Wealthiest Americans say the poor have it easy

[happyslug]

36. Attachment of Wages for Students loans are subject to two FEDERAL restrictions

Firs, the Federal law restricts ANY attachment of wages (Except Child Support) to no more then 25% of your total Income. In your case this is the MINOR rule for it restricts any attachment to $200 a month on income of $800 a month.

The Second FEDERAL rule on wage attachment is you MUST be left with 30 times the Federal minimum wage on a weekly bases. Federal Minimum Wage is $7.15 a hour. $214.50 a week or $858.00 a month. Now the $858 per month can be reduced by any taxes due, including Income Taxes, Social Security Tax, wage tax, AND Union Dues AND Child Support payments (Through MOST states exempt anyone earning less then $800 a month from Child Support, thus rarely imposed on people earning less then $800 a month if that is all you can earn). Student loans are NOT among the list or exceptions thus any wage attachment must leave you at least $858 a month, less taxes and union dues. Furthermore Child Support Payments are superior claims to any other debt in many states.

If your income is less then $858 a month, tell the creditor to go pound salt, tell them your income is less then what is attachable by FEDERAL LAW.

One way to look at who is poor is to look at the US Poverty level for one person which is $11,650 a year or $970.33 a month.

https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/federal-poverty-level-FPL/

Another gauge is the "Standard of Need" which is what Congress determined a person needs to receive to survive. This was calculated in 1967 and Inflation indexed. In 2015 it is $733, which is what the Federal Government pays Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to those people who can NOT work do to disabilities.

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSI.html

Remember the $733 is what a person can get on SSI. Since 1967 the Federal Government has said it will pay 50% of whatever a state pays its welfare recipients up to that Standard of Need. While all State's Welfare payments are subject to that 50% copayment by the Federal Government, but NO State has even taken those payments up to the Standard of Need Maximum. In my home County the Welfare payment is $174 a month (the Federal Government pays $87.50 of that).

A third way to look at "poverty" is US Housing law, and its definitions of "Low Income", "Low Low Income" now call "Very Low&quot and "Low, Low Low, Income" (Extremely low Income). These terms came out of the reform of Federal Public Housing in 1974. Prior to 1974 it was IMPOSSIBLE for a person on Welfare to get into most Public Housing in the US. Public Housing Agencies demand that people had a steady income and employment, thus cutting out people on Welfare. To counter this Congress invented the Terms "Low Low Income" and "Low, Low, Low income" and required Public Housing Agencies to prioritize these lower income people.

Here is a National Data Base on what is now called "Very Low" and "Extremely Low" income:

http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il/il14/index_il2014.html

For Example in Bangor Maine 80% of Low Income is $35,150, VERY LOW is $21,950 and Extremely Low ia $13,200.

Just pointing out there is not just one way to look at poverty.