What it means to be poor in America (video)

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goldfish21
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06 Apr 2020, 6:10 pm

Office furniture > working poor.

https://www.facebook.com/watchparty/218605439281541/

Some of the same s**t here, but it seems a fair bit worse in the USA - especially considering the total number of people involved. It’s staggering, considering it’s the richest country on Earth.

Videos like this should go so viral that lawmakers are embarrassed into amending laws, rules, regulations etc until people actually have an opportunity to earn a decent living, provide for their families, and break multigenerational cycles of poverty.


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Meistersinger
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06 Apr 2020, 6:20 pm

^

Never going to happen. Both parties are corrupt beyond belief. As the saying goes: money talks, and bullsh!t walks!



EzraS
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06 Apr 2020, 6:21 pm

And it is going to get exponentially worse due to the lockdowns leaving so many millions jobless and penniless.



goldfish21
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06 Apr 2020, 6:37 pm

EzraS wrote:
And it is going to get exponentially worse due to the lockdowns leaving so many millions jobless and penniless.


But why does it have to?

Richest country on Earth with an abundance of shelter and food = all of the resources required for citizens to shelter in place and wait this thing out for a few months.

Even if the Billionaire oligarchs that run your country refuse to redistribute any of their personal wealth to care for American citizens, what about your government/people’s tax dollars?

USA federal budget for 2020 = $4.7 Trillion. Surely there’s enough spare change in that budget to feed citizens during a global pandemic.

I don’t buy for one second that there’s only $1200 available per citizen out of a stimulus bill that amounts to $18,000.00 per citizen.

At what point do Americans say “enough is enough, people > corporate welfare,” and demand better of the government that is supposed to represent them? Is this that tipping point Right Now?


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EzraS
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06 Apr 2020, 7:30 pm

Why ask me when you consider my opinions to be worthless?



Sylkat
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06 Apr 2020, 8:11 pm

For one thing, that humanitarian Pelosi re-directed 5 or 6 million from that bill for her pet projects.
Two million dollars will now go to the Kennedy Center instead of feeding people.
THAT is why needy, desperate Americans are receiving $1200.


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Misslizard
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06 Apr 2020, 8:53 pm

Our poverty level is the same as yours.1 in 7.

http://www.cwp-csp.ca/poverty/just-the-facts/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-1-i ... n-poverty/


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Magna
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06 Apr 2020, 9:04 pm

goldfish21 wrote:
EzraS wrote:
And it is going to get exponentially worse due to the lockdowns leaving so many millions jobless and penniless.


But why does it have to?

Richest country on Earth with an abundance of shelter and food = all of the resources required for citizens to shelter in place and wait this thing out for a few months.

Even if the Billionaire oligarchs that run your country refuse to redistribute any of their personal wealth to care for American citizens, what about your government/people’s tax dollars?

USA federal budget for 2020 = $4.7 Trillion. Surely there’s enough spare change in that budget to feed citizens during a global pandemic.

I don’t buy for one second that there’s only $1200 available per citizen out of a stimulus bill that amounts to $18,000.00 per citizen.

At what point do Americans say “enough is enough, people > corporate welfare,” and demand better of the government that is supposed to represent them? Is this that tipping point Right Now?


Qatar is the richest country on earth. The U.S. isn't even in the top 10.



goldfish21
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07 Apr 2020, 8:37 am

Sylkat wrote:
For one thing, that humanitarian Pelosi re-directed 5 or 6 million from that bill for her pet projects.
Two million dollars will now go to the Kennedy Center instead of feeding people.
THAT is why needy, desperate Americans are receiving $1200.


$5-6M out of $2 Trillion is not the reason needy Americans are only getting $1200. Corporate welfare, the bulk of the bill, is.


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kraftiekortie
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07 Apr 2020, 8:39 am

In order for our economy to recover, we must have some corporate bailouts.



goldfish21
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07 Apr 2020, 8:42 am

Misslizard wrote:


I wonder if they’re defined the same way.

I know we have poor people here, probably an ever increasing share of Canada’s poor, too, as the price of housing has risen astronomically. Perhaps people are better at concealing poverty a bit better here. And then there are Northern communities with very high rates of poverty that are invisible to anyone living in a Southern city because we literally never see them.

It I do wonder if poverty is defined similarly in both countries as in $x/yr or however they measure it. Is it equal? Or does one country or the other not capture the same struggling population due to different measurements? I dunno.


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goldfish21
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07 Apr 2020, 8:43 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
In order for our economy to recover, we must have some corporate bailouts.


Why? They have Billions of dollars and Billionaire owners. Why are they taxpayers’ problem to pay for?


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goldfish21
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07 Apr 2020, 8:44 am

Magna wrote:
goldfish21 wrote:
EzraS wrote:
And it is going to get exponentially worse due to the lockdowns leaving so many millions jobless and penniless.


But why does it have to?

Richest country on Earth with an abundance of shelter and food = all of the resources required for citizens to shelter in place and wait this thing out for a few months.

Even if the Billionaire oligarchs that run your country refuse to redistribute any of their personal wealth to care for American citizens, what about your government/people’s tax dollars?

USA federal budget for 2020 = $4.7 Trillion. Surely there’s enough spare change in that budget to feed citizens during a global pandemic.

I don’t buy for one second that there’s only $1200 available per citizen out of a stimulus bill that amounts to $18,000.00 per citizen.

At what point do Americans say “enough is enough, people > corporate welfare,” and demand better of the government that is supposed to represent them? Is this that tipping point Right Now?


Qatar is the richest country on earth. The U.S. isn't even in the top 10.


Oh. Must be something Hollywood movies like to say. :? I just assumed it was true, I guess.

USA is still wealthy. $700B+/yr war budget = you’d think they could afford to throw some corn and rice citizens’ way during a global pandemic.


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kraftiekortie
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07 Apr 2020, 8:47 am

As far as per capita income is concerned, the US is not even in the top 5....though they are within nations with over 20 million in population.



Misslizard
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07 Apr 2020, 9:31 am

goldfish21 wrote:
Misslizard wrote:


I wonder if they’re defined the same way.

I know we have poor people here, probably an ever increasing share of Canada’s poor, too, as the price of housing has risen astronomically. Perhaps people are better at concealing poverty a bit better here. And then there are Northern communities with very high rates of poverty that are invisible to anyone living in a Southern city because we literally never see them.

It I do wonder if poverty is defined similarly in both countries as in $x/yr or however they measure it. Is it equal? Or does one country or the other not capture the same struggling population due to different measurements? I dunno.

I live in one of the poorest states in one of the poorer counties.I’m familiar with rural poverty.
The rural poor have it better than the homeless in big cities.


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goldfish21
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07 Apr 2020, 9:44 am

Interesting.

I’ve been poor. Had a roof over my head and food to eat (well above my pay grade thanks to the charity of friends) but only had an income of $150/month for ~18 months.

I do wonder if Canada’s social support programs are as much of a patchwork mess as they seem in the USA. From this video and forum members posts it seems ridiculously complicated to navigate what you’re allowed to earn and not lose various benefits you and your family depend on for survival.

Like, there are limits here to what one can earn while on welfare or disability before benefits money is clawed back, but I don’t think there are anywhere near as many programs with different rules to navigate. It seems a lot more difficult and complicated to be poor and have to navigate those programs in the USA.


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