1-in-7 On Food Stamps

Then work harder, dumbass. Nobody prevents you from doing that, except yourself. That's the nice thing about living in a land of free enterprise. You better take advantage of it while you can....cause income redistribution mentalities like yours (which is similar to the ones who try to do it for the rich) are destroying it.

$25K a year is poor....get real. I could live off $25K a year now, if I had to.

I have zero debt, aside from my home. My renters pay 100% of my mortgage, and I have a nice cash cushion if I don't have renters. If I had to live on $25K, I easily could. I've set myself up that way, just in case something happens. I did that by making smart choices along the way.

The difference is I'm willing to change my lifestyle to do so, instead of stick my hand into someone else's pocket and take their money so I can live the way I do now. Can't afford eating out? Stop eating out. Can't afford that car payment? Take the bus. Can't afford that data plan on your cell phone? Turn it off. Can't afford your big screen TV with its 500 satellite stations? Turn it off. Read a book from the library. It's called living within your means. I see people with a similar cost of living in Taiwan live on 1/5th what I make. And, they do quite well.

For you to even mention a car payment on a salary of $25K tells me how lost you are.

Walk to work. Ride a bike to work. Ride a bus to work. Buy a POS for $1000 and use that until you have the financial bandwidth to do otherwise. I make great money, and I still refuse to buy a car on payments. I'm too chickenshit. If I can't pay it cash, I don't buy it. Is a car the only way to get to work? No. It isn't truly a NECESSITY.

You have $6800 left after rent? Go live somewhere cheaper. Find a place to share with another family. There are TONS of options. If I had to live on $25K now, and didn't have my house (that pays for itself), I'd be living with a couple of roommates in the cheapest place I could find. I bet I could find a place for $300 a month after splitting it with three other people. That's $3600 a year. Guessing a net income, that leaves realistically $14K or so left. That's over $1000 a month.

My vision isn't Utopian. My vision is realistic. Your vision is coming from the entitlement mentality. Americans have become spoiled. WORK your way on your OWN to a financial position where you can afford things that those who make more than you already have. Make the money before you spend it.


If you find yourself dumb enough to have a family and only $25K from a job, with no opportunity for real advancement, then go work a second job to 'make ends meet'. Used to be that was a real option. I'm sure with today's modern American entitled crowd, they wouldn't even consider that.

I could see him catching on and doing that, one day. You, on the other hand, will just reach into someone else's pocket instead.

How can you say someone who makes $25K/yr is poor? Being poor isn't about the money you make, it's about the choices you make. I know people who make $80K/yr and are poor. Why? Because they make bad decisions. They're in debt up to their eyeballs with expensive house payments, car payments, boat payments, credit card debt to buy flat screen tvs and eat at nice restaurants. They get their paycheck at the end of the week and then proceed to write a check to VISA, their bank or whoever. The money comes in and then goes right back out to make those payments. Their asset to debt ratio is so far backwards that it's ridiculous. They buy cars based on "how much per month" instead of "how much." No one forced them to make those poor decisions, they did it on their own.

I also know people who only make $30K at their jobs but have the equivalent to that in cash in their savings account. Why? Because they made smart financial decisions. They paid cash for everything. They bought a $1000 car, then when they saved up enough they sold that car and bought a $2500 car. They live in a small, yet nice, 1000 sq ft home with a $350 mortgage payment. They don't eat out. They may only make $30K/yr, but in my opinion they are the rich ones. Not the guy making $80K because bank statement to bank statement the $80k/yr guy has NO MONEY. He just has stuff. Stuff that he doesn't even own. VISA and the banks own his stuff. But man does he look rich!!


EDIT: Seems others have proved my point while I was typing this.

Do you NEED to live in a 4 bedroom house? Do you NEED to have TV and Internet?

Get a new job. Get a different job. Get a smaller house. Sleep on the couch. Add a roomate. Stop having kids until you can afford it (which simply doesn't mean a bigger salary). TV? Turn it off and read a book. Internet? Go to the library. LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS. You're the one running around asking everyone else for their money and not the other way around. My willingness to sacrifice not living beyond my means doesn't entitle you to take from me so you can live beyond yours.

When I was a kid we shared a bedroom and the dog didnt get his own room.

No, you work 2 to 3 jobs to pay your bills and stop growing an inefficient system (government taxation/entitlements) that only serves to even further undermine the entire economy. Or, you could live within your means, not have to rely on taking money from others, and only work one job.

Don't you ever read any history? Since when has growing government and these programs actually solved problems and resulted in a successful economy? They ALWAYS fail when countries go this route. You're just repeating the errors.


You bitching about not having enough money while living in a 4 bedroom house and having internet and TV is comical. How many cell phones you have in that household of yours?

I've got you pegged now. You live with your head just above water and you're elated that the ACA is gonna bail you a bit of breathing room.

Typical.

Musta hit a nerve, got two posts out of ya.

Greatest discrepancy in income since the beginning of the industrial age and most on here can't connect the dots.

The better part. I've worked hard to get there and don't feel like giving it to the leeches who won't.

Lemme ask you a question.

As much as you cuss and hate Walmart, what do you think would happen if they said fuck it, we're tired of it, we're folding up shop? Now what happens to those poor overworked, underpaid individuals?

It's half of the mortgage on the house that I bought with my brother. I'm not living in a duplex because I don't want my motorcycles, or any of my shit to get stolen. Also because I'm not a teet sucker. I work for my shit and don't rely on the rich man because I realize it's my own damn fault that I didn't get a degree right after high school. I'm sure I would qualify for a free phone, food stamps, subsidized healthcare, or a nice government subsidized duplex but I'm above that. I would be too embarrassed if I had to resort to that. That's what's wrong with this country. No one has any shame.

$1500 a month is lean? For YEARS I was living off of $800 a month working a part time (close to minimum wage) while going to school. "Highly unlikely"? It's obvious you think very highly of yourself.

I know people who brag that they are getting food stamps because they think they are sticking it to the man. That is the problem they don't feel shame they feel like they a pulling a fast one and they are. Most of them cheated to get food stamps. Another thing, its gotten to easy to get them, they are loaded on a credit card that get money added each month and most of the time when they swipe the card in the check outline no one knows its welfare. I would rather have food banks that they have to go to that only have the bare necessity's. That might stop some of the fraud. Here is a quote from Benjamin Franklin. I love this quote: We should make the poor uncomfortable and kick them out of poverty."

The thing the liberals all seem to not realize in terms of wealth and income is that it's not a zero sum game.

The poor people aren't poor because the rich have all the money, and won't share, and so there is no money left over for the poor people...most all poor people are poor because they made/make poor decisions, lack work ethic, or are unwilling to take risks.

The rich can have as much money as they want...and the poor can still earn/make as much money as they want.

Their isn't a finite amount of wealth...there is enough that everyone can have as much money as they want (if they are willing to work for it, and take risks, and overcome failure).

Again, the reason poor people are poor has NOTHING to do with rich people...it has to do with the poor people making bad decisions. PERIOD.

Give a poor person a dollar, and they'll be back the next day asking for another (that is our current welfare system)...teach a poor person how to earn a dollar, and how to leverage that dollar, and they'll never need to ask for another dollar again (that is what our welfare system should be doing.)

Once I get done with school I can be wealthy just by trying. I can make nearly 100k working in San Diego with an associate's degree, living it up on the beach and riding motorcycle four days a week. If I get my master's I can make up to 250k. My brother isn't in that same situation. He's content to stick with the same company he has making 16 an hour. To each his own, but if he had the drive to he could rise at his company. He's afraid to take risks but I'm not because YOLO!

I consider myself a regular Joe, and I'm not rich because I'm not willing to put in the hours to make it happen. End of story.

I'm happy and content with my current income. I never work more than 30 hours per week, I can go to all my kids school activities, dance recitals, and sports events...I can ride and race as much as I want...I buy a new bike every two or three years...I drive a paid off 10 year old car...I have lunch with my wife every day...and I'm comfortable with my lifestyle and income. I don't earn more because I don't want too. Nobody is holding me down...or holding me back. I'm not "rich" because I don't want to be.

I'm gradually working on replacing my income with passive income...for retirement...and that's coming a long nicely. And in the next 10-15 years, income from those investments will replace my "day job" income and I'll call it a career...

Virtually ALL of the poor people that I know just make bad decisions...they dropped out of high school, or chose not to go to college (and made up some excuse why they couldn't), got into drugs, got a pregnant at a very young age, or (like my sister and her husband) are just absolutely stupid when it comes to money (they just spend more than they make...and my bro-in-law makes probably $250K/year)...last time I saw my sister she was complaining that the credit union always charges them fees...overdraft fees!

None of those reasons have ANYTHING to do with rich people...or not enough money to go around...they have to do with making stupid decisions.

In your honest opinion, why do YOU think rich people are rich? How do you think they got to be that way?

What do you consider wealthy ? What do you consider poor ? Wealthy in Oklahoma may be middle class in Colorado. Wealthy in Colorado may be lower class in New York city.

I didn't quote your post as a reply, I quoted it in order to direct my question to you. Why, in YOUR mind, do you believe the rich are rich? How did they get that way?

But, to answer your question OF about why regular joes aren't rich, it's because they're REGULAR. They do mediocre work, have mediocre aspirations, have mediocre goals, make mediocre decisions. That is why. They don' reach for wealth or greatness. They're accepting of mediocrity.

Far from the top 1%, but I'm doing very well by most peoples standards and am constantly investing in myself so I can do better. I have goals and each time I reach one I set another. I don't settle for "ok." Everything but my house is paid for. What most people pay in car payments, I invest. I'm 29, and provided I live to 65, I WILL retire wealthy. Now that I've answered TWO of your questions, care to answer mine?

It's become apparent that you never really answer anyone's questions. Instead, you deflect, deflect, deflect. You answer questions with questions. So please, just give me your honest opinion about why you think the rich are rich and how they became that way?

What if it's impossible to pinpoint exactly why some people end up wealthy and others don't?

Democrats never feel like the wealthy have earned it. Jealousy and bitterness of others hard work get in the way of any rational thought and make them say, "why not me?, clearly because it's unfair."
In hindsight they would probably support a communistic type government if everyone had to live just like them and not get paid more than they do.

You won't get many answers out if a democrat, but you will get a ton of bitter questions thrown at you.

Not regular Joe, an above-average Joe is more fitting. But thanks for proving my last paragraph. You've yet to give me your opinion about why the rich are rich. Deflect away. Answer questions with questions. Surely RC, RV, JS, RD, CR and the rest aren't successful racers because of their work ethic, good decision making(hiring trainers, avoiding drugs/alcohol, etc) and willingness to take risks. They were just lucky right?

So I'll be waiting on your opinion about how the rich became rich. I think if you could answer my simple question, you would find the answer to your question. Even though that question was just a deflection of Titan's statement.