Why Poor People Stay Poor

[Displaced Bama Fan]

Most of the time, yes. Show me someone who is poor and most of the time I'll show you a catalogue of bad choices that person has made.

To repeat an earlier post:



My brother's situation is not unique. Millions of people live like him. Let me know if you don't blame him for his situation, and I'll let you know where to send a check.

Another example ...... I interact with the poor regularly. One of the apartment complexes I own has largely poor tenants. The units are nice, but the complex is older and doesn't have the amenities newer places have. (We used to have a swimming pool, but the ghetto dwellers next door kept invading the pool and trashing the place. Eventually, we decided to get rid of the headache (and potential liability), so the pool was filled in. Democrats are why we can't have nice things.) It is a routine to have tenants stop paying rent and wait for the eviction process so they can get a few months of free accommodations. These people have the latest iPhone, nice cars, big screen televisions, etc., but they can't/won't pay their rent. I regularly have to fly back for trial. A couple of weeks ago was a two-fer.

One tenant skipped about of one of the furnished apartments ..... and took the furniture with her. Winning the case is easy; collecting on these deadbeats is hard. I'll get my $8000 (rent, damages, furniture) back in pennies every two weeks when I have her paycheck garnished.

The second case is a pending criminal trial. A denizen of the neighboring ghetto apartment complex was caught dumping trash on our property. When confronted my Mom was attacked and hospitalized. I have so much sympathy for scum who contribute nothing to society and go out of their way to destroy what others have built.

Unfortunately, the entitlement mentality runs deep and is built upon now generations of entitlement involvement. The so-called safety net has had an inverse effect. I hope your mom is ok, btw.

 

[crimsonaudio]

it seems like i have tested that margin (both self imposed and otherwise) quite a bit over the years.

You're not alone, brother - I'm right there with you.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Unfortunately, the entitlement mentality runs deep and is built upon now generations of entitlement involvement. The so-called safety net has had an inverse effect. I hope your mom is ok, btw.

Thanks. She'll be ok - the facial lacerations and the concussion will heal. I'll fly back when the trial starts. My preference would be five minutes of alone time with this worthless pos. The entitlement mentality is dyed in the wool with many. "I should be able to swim in your pool, get a check from the taxpayers, live in subsidized housing, toss my garbage onto my neighbors property, etc." A lot of people are a complete waste of carbon.

 

[TideEngineer08]

I would like to point out something about the margin for error that you've got if you are born into a wealthy home or even a middle-class home. It's obviously true that you've got a margin for error. But that margin exists, often times, because of the efforts taken by your parents, grand parents or even great grandparents. The sacrifices made in order to give their children (your parents), a better life than they had. Both sides of my family were dirt poor just a generation or two ago. I realize a little luck, or good fortune, was in play but mostly it was hard work and sacrifice.

So yes, I had a bit of a margin for error. But my parents did not. Their parents were poor and fought their way out of it. My great-grandparents were poor and died poor. It may be cyclical, but I refuse to believe that in this country a person can't break the cycle. It might take more effort than I've given my entire life combined for someone else in worse circumstances to pull out of it. I get that, and I'm not looking down my nose at anyone. I'm very fortunate to be where I'm at today, and every effort in my life is now to make sure I pass it down to my sons before I leave this place.

 

[hollisx4]

Thanks for posting the article. I heard on the news one day last week that the Alabama legislature was considering capping payday loans at 36%. That is horrible. It should be either illegal or capped at 10%. With money at 3.75%, 36% is much too high. That is preying on the poor!

It is none of anyone's business how and who adults choose to do business with. You nanny staters will not rest until every single freedom we have is made for us by a centralized body, "for our own good" of course.

 

[cuda.1973]

2. I know it's been a while, but I am sorry you lost your father, especially at such a young age. (literally just saw that upon re-reading) I came very close to losing mine when I was about 7yo. He's in his 80's now and in rapidly declining health. That's hard enough with me in my 40's.

I actually did lose my dad, when I was 7. I learned first-hand "we are from the gubbament and are here to help you" is a load of crap.

I am not going into ANY details, but if you want to believe the "fairy tale" of gubbament and its infallibility and its good intentions, well, go peddle that crap to someone else.

At least I know it was not Ayn Rand (still not sure how anyone can read her tomes, regardless of her beliefs, just because, well.................if you want to torture yourself, there is always Proust) who caused any of that.

I did learn how to be frugal. Came in very handy, when I had to "retire", at about the age my dad died, due to tons health issues.

And guess who showed up.....................ready to pigeon-hole me, and make sure I stayed in that pigeon hole.

Not going into any details of that fiasco, either.

All I will add is being poor sucks, and life isn't (and never will be) fair. You learn how to deal with it, and move forward. (Retreat is not an option.)

 

[gman4tide]

I would like to point out something about the margin for error that you've got if you are born into a wealthy home or even a middle-class home. It's obviously true that you've got a margin for error. But that margin exists, often times, because of the efforts taken by your parents, grand parents or even great grandparents. The sacrifices made in order to give their children (your parents), a better life than they had. Both sides of my family were dirt poor just a generation or two ago. I realize a little luck, or good fortune, was in play but mostly it was hard work and sacrifice.

So yes, I had a bit of a margin for error. But my parents did not. Their parents were poor and fought their way out of it. My great-grandparents were poor and died poor. It may be cyclical, but I refuse to believe that in this country a person can't break the cycle. It might take more effort than I've given my entire life combined for someone else in worse circumstances to pull out of it. I get that, and I'm not looking down my nose at anyone. I'm very fortunate to be where I'm at today, and every effort in my life is now to make sure I pass it down to my sons before I leave this place.

