 2 or 3 days of their entire lives dipping below a 2300 calorie diet, that's pissed off because they must suffer the horrific injustice of someone else being rich and too greedy to hand them their First Worlder birthrights: the high paying job with no skills, the corner office, free healthcare and a permanant backstage pass to the rockstar lifestyle... pissed that someone dares tell them none of that shit is free or their fucking birthright and that if they want things they'll actually have to develop skills and do for self... those "poor" people?

Those "poor" people are going to get replaced by the real version who are actually more deserving than they are. I for one welcome it. I'm sick of Excellent First Worlders. A lot of them are useless asshole twits.

The real poor of this world deserve their shot at what their dumbass counterparts in the first world have grown too fat, lazy, stupid and spoiled to recognize and prepare themselves for. Many companies are recognizing this, that a person who strives hard, develops skills and has a good attitude -yet lives in a mud hut- is probably a more deserving job candidate than a spoiled rotten first world retard who expects everything handed to them as a birthright.

Why sit still for it anymore? Its a smaller and smaller world every day. The Excellent First Worlder can go fuck himself- take your job and give it to the third Worlder who strives for and appreciates it...and much more DESERVES it.

 

[who?]

I stopped reading at "Erika McCurdy needed help last month with her electricity and heating bill, which jumped to $280 in January from the usual $120 — a result of one of the coldest winters in memory". So, it took twice the energy to heat your house as a result of it being how much colder exactly? I think not. The average temperature in Chattanooga in January is 31. It wasn't like this past January saw temperatures hitting -30. Also, she has a 19 year old son she is "raising". Why doesn't he have a job?



Because of the cold there was more demand for natural gas and propane which drove the prices up.

 

[Veliko]

Lol. Whatever.

The "plight" of what poor? The billions of ACTUAL poor people living on pennies a day in truly squalid conditions? Those poor? The real ones?

Or the "plight" of the Excellent First Worlder "poor" who's gone maybe 2 or 3 days of their entire lives dipping below a 2300 calorie diet, that's pissed off because they must suffer the horrific injustice of someone else being rich and too greedy to hand them their First Worlder birthrights: the high paying job with no skills, the corner office, free healthcare and a permanant backstage pass to the rockstar lifestyle... pissed that someone dares tell them none of that shit is free or their fucking birthright and that if they want things they'll actually have to develop skills and do for self... those "poor" people?

Those "poor" people are going to get replaced by the real version who are actually more deserving than they are. I for one welcome it. I'm sick of Excellent First Worlders. A lot of them are useless asshole twits.

The real poor of this world deserve their shot at what their dumbass counterparts in the first world have grown too fat, lazy, stupid and spoiled to recognize and prepare themselves for. Many companies are recognizing this, that a person who strives hard, develops skills and has a good attitude -yet lives in a mud hut- is probably a more deserving job candidate than a spoiled rotten first world retard who expects everything handed to them as a birthright.

Why sit still for it anymore? Its a smaller and smaller world every day. The Excellent First Worlder can go fuck himself- take your job and give it to the third Worlder who strives for and appreciates it...and much more DESERVES it.

Mum, look! There's one of those idiots on the Internet again!

 

[Veliko]

I stopped reading at "Erika McCurdy needed help last month with her electricity and heating bill, which jumped to $280 in January from the usual $120 — a result of one of the coldest winters in memory". So, it took twice the energy to heat your house as a result of it being how much colder exactly? I think not. The average temperature in Chattanooga in January is 31. It wasn't like this past January saw temperatures hitting -30.

Why do you "think not"? As it gets colder you need exponentially more energy to keep warm.

Also, she has a 19 year old son she is "raising". Why doesn't he have a job?

Why have you put quotes around the word raising? And how do you know he doesn't have a job?

This. Being "college educated" means nothing if your education is based around something that is unemployable. I read a story about a lady with a PhD who was on welfare. Her PhD was in something stupid like medieval literature... That isn't the sign of a bad economy; that is a sign of a fucking idiot spending $100,000+ on a worthless piece of paper.

It most certainly is a sign of a broken economy and only a fucking idiot thinks otherwise.

What is an employable PhD? Maths, English, and engineering? What do you think will happen if everyone has one of those?

Education doesn't exist for the sole purpose of getting people jobs. A society that has a well-rounded variety of educated people benefits everyone.

 

[michal1980]

yes its the republicans fault. Not like the Dems have been in power for many years now.


furthermore. The Dems are the party that are 100% pro illegal immigration & amnesty. All that will do is make poor people poorer.

 

[boomerang]

It's foggy this morning. Fucking Republicans...

 

[JockoJohnson]

I thought Dems were the pro-choice party. Let people make their own decisions and live with them. Poor life choices shouldn't be propped up forever by welfare and unemployment.

At some point, people need to be kicked off these programs. Then, and only then, will they realize that they have to do something with their lives. They will need to give up their basic necessities such as the Lexus, $600 iPad and fully loaded cable packages for a little bit until they get their shit together.

 

[glenn1]

If the economy ever gets good enough that Dave finds a job it will be a bittersweet moment. It will be nice to know that a lot of people are doing well, but will deprive us all of his comedic stylings in these posts. Plus I really fear for the sanity of anyone desperate enough to hire him and knowing they're subsidizing his inane ramblings all day.

