what would you do if you woke up poor tomorrow?

[angrycarpenter]

For many people who are on the bottom of Americas' economic ladder poverty was inherited from their parents. Terrible as that is they learned ways of surviving with little or no money. With the economic future looking bleak, millions may find themselves facing poverty without the survival skills needed to live on less. If you lost everything tomorrow and had no one to turn to, would you be able to survive with progressive ideals intact? If you had to work two physically demanding,low paying jobs to keep food on the table would you care as much about politics? For those of you already there you know what I mean. Most nights righteous outrage takes A backseat to an aching back.

[TheFarseer]

1. join the military

I realize that isn't an option for everyone.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Would be just another working day for me . . .

[rurallib]

3. With the way the stock market is going, this may be a reality

for some of us soon.

[Deja Q]

4. Join pro sports.

They seem to get away with everything. And if they accept degenerates, they should accept decent people too.

:shrug:

[Drunken Irishman]

5. I am poor. haha

But that's because I'm a poor college student.

[Speck Tater]

6. I'd say, "Well, today is just like yesterday." Nothing would change.

I live a life of voluntary simplicity. I'm happy and fulfilled, and definitely what most people would call "poor."

[Naturyl]

27. Then you're rich in spirit.

Not that today's so-called "Christians" have been paying attention, but "many who are last shall be first."

Congratulations. :)

[Bluzmann57]

7. Exactaly what I did before

I would get a job. I have been jobless and flat broke before and survived. I'd prefer not to do it again, but I know damn well I could. I would even take one of those jobs "Americans won't do" if I had to. And I had to in the past.

[bobbolink]

15. How...... progressive...

:eyes:

So, you're 85, health problems that make it impossible to function all day...

Where is this magic job????

Can you tell me how you sound different from a fundie???

[pecwae]

28. Here as well.

I've stripped tobacco in years past, cleaned toilets, cut grass, cared for invalids. I'm now limited due to health and age, but there are still things I could and would have to do if it came down to survival.

[NMMNG]

8. I've worked multiple jobs or substantial overtime my entire adult life

I've never once been anything but a solid Liberal, and never considered voting anything but Dem. Somehow the struggle seems to make the outrage stronger.

[TomInTib]

9. I would find a woman with money.

Not being flippant, but it's worked before.

I still have my looks and sense of humor.

[DarkTirade]

13. Any ideas where to look? :)

[undeterred]

14. its funny that as a woman I would never say that I would find a man

to "take care of" me... when times are hard I feel much too vulnerable to be involved with anyone

[razors edge]

10. Get a job.

Then look for a better one.

Been there, done that. Seven months living in a tent at best, the a rotted house trailer, then an apartment, etc.

Food on the table? Once a day, after work, I went to Wendy's Super Bar to go, loaded up the lid (upside down, it was three times as deep as the plate)fed myself, my wife, and our lab. One meal a day, the same one for months, day in and day out.

Politics is for rich people to worry about when you find yourself in survival mode.

[sarcasmo]

32. I miss the Wendy's buffet. No jobs to get here in Michigan.

[Citizen Number 9]

33. That's not at all factual

Even though the state unemployment rate is approaching 10%, there are still nine out of ten people working.

http://www.mlive.com/jobs/

I just made the effort to check, and there are jobs. People are getting jobs every day.

[angrycarpenter]

11. just like I expected

for the most part only people who have been there had any interest in replying to my post. I was not being critical of the working poor. I was asking those who had never experienced A fall to comment on their thoughts if any about what they would do in the event of economic ruin.

[razors edge]

12. They have never had to deal with it.

Any answer would be unfounded and at best a guess.

Sorry if reality interrupted your daydream.

Edit: we'll be here all week, don't forget to tip the server.

[slampoet]

37. I know what you mean. I try to tell myself that DU'ers are wealthy enough to afford a computer.....

....and re-assure myself that the members of DU are not representative of the Democratic party but it gets hard sometimes when people don't even realize little things like not having voice mail makes you UNEMPLOYABLE. Like you can't take a bicycle to work if your workplace doesn't have a shower.

I get really tired of people lecturing me about what i should do when they have NEVER had to survive on Ramen Noodles for a whole four months.

Hell, I be not even a single DU'er know what Prison Popcorn is.

[zonmoy]

16. since I both work and am on disability benefits it would just be a normal

day for me.

[mntleo2]

17. Aching Back AND Riteous Outrage

...forced me to take an interest in politics because I realized they were the ones pulling all the strings. If I could afford it I would run for office for city council I think...

Cat In Seattle

[kineneb]

18. been there, did that, went through Ch. 7

now living life of involuntary simplicity, dictated by Hubby's SSDI income and his need for medical care. We were once almost middle-class. Now our choice is healthcare or income. The programs for the chronically ill force one to become poor to receive care. Once all the assets are gone, there is no return.

Yes, I am pissed off. How could you tell?

The only good part in all of this is my upbringing by my grandparents, who survived the Depression. They taught me how to make things for myself- clothing, crafts, canning, etc. and not to waste resources. I don't throw out scrap lumber or left-overs from projects; sometimes I even scrounge other folk's stuff. Waste not, want not.

[barb162]

19. If you work 2 jobs (16 hrs) and sleep for the third portion of the day

how do you have any time left for politics or anything else? I'd say you'd be so exhausted, you'd be sitting in a semi-stupor on your day off. I think you wouldn't be concerned about ideals but rather survival.

[Kare]

30. You schedule things appropriately

You work one full time job, you get two days off (presumably) from that job. You just make sure that your OTHER full time job has different days off. So in reality (if you are lucky) you work three 16 hr days and four 8 hr days. That leaves days when you will only be partially exhausted not fully and can rant on DU.

That all sounds well and good but I think the major problem these days would be finding the two full time jobs period, let alone what days off you could get. One full time job in some places is difficult to find.

[spelman88]

20. It's All About Your Perception

In India Arie's song titled "There's Hope",are these lines of priceless wisdom...."It's doesn't cost a thing to smile, you don't have to pay to laugh." Then, when you win the lottery, smiling and laughing will just be part of your being! Bless others with your smile today.

[Nikia]

21. I might accept my grandmother's open invitation

To all her children and grandchildren that if they ever find themselves in a poor situation financially or domestically that they are more than welcome to live with her free of charge.
I would never choose to live with my parents or husband's parents though unless I saw no other way at all.
My parents grew up middle class. When my poor parents divorced, I, being a little child, witnessed both of them run out of gas at the bank drive thru while they were waiting to cash their checks. When I told this to a friend of mine who grew up poor, he said that was a very middle class down on their luck thing for them to do.

[AZBlue]

22. Actually, as my income has decreased, my interest in politics has increased.

I get the connection.

But, I don't have as much time anymore to volunteer and get as involved that way.

[cutlassmama]

23. I already am

[Midlodemocrat]

24. Do everything I had to do to feed my children.

Sell everything I own, work another job, or even three, and I'm not in the best of health by any means.

Probably the first thing to go would be the internet connection.

[grasswire]

25. Remember what Scarlett O'Hara said?

"I'll do anything to never be hungry again. I'll lie, cheat, steal, and kill to never be hungry."

That's harsh.

[Naturyl]

26. Same thing I did when I woke up poor today.

Get on the internet and advocate for progress. It ain't much, but it's something. And when you're poor, there isn't much else to do anyway.

[Citizen Number 9]

31. Are you jobless?

(scratches head)

[Kare]

29. Can't even afford bankruptcy

We looked into it. Too much money that we don't have. And it is damn near impossible to save even a few cents. I am looking forward to the time of year (I think it is nearly here) when the electric company can't turn our power off so that we will have a few extra dollars.

The only 'good' thing that has happened lately is when we had to make an agreement with our mortgage company to help us out. We got two months off our mortgage by signing a new 40 yr mortgage that took us right back to where we were as if the last year of payments hadn't happened and only lowered our payment by not quite $100 a month.

Not having to pay the mortgage last month I was able to pay off last years last delivery of propane. Since we don't have to pay in December either it looks like my kids will have some kind of Christmas and we might even be warm since I can hopefully con the propane company into bringing more if I promise to make payments. Since soon we won't have to pay the electric bill at least not in full then I think I can manage to pay for the propane so that we don't run out.

When we bought our house my husband was making 100K a year. Most we had ever made. We didn't get outlandish our house cost 200k. Perfectly reasonable when one working adult makes 100k a year. Now he makes 48k, I beg for hours and can't get them and barely make 6k a year. To say that we are struggling is an understatement.

I understand that there are people who are much worse off and have even worse decisions to make. Like where to live if the house is foreclosed. Or how to find the money for the next meal. My only contingency plan is to beg shelter from one of our parents. At least then we would be back in the city and able to both work two jobs and have a babysitter nearby and be able to save some money and get our own place again. Not many jobs out where we live (damn us for trying to fulfill some silly dream of mine to have a house in the country).

It's wonderful times that we live in that find a lot of us making less than we did a few years ago and paying more for less at the store. There might be a silver lining coming in the clouds but it is too dark to tell right now. I hope for all of our sakes that things get better soon instead of getting any worse. I don't know how it could get much worse and be able to survive things.

There will come a day again sometime when I am not afraid to answer my phone for fear of creditors asking for money that I don't have.

[sandsavage]

34. I know you were not

being critical of the working poor. You are asking people to think of the unthinkable.
It is like asking a child to confront that monster in the closet, alone in the middle
of the night.It is safer to stay in bed under the covers and pretend it will go away.
People are frightened,because as you said they have never learned survival skills.They
really don't know what that means. When your family needs food and shelter with no help
in sight. It is only you they are looking at for their needs. I doubt you will be able
to survive with progressive ideals intact. The survival mode of thinking is way different
then anyone can imagine.
Katrina is a good example of this.
Anger plays a big part in survival. Sad but true,righteous outrage says it all.
Anyone that has had this happen fears for those it may happen to.

[bobbolink]

35. Are the only good poor people the "working poor"??

Why does everyone add that qualifier now?

Do you know how that feels to elderly and disabled poor folk?

[108blessings]

36. Another way to look at this, though...

Poverty didn't always mean some of the social ills with which we associate it. In the past, some parents may have been illiterate, but they encouraged their children to grab all the education they could get. They may have been lacking money, but they stressed morals over materialism. In other words, stealing or other shady means of obtaining things was frowned upon. Compare that attitude to parents who use their kids as tools to shoplift.