The Leisure Class: Working poor have more free time

[Jhhnn]

Let's examine this a little more carefully-

55 percent of the households in the lowest fifth of the income spectrum today have no paid workers at all.

Which could mean a lot of things, but I suspect it means that 55% are between jobs... not only do they get stuck with part-time work, but it's not even steady work...

And it doesn't speak well of the accuracy of unemployment statistics. Either 11% of families suffer from unemployment, or the unemployment rate is the advertised 4.5%, not both at the same time...

As for the rest, it seems obvious that most of us owe our station in life to the result of accident of birth as well as individual effort. Claims to the contrary are merely a propaganda construct of the divide and conquer variety, obviously quite successful among those who crave self-aggrandizement.

 

[imported_Shivetya]

call a spade a spade.

A lot of people are poor because of the choices they make, their lack of ambition, and their lack of integrity to do the work paid for.

I know a few shining examples of this, people who came from well off families and yet are deadbeats. Doing dead end jobs and moaning on net forums about how its not fair people have more stuff than they do. They have enough money for their cell phones, rent videos, DSL, and such but never enough to improve themselves.


Yeah, whatever.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Shivetya
call a spade a spade.

A lot of people are poor because of the choices they make, their lack of ambition, and their lack of integrity to do the work paid for.

I know a few shining examples of this, people who came from well off families and yet are deadbeats. Doing dead end jobs and moaning on net forums about how its not fair people have more stuff than they do. They have enough money for their cell phones, rent videos, DSL, and such but never enough to improve themselves.

Yeah, whatever.

Awwwwwwwww Jealous much :laugh:

 

[imported_Shivetya]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: Shivetya
call a spade a spade.

A lot of people are poor because of the choices they make, their lack of ambition, and their lack of integrity to do the work paid for.

I know a few shining examples of this, people who came from well off families and yet are deadbeats. Doing dead end jobs and moaning on net forums about how its not fair people have more stuff than they do. They have enough money for their cell phones, rent videos, DSL, and such but never enough to improve themselves.

Yeah, whatever.

Awwwwwwwww Jealous much :laugh:

Ever learned to read? Let me guess, you fall into the category I describe?

 

[Dissipate]

Originally posted by: cwjerome
Higher income people are routinely derided by politicians, journalists, and snooty leftists in general as lucky (maybe even shady) citizens who have typically achieved their wealth through finagling on Wall Street, inheritance, or elsewhere. Look at Gephardt?s recent reference to individuals who earn good incomes as "winners in the lottery of life"... just one recent example of this mindset. It seems the basic message is that such people should be grateful the government allows them to keep some of their money.

A lot of higher income people do have inflated incomes due to protections from competition in the market.

Professional licensing is probably the best example of this. Doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, accountants, just to name a few enjoy protection from competition due to artificial barriers of entry into the job market imposed by the government.

I think that most wealthy people want to have it all. They want to end all the welfare to the poor and still enjoy the benefits of the protections from competition and other political means to inflate their wages at the expense of everyone else. So in a lot of ways there is indeed welfare for the rich in this country and there has been for a long time.

The average business or corporation is not interested in having a true free market economy, they want to get as many favors and protections carved out for themselves.

Welfare should be ended for the poor and the rich. But you don't really hear about the other half of the welfare state which is big corporations and the professional class.

 

[magomago]

While I really don't even see how the article draws the conclusion that the OP says it does...three is one thing I've noticed: those who are richer generally work almost NONSTOP. I've seen people start fresh out of college doing I banking or something making 6+ figures but these people are working 60 hours a week minimum!
I don't know about the pattern of "poor don't work that much, rich works a lot" ~ but a lot of wealthy people I've met are tied to their jobs in terms of the number of hours they put (in that same regard I've seen a mix of poor who always work, and poor who sit in front of the TV drinking)

 

[1EZduzit]

I'd have to guess that for the most part the poor people have more free time on there hands. I guess they could get another $5.50/hr job so the rich people don't get so jealous of them?

LOL, this reminds of the old "joke":

"Avoid dissapointment late in life, fail young".