 

[Exterous]

So, it took twice the energy to heat your house as a result of it being how much colder exactly? I think not. The average temperature in Chattanooga in January is 31. It wasn't like this past January saw temperatures hitting -30. Also, she has a 19 year old son she is "raising". Why doesn't he have a job?

The EIA report on average NG delivered to residents isn't out for a bit yet so we don't know for sure the price of NG she had to pay. While the cost itself was up the historic prices seem fairly well regulated and regular:

http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n3010us3m.htm

Should be interesting to see if it hits the 2008 peak or not

 

[BoberFett]

Mum, look! There's one of those idiots on the Internet again!

In other words, you've got nothing, eh dipshit?

 

[Ken g6]

you need the people in poverty to hold up the rich

everyone knows that...it's like a pyramid...

Actually, that's not entirely wrong. The problem is that if you let the poorest people get too poor, they crumble and the pyramid collapses.

 

[glenn1]

Actually, that's not entirely wrong. The problem is that if you let the poorest people get too poor, they crumble and the pyramid collapses.

Yeah, civilization will collapse if the ghetto dwellers can't get their 40 ouncers, cigarettes, and expensive sneakers. If the rich don't just willingly give all their money to the Feds who will use it wisely to stave off the Visigoths and preserve the Empire for another thousand years, it should be forcibly taken from them for the good of us all.

 

[Veliko]

In other words, you've got nothing, eh dipshit?

I've got plenty, thanks.

How about you?

 

[GoPackGo]

The value of the dollar continues to go down. What used to cost 30 to 40 dollars at the grocery store not too long ago now costs 60 to 80 dollars.

Unless you are rich you need to use debt to acquire anything: House, Car, Education... Chains are replaced by $$$$$$

 

[SMOGZINN]

Yeah, civilization will collapse if the ghetto dwellers can't get their 40 ouncers, cigarettes, and expensive sneakers. If the rich don't just willingly give all their money to the Feds who will use it wisely to stave off the Visigoths and preserve the Empire for another thousand years, it should be forcibly taken from them for the good of us all.

Yes, actually it should. The rich have economic power through money, the poor have physical power through numbers. If the rich use their economic power too push the poor too far down the poor will use their physical power to push back. When that happens the rich quickly find that their money is not all that useful when kneeling before a guillotine.

This is not exactly the first go around on this wheel.

 

[BoberFett]

I've got plenty, thanks.

OK, but I'm not talking about stupid ideas.

 

[glenn1]

Yes, actually it should. The rich have economic power through money, the poor have physical power through numbers. If the rich use their economic power too push the poor too far down the poor will use their physical power to push back. When that happens the rich quickly find that their money is not all that useful when kneeling before a guillotine.

This is not exactly the first go around on this wheel.

Sure, and for every "successful" revolt there's been thousands where the proles were simply slaughtered en masse. I doubt an American version would end well for the poor and if anything would make them worse off and just further line the pockets of the rich. The rich certainly aren't scared by folks like you raising the possibility either; they could give a shit if Compton or Detroit burns.

 

[uclabachelor]

Duh, ask any low income earner and they can tell you the same.

Stagnant wages, rising cost of living, and tax increases (or decreases in deductions) will do that.

 

[Jaskalas]

Actually, that's not entirely wrong. The problem is that if you let the poorest people get too poor, they crumble and the pyramid collapses.

Yeah, civilization will collapse if the ghetto dwellers can't get their 40 ouncers, cigarettes, and expensive sneakers. If the rich don't just willingly give all their money to the Feds who will use it wisely to stave off the Visigoths and preserve the Empire for another thousand years, it should be forcibly taken from them for the good of us all.

Ivory towers are rocked from the bottom.

 

[Zaap]

Sure, and for every "successful" revolt there's been thousands where the proles were simply slaughtered en masse. I doubt an American version would end well for the poor and if anything would make them worse off and just further line the pockets of the rich. The rich certainly aren't scared by folks like you raising the possibility either; they could give a shit if Compton or Detroit burns.

The only way we're seeing this Revolution! of spoiled First Worlders is if its released on Xbox and PlayStation. Oh, and there will probably be demand for an iOS and Android version too.

Players will vie to top leaderboards by storming the rich and stealing their fancy cars and grabbing cash.

If sales are strong enough, we might even see a Revolution! 2.0 released afterwards.

 

[Veliko]

Sure, and for every "successful" revolt there's been thousands where the proles were simply slaughtered en masse. I doubt an American version would end well for the poor and if anything would make them worse off and just further line the pockets of the rich. The rich certainly aren't scared by folks like you raising the possibility either; they could give a shit if Compton or Detroit burns.

You're missing the point entirely.

Whether a particular revolt is explicitly successful or not, it is in everyone's long-term interests for the gap between the rich and the poor to be kept relatively low.

 

[Mursilis]

You're missing the point entirely.

Whether a particular revolt is explicitly successful or not, it is in everyone's long-term interests for the gap between the rich and the poor to be kept relatively low.

Quoting J.M. Keyes, "But this long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead."

No one cares about the long term, and certainly not the 'haves'.

 

[IronWing]

Just a point here: it has always been easy-peasy to fall into poverty. It takes no special effort or talent.