Watching WalMart

[scooterbug44]

Yes, one shouldn't generalize, but seriously - if you are driving a car worth more a certain amount (like 50K) you shouldn't be eligible for some things.

You should sell the car or cancel the lease, and get one a fraction of its value so you can buy your own food.

 

[Here4Good]

True. And, if your government has to give your company billions of dollars so that it doesn't go bankrupt, you should probably forego your million dollar bonuses and at least act like you're remotely grateful for the help.

Lots of things don't make sense.

Geo's point is that some of these people are newly (and, they believe, temporarily) dependent on government assistance. If you don't have the $4K in the bank to go buy a good used car (and it wouldn't be real good, for $4K) you certainly can't qualify for a used car loan if you're unemployed. You also can't touch your phone service, or change apartments, because everyone is going to run a credit check if you try to do ANYTHING, and then you're toast.

I saw an interesting news story a couple of months ago about a woman who runs a food bank in southeastern Louisiana - she said that right after the oil spill, she was startled by the change in client?le. The new food bank clients, she said, looked like they were on the way to their kids soccer game. The newly poor still have their nice clothes and nice cars and still look pretty much like they did three months ago when everything was rosy.

I know that some people abuse the system - but why can't we concentrate on eliminating the waste, instead of saying that all of the assistance recipients are deadbeats?

 

[30ashopper]

True. And, if your government has to give your company billions of dollars so that it doesn't go bankrupt, you should probably forego your million dollar bonuses and at least act like you're remotely grateful for the help.

Part of the problem, we shouldn't be giving company's billions of dollars, that sets the standard.

Lots of things don't make sense.

Geo's point is that some of these people are newly (and, they believe, temporarily) dependent on government assistance. If you don't have the $4K in the bank to go buy a good used car (and it wouldn't be real good, for $4K) you certainly can't qualify for a used car loan if you're unemployed. You also can't touch your phone service, or change apartments, because everyone is going to run a credit check if you try to do ANYTHING, and then you're toast.

I saw an interesting news story a couple of months ago about a woman who runs a food bank in southeastern Louisiana - she said that right after the oil spill, she was startled by the change in client?le. The new food bank clients, she said, looked like they were on the way to their kids soccer game. The newly poor still have their nice clothes and nice cars and still look pretty much like they did three months ago when everything was rosy.

I know that some people abuse the system - but why can't we concentrate on eliminating the waste, instead of saying that all of the assistance recipients are deadbeats?

Seems to me to be more of a problem with pride and a lack of long term planning. If you lose your job, you should have savings to fall back on to make the mortgage payment. If you don't, and you lose your house and need to rent, or you lose the car lease because you can't make the payment, and you find yourself facing a move, need to rent, put food on the table, you go get a job so you have employment. The options should include working at McDonalds or Subway, working as a waiter or busboy, working two low end jobs, whatever.

The minimum wage is currently 7.25 an hour, 40 hours a week at that rate is enough to put food on the table and rent a cheap apartment. I lived off less income than that for most of my twenties. It's not that hard. I could do it again if I had to.

 

[GoodWitch58]

True. And, if your government has to give your company billions of dollars so that it doesn't go bankrupt, you should probably forego your million dollar bonuses and at least act like you're remotely grateful for the help.

Lots of things don't make sense.

Geo's point is that some of these people are newly (and, they believe, temporarily) dependent on government assistance. If you don't have the $4K in the bank to go buy a good used car (and it wouldn't be real good, for $4K) you certainly can't qualify for a used car loan if you're unemployed. You also can't touch your phone service, or change apartments, because everyone is going to run a credit check if you try to do ANYTHING, and then you're toast.

I saw an interesting news story a couple of months ago about a woman who runs a food bank in southeastern Louisiana - she said that right after the oil spill, she was startled by the change in client?le. The new food bank clients, she said, looked like they were on the way to their kids soccer game. The newly poor still have their nice clothes and nice cars and still look pretty much like they did three months ago when everything was rosy.

I know that some people abuse the system - but why can't we concentrate on eliminating the waste, instead of saying that all of the assistance recipients are deadbeats?

Good question. I've often wondered the same thing.

 

[scooterbug44]

Seems to me to be more of a problem with pride and a lack of long term planning. If you lose your job, you should have savings to fall back on to make the mortgage payment. If you don't, and you lose your house and need to rent, or you lose the car lease because you can't make the payment, and you find yourself facing a move, need to rent, put food on the table, you go get a job so you have employment. The options should include working at McDonalds or Subway, working as a waiter or busboy, working two low end jobs, whatever.

The minimum wage is currently 7.25 an hour, 40 hours a week at that rate is enough to put food on the table and rent a cheap apartment. I lived off less income than that for most of my twenties. It's not that hard. I could do it again if I had to.

Pride and keeping up appearances is definitely a factor for some, but due to the length of this recession/downturn I am finding that even the people who did plan ahead have exhausted their safety nets & reserves.

I don't think anyone has a problem w/ these programs being used as intended - as a temporary helping hand for people having a problem - for me it's the long term use that is the issue.

P.S. Forget McDonalds, the real money is in babysitting!

 

[LuciferSam]

One day you're flipping houses, the next day you're flipping burgers.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

Yes, one shouldn't generalize, but seriously - if you are driving a car worth more a certain amount (like 50K) you shouldn't be eligible for some things.

You should sell the car or cancel the lease, and get one a fraction of its value so you can buy your own food.

You can't own anything(legally) of any value and receive public assistance. Property and income are used to decide if you qualify.

 

[30ashopper]

You can't own anything(legally) of any value and receive public assistance. Property and income are used to decide if you qualify.

Hmm, are you sure? The AWI site doesn't list any requirements like that:

Unemployment Compensation Fequently Asked Questions

 

[Alicia Leonard]

Hmm, are you sure? The AWI site doesn't list any requirements like that:

Unemployment Compensation Fequently Asked Questions

Food stamps and regular public assistance require you list any type of ownership for anything, such as property, or at least it did when I worked social services in Florida many years ago. I looked into trying to get medical assistance a few years ago and I did not qualify because I owned a home and a car. If I had leased them or rented, it would not have counted as income.

As far as unemployment, you actually had to pay in and then be laid off or fired to be able to use that was my understanding.

 

[Geo]

Part of the problem, we shouldn't be giving company's billions of dollars, that sets the standard.



Seems to me to be more of a problem with pride and a lack of long term planning. If you lose your job, you should have savings to fall back on to make the mortgage payment. If you don't, and you lose your house and need to rent, or you lose the car lease because you can't make the payment, and you find yourself facing a move, need to rent, put food on the table, you go get a job so you have employment. The options should include working at McDonalds or Subway, working as a waiter or busboy, working two low end jobs, whatever.

The minimum wage is currently 7.25 an hour, 40 hours a week at that rate is enough to put food on the table and rent a cheap apartment. I lived off less income than that for most of my twenties. It's not that hard. I could do it again if I had to.

I am a proud person (positive connotation). But certainly not above working at McDonald's or shoveling crap (literally) to put food on the table. And sure, in hindsight it is easy to point out the poor decisions that I made.

That said, I believe it would be foolish for me to work a minimum wage job instead of taking full advantage of my unemployment benefits while I position myself for my next move.

This would be like someone who has always paid a lot of money for great health insurance deciding to stitch themselves up and apply a makeshift band-aid because they believe there is shame in going to the ER since their injury was their own fault.