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 jester121Premium
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL | reply to wierdo
Re: . When food and rent are subsidized by others, $12 is obviously enough to get by on, and even thrive. The "poor" today in America are better off than anywhere else in the world at any time. | | |
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wierdo
join:2001-02-16
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
 ·Cox HSI
 ·T-Mobile US
1 edit | said by jester121:When food and rent are subsidized by others, $12 is obviously enough to get by on, and even thrive. The "poor" today in America are better off than anywhere else in the world at any time. Even subsidized housing isn't that cheap, and you're not thinking of the two children. Children are expensive, in many more ways than just food. Can one "get by?" Sure. Can one afford things like health care? No.
$12 an hour today is like making $9 an hour in 1998. I would not say that any of the people I know who were making $9 an hour in 1998 were more than just scraping by.
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It's wierdo, not weirdo. Yes, I know that's not the 'proper' spelling of the similar english language word.  | |
 pogPremium
join:2004-06-03
Kihei, HI
 ·Hawaiian Telcom
| I'm sure it varies around the country but it's too hard to sum up the "user experience" into one neat little package. Too many holes where certain classes of people are left out... as well as a LOT (I mean a LOT!) of benefits that overlap or do not take anything else into account.
Here in Hawaii, we have QUEST that provides gov sponsored health coverage to those that meet income/asset limits. Comparable dependent coverage is between $150-$600 depending on one's employer, number of dependents and the employer's available plan.
HUD provides housing vouchers based on family size charging no more than 1/3 of ones income for rent but approving suitable housing based on family size. A single mom with children of both sexes is likely to get approved for a 3 or more bedroom house... going rate for that is easily $1400 and up (and up). If mom pulls in $900 a month, she's charged $300.
Certain welfare programs also provide vehicle insurance, bus passes, food stamps, free after school programs, baby sitting, day care, school tuition, free school lunches, local utility bill relief, medical co-payments reduced or eliminated, etc.
The point is that if all these benefits are added up, many recipients would need to earn $60k-$75k+ in gross wages to actually pay everything for themselves.
The people who get left out are usually homeless (mental illness, drug abuse) or are those who try to get off the system one step at a time only to find that their benefits dry up with just a tiny increase in income. I literally have had employees refuse extra work just because it would jeopardize their benefits.
I don't have a problem with the fact that these services are available for people in need... I would just like a more cohesive accounting system AND some realistic goals/understandings in terms of self-sufficiency.
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wierdo
join:2001-02-16
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
·Cox HSI
·T-Mobile US
| Wow, they got some programs there in Hawaii. The best we can do is Medicaid for the young and destitute, a few subsidized apartment complexes, and food stamps. Oh, and they have free lunch at school and occasional "free clinic" days at the health department.
BTW, "disconnected," you're quite wrong in your central thesis. Man has always lived in somewhat collective societies. Loners are idolized, but practically nonexistent throughout history. We have been tribal since we left the trees.
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It's wierdo, not weirdo. Yes, I know that's not the 'proper' spelling of the similar english language word. | |
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