re: Walmart

Quoting Tarynosaurus Rex:" For me growing up in poverty I just can't see how someone who makes like 100k/yr is unable to survive. ... [snip!] ... would have been considered wealthy to me. Unless you live in like California or somewhere where the cost of living is insane."

Yeah, when I say decent, we make about 50k a year.... which is not horrible, but it's not great. But yeah. if you cant make it on 100k, you're living outside of your means!

Quoting Man. Bear. Pig.:" Yeah, when I say decent, we make about 50k a year.... which is not horrible, but it's not great. But yeah. if you cant make it on 100k, you're living outside of your means!"

Even 50k is a lot to me, but I can see how a family might be just making it on that. I can't see how a single person would be living paycheck to paycheck on 50k though.

Quoting Tarynosaurus Rex:" Even 50k is a lot to me, but I can see how a family might be just making it on that. I can't see how a single person would be living paycheck to paycheck on 50k though."

I have a guy friend who makes about that and he's always jetting off and taking vacations, etc. ha ha.

With 2 kids, cars, mortgage, utilities, food, insurance, phones, credit cards, etc... plus MY education.. it adds up quickly. :/ Not saying we're ALWAYS super smart with our money, but we try!

Quoting Man. Bear. Pig.:" I have a guy friend who makes about that and he's always jetting off and taking vacations, etc. ha ... [snip!] ... credit cards, etc... plus MY education.. it adds up quickly. :/ Not saying we're ALWAYS super smart with our money, but we try!"

Yeah I grew up with a single mother and 3 sisters. She pulled in about $10k-$12k a year. We were always poor. Like I couldn't even ask my mom for $5 for school field trips. It literally was too much for her to spare.

Quoting Tarynosaurus Rex:" Yeah I grew up with a single mother and 3 sisters. She pulled in about $10k-$12k a year. We were always ... [snip!] ... We were always poor. Like I couldn't even ask my mom for $5 for school field trips. It literally was too much for her to spare."

  I'm sorry you grew up that way. No one should have to

Quoting Man. Bear. Pig.:"   I'm sorry you grew up that way. No one should have to"

It's a big reason why I hate when people bitch about people on welfare. Most of them are just trying to survive.

Quoting Tarynosaurus Rex:" It's a big reason why I hate when people bitch about people on welfare. Most of them are just trying to survive. "

I have always been anti-welfare... until lately. My political views have changed, and I'm way more socially liberal. I believe that it's a necessity (although it sucks that people have to be in poverty to begin with).. BUT.... welfare needs a huge overhaul. I know there are people who genuinely need it. I have a friend who has been on for years, never worked a day in her life and keeps popping out kids. She is not doing it to cheat the system or anything... she's just really lazy. She finds sitters when she wants to go out, but never when she needs to work (I've known this girl for 17 years, so I know she's capable... just lazy).

It's reasons like that welfare recipients get a bad rap. Some people just need it to transition or to get back on their feet. Hell, when I was 17, I got on for about 4 months until I got my smurf together, and got off. That's what it's there for... to help people.

Quoting Man. Bear. Pig.:" I have always been anti-welfare... until lately. My political views have changed, and I'm way more ... [snip!] ... I was 17, I got on for about 4 months until I got my smurf together, and got off. That's what it's there for... to help people."

I agree that there are people who abuse it, but there really aren't many good solutions to the problem that don't hurt people who truly need assistance. Like drug testing for assistance? Dear god that is the dumbest thing and is extremely discriminatory. Poor people are much more likely to have drug problems...doesn't mean their families deserve to starve. If you're just getting food stamps the only way you can get drugs out of that is to sell them, which yes people do but you can't go and get cash off your food stamp card. That and they tried that in Florida and they actually spent wayyyy more money on drug testing than they would have spent in assistance had they not given a smurf.
The thing that REALLY does anger me though is that so many people who truly do need it are not qualified for it. My little sister was a high school dropout living with her bf who was a lazy sack of smurf, they both didn't work at all until my sister got a job and was solely supporting the little smurfstain by herself. They EACH got $200/month in food stamps! Meanwhile I was a college student living on my own, paying all my own bills but I didn't qualify BECAUSE I was a student and my job was online as an independent contractor, therefore it didn't count as a "real" job. And another case...my sister's (now ex) bf was a twin and when they went to go reapply I drove them and we found out their next door neighbor was using his and his brother's ss numbers to get more assistance when they had never even lived with her.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Man. Bear. Pig.:</b>" I have always been anti-welfare... until lately. My political views have changed, and I'm way more ... [snip!] ... I was 17, I got on for about 4 months until I got my smurf together, and got off. That's what it's there for... to help people."</blockquote>




Our system is really screwed up.
I rent properties to poor people and the entire area I own the properties in is poor/depressed. I see people who deserve help and I see people who do NOT deserve one dollar more. It's an eye-opener to see how things work to help and to hurt. Some people REALLY need some "tough love" from the government. There isn't an easy solution.