General Discussion

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)

76. People should put money away. But you would not make it very far on what you have.

Sat Dec 27, 2014, 02:36 PM

Dec 2014

Think about the cost of dental care. It is probably cheaper in Kansas, but here in California, a root canal and all the associated work will cost you thousands. If you have an accident, you are in deep trouble because your insurance co-pays for a hospital stay will break your bank in no time.

You are not doing nearly as well as you think.

Cancer -- end up on Medicaid. You spend down all your cash just to qualify, and then you have a lien on your house and property. They may be yours but borrowing against them will be out of the question.

Americans have no idea what it means to have a real safety net.

Sorry to worry you like this. But I've seen a lot.

If you are lucky, you will be OK, but . . . . . . . . . life tends to surprise and humiliate us.

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In the U.S. 49.7 Million Are Now Poor, and 80% of the Total Population Is Near Poverty [View all] TalkingDog Dec 2014 OP

Puts the 1% right where we want them, doesn't it? Demeter Dec 2014 #1

we're all supposed to look a the SHINY numbers, TalkingDog Skittles Dec 2014 #2

I thought it was a squirrel? Cryptoad Dec 2014 #15

disturbing Ramses Dec 2014 #3

That is because . . . Brigid Dec 2014 #5

indeed, true Ramses Dec 2014 #6

Besides, this country is AWESOME! maddiemom Dec 2014 #53

heh.. yuiyoshida Dec 2014 #55

It's not ignored at all. It's cultivated to help the wealthy stay healthy. For now. n/t jtuck004 Dec 2014 #50

a dishonest headline hfojvt Dec 2014 #4

Thank you. There's a big difference between sometime poor and chronic poor. nolabear Dec 2014 #7

The same tactic is used for hunger stats too. 7962 Dec 2014 #22

The romneys were never poor. NewDeal_Dem Dec 2014 #24

"near poor" hfojvt Dec 2014 #33

They were never near poor either. Mitt's dad was Chairman of American Motors, Gov. of NewDeal_Dem Dec 2014 #45

I think you found the "blind spot" in their article. Major Hogwash Dec 2014 #26

Maybe... there are an awful lot of people 2 paychecks away from homeless... SomethingFishy Dec 2014 #51

and yet hfojvt Dec 2014 #52

Well I'm supporting 6 people, including 3 children SomethingFishy Dec 2014 #54

Your nineteenth-century ancestors . . . Brigid Dec 2014 #59

Hugs to you, honey! closeupready Dec 2014 #77

living was an analogy hfojvt Dec 2014 #78

If you are earning $13,000 per year and living on your own, not with some family JDPriestly Dec 2014 #58

sure the numbers add up hfojvt Dec 2014 #73

People should put money away. But you would not make it very far on what you have. JDPriestly Dec 2014 #76

I don't worry about what ifs hfojvt Dec 2014 #80

But then it isn't as sexy for the outrage addicts. Throd Dec 2014 #57

There would be no poor to speak of project_bluebook Dec 2014 #60

It's because they are lazy! Dustlawyer Dec 2014 #8

Just click on "smilies." Brigid Dec 2014 #10

if you need to know how to do it manually, it's like this. Ken Burch Dec 2014 #14

They are all politically ineffective, too. nt daredtowork Dec 2014 #9

I guess littlemissmartypants Dec 2014 #11

As Shelley once noted, poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #16

That sort of shines a spotlight on the "American Dream." NaturalHigh Dec 2014 #12

Yet our party refuses to mention the poor and poverty- Ken Burch Dec 2014 #13

"Our Party" ??? StevePaulson Dec 2014 #18

To be fair to the Democrats unrepentant progress Dec 2014 #37

"Our party" and the fascists both represent the interests of the bourgeoisie, who KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #20

Your point is well made... blackspade Dec 2014 #32

Well, the way I learned it, the bourgeoisie do not have to sell their KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #41

bourgeois exploiter.... blackspade Dec 2014 #44

Actually, bourgeois probably comes from the word "burg" which means town in German. JDPriestly Dec 2014 #61

With all due respect and thanks for your efforts, I'm not sure the need for a KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #63

If you read the article from which I quoted, the middle class, the bourgeosie was made up of JDPriestly Dec 2014 #64

Don't get me wrong. As a historical artifact, the bourgeoisie was a highly liberating element KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #65

Some definitions... vive la commune Dec 2014 #69

Just about all our problems can be,,, Cryptoad Dec 2014 #17

"The comfort of the rich relies on an abundance of the poor." Voltaire Tierra_y_Libertad Dec 2014 #19

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime." Balzac KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #21

�Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited Tierra_y_Libertad Dec 2014 #23

"All private property is theft." Proudhon. I'm going to stick with the French, who got there KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #25

OK. "Apr�s moi, le d�luge" Louis XVI Tierra_y_Libertad Dec 2014 #28

LOL. Enchante. A bientot - nt KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #29

I can say from the experience of the last few years, "near poverty" is very different from poverty bhikkhu Dec 2014 #27

I grew up vacillating between poor and near poor and your post definitely rang KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #30

I had a similair experience growing up. blackspade Dec 2014 #34

I think some of my residual anger issues derive from late childhood and KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #36

I hear ya. blackspade Dec 2014 #42

I'm the same way... vive la commune Dec 2014 #70

Definitely harder on the kids bhikkhu Dec 2014 #39

+1000 blackspade Dec 2014 #43

Don't blame yourself for what capitalism has caused and continues to cause. As for KingCharlemagne Dec 2014 #47

+++ thousands to your title line bread_and_roses Dec 2014 #48

Your post evoked memories I'd thought I left far behind Android3.14 Dec 2014 #49

Totally agree. I could have written yr post myself. truedelphi Dec 2014 #62

Revolution billhicks76 Dec 2014 #31

Wiat a minute. Gary 50 Dec 2014 #35

An ever deepening rift in everyday reality. From those who live in the real world. raouldukelives Dec 2014 #38

with help from our lovely democratic and republican politicians, mission accomplished nt msongs Dec 2014 #40

And the Koch Bros. are nearing the $100 billion mark. Initech Dec 2014 #46

And people on here finger wag at poor people for not having a diverse portfolio Skeeter Barnes Dec 2014 #56

Again with this? KentuckyWoman Dec 2014 #66

I shudder to think what these numbers were pre-Obama, six years ago. maced666 Dec 2014 #67

We must fight each other for the scraps UglyGreed Dec 2014 #68

But don't worry.... sendero Dec 2014 #71

Where are the guillotines? Odin2005 Dec 2014 #72

We can do better under Hillary. I am sure we can make 95% under her Katashi_itto Dec 2014 #74

If we use her definition of "broke", I guess we'll all be millionaires! MrMickeysMom Dec 2014 #75

so when will this get to be common knowledge outside the US? greymattermom Dec 2014 #79