DT_Armataz_07: This ^^^^ is me, to a T.

 

[AUDub]

It is none of anyone's business how and who adults choose to do business with. You nanny staters will not rest until every single freedom we have is made for us by a centralized body, "for our own good" of course.

I wouldn't mind bringing back some of the old usury laws. Payday loans are a blight on society. Little bro fell into that trap.

 

[Bama Reb]

A lot of people make the mistake - no just the poor - of having their expenditures rise to meet their income. I see this all the time..... That bigger screen tv is more important. People tend to go out of their way to live on the razor's edge financially.

Especially those to whom money has no real meaning except the entertainment and social status it provides.

Let me say this: I detest those individuals who have the audacity to assume that a person's or family's financial situation is merely of their own doing. You go around with your nose stuck up in the air thinking you're better than everyone else and think just because your family has more than do others that it makes you better than everyone else. I don't really care one way or the other how much you have orhow much better you think it makes you. One day you will learn that there's not much social status in being the richest man or woman in the whole cemetery.

 

[Displaced Bama Fan]

Thanks. She'll be ok - the facial lacerations and the concussion will heal. I'll fly back when the trial starts. My preference would be five minutes of alone time with this worthless pos. The entitlement mentality is dyed in the wool with many. "I should be able to swim in your pool, get a check from the taxpayers, live in subsidized housing, toss my garbage onto my neighbors property, etc." A lot of people are a complete waste of carbon.

I'm sure what you meant instead of denizen was misunderstood or deprived youth. Correct?

 

[NationalTitles18]

So true, this hit us hard as we tried to climb out.

Ditto. That includes Pell Grants for my kid. We went from 60 to zero in no time flat.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I actually did lose my dad, when I was 7. I learned first-hand "we are from the gubbament and are here to help you" is a load of crap.

I am not going into ANY details, but if you want to believe the "fairy tale" of gubbament and its infallibility and its good intentions, well, go peddle that crap to someone else.

At least I know it was not Ayn Rand (still not sure how anyone can read her tomes, regardless of her beliefs, just because, well.................if you want to torture yourself, there is always Proust) who caused any of that.

I did learn how to be frugal. Came in very handy, when I had to "retire", at about the age my dad died, due to tons health issues.

And guess who showed up.....................ready to pigeon-hole me, and make sure I stayed in that pigeon hole.

Not going into any details of that fiasco, either.

All I will add is being poor sucks, and life isn't (and never will be) fair. You learn how to deal with it, and move forward. (Retreat is not an option.)

I think you have mixed me up with someone else, straw man or otherwise. I don't trust people. People with power even less. And that's all the government is.

 

[bama_wayne1]

It is none of anyone's business how and who adults choose to do business with. You nanny staters will not rest until every single freedom we have is made for us by a centralized body, "for our own good" of course.

I'm not a nanny stater. I do believe that people have the free will to do business with whoever they desire to. However, I am glad that I have always been able to succeed without taking advantage of somebody in a bad situation. I am sorry if it hurts your feelings but I still believe it is preying on the poor. With all that being said I do think anyone that will pay that kind of interest is a fool.

 

[Bubbaloo]

You would also be a fool to lend to a pay day borrower at anything other than loan shark rates. A fool and his money are soon parted, ask any politician.

 

[hollisx4]

I'm not a nanny stater. I do believe that people have the free will to do business with whoever they desire to. However, I am glad that I have always been able to succeed without taking advantage of somebody in a bad situation. I am sorry if it hurts your feelings but I still believe it is preying on the poor. With all that being said I do think anyone that will pay that kind of interest is a fool.

You didn't hurt my feelings.

Your comments are typical of someone who has never had to rely on a payday loan and thinks they know what's best for other people.

I have had to rely on them before and you don't have a clue what's best for me.

You don't like payday loans? Fine, don't take one out.

 

[cuda.1973]

I think you have mixed me up with someone else, straw man or otherwise. I don't trust people. People with power even less. And that's all the government is.

No, not at all. Your reply just contained the statement that I wanted to quote.

Translation: my point was being made to..............well, do I really need to name names?

 

[Bodhisattva]

i went back to get a grad degree (left a nice stable job with a good company) in my early-mid 30s. i had enough money saved to cover tuition, etc costs for the two year program. at the end of the first semester, my first wife left and proceeded to take most of the money we had saved for that, left me with a massively underwater mortgage, two years of car payments, a dog and two cats (with associated vet bills) and 1.5 years of school loans. i thought about ditching school and leaving town (could have gotten a solid job on the west coast with my previous employer) but stuck it out and it worked out very well despite the financial setback.

Jeez, you must have done something really bad to incur that kind of wrath.

 

[Tide1986]

i wouldn't let the going back to school fear get to you too much. there is a lot of upside for continuing education even if the time in school is tough.

i went back to get a grad degree (left a nice stable job with a good company) in my early-mid 30s. i had enough money saved to cover tuition, etc costs for the two year program. at the end of the first semester, my first wife left and proceeded to take most of the money we had saved for that, left me with a massively underwater mortgage, two years of car payments, a dog and two cats (with associated vet bills) and 1.5 years of school loans. i thought about ditching school and leaving town (could have gotten a solid job on the west coast with my previous employer) but stuck it out and it worked out very well despite the financial setback.

Great example of making good decisions during a time of extreme adversity and fighting to overcