General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do Americans Know What a Massive Ripoff American Life Really Is? [View all]NQAS
(10,749 posts)Or are you earning over $100,000?
If you havent read it, take the time to do so.
If youre earning over $100,000, great. Many of your fellow citizens are not. And theyre suffering.
Everything in the article is true.
Broadband.
Cable bill or streaming subscriptions.
Credit card interest rates. Hell, the USG charges 18% on installment plans.
Good prices dont go down. And most financially challenged people buy highly processed or mass produced food products, most hardly deserving to be called food.
Gas prices mostly obscene.
Health care costs astronomical and so opaque thst you never know what youre paying for snd dont have the knowledge or energy to argue with the insurance company or provider.
Education. Should college education be so expensive? Does it make sense to leave college or further professional schooling with 6-figure debt?
$15 per hour. That cones to $31,200 per year. The article focuses on a salary of $35,000 per year, and thats not liveable. BTW, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Thats $15,000 per year. Do the math
Rental costs? Most large metropolitan areas are out of the range of all but the wealthiest people. Moving out is not necessarily a solution as jobs may mot be available or you add on commuting time and costs.
And there is no respite. Many people make decisions between food and medicine. Between renting or couch surfing or moving in with parents or renting with friends.
Social safety net vs big business. Think about what it says about a country - ours - where the decisions always - repeat, always - favor the latter.
And if you think this is drivel, thats terrifying. No empathy. No awareness of the daily realities of probably half the American population. No awareness of life in other rich countries. And resorting to love it or leave it is fantastically offensive.