Reply #1: Good article. [View All]

[raccoon]

… 5.4 million working class families fell below the poverty level of $19,000 for a family of four in the last four years. That standard hasn’t been adjusted in so long that it is estimated to be only half of what is needed to meet basic needs.

This standard for poverty is so ridiculously low. I don’t see how four people could even SCRAPE BY, even in a relatively low-cost area. Unless they were living in a house that belonged to a family member or something similar.

After middle class citizens fall from grace they will discover the feeling a lot of poor people already have: the boot on the neck that keeps you down. It costs a lot of money to be poor. Paying to get your check cashed or your bills paid, buying in small quantities at higher prices, living in drafty houses, having a beater car if you have one at all, getting stopped and fined by the cops more often… The poor pay more for just about everything.

Yes, and having a “beater car” costs you more money too. The car breaks down on the interstate when you’re going to visit a relative 100 miles away. You have to get it towed to the nearest garage, wherever that is. You have to pay for getting it fixed. You missed a day or so of work because of this, and since you only get paid for hours actually worked (no leave time), that comes out of your pocket. And so on…

Once down most people stay there. The American myth of lifting one’s own bootstraps is a lie….Class mobility is another myth.

UPWARD class mobility is a myth. DOWNWARD class mobility is doing quite well, thank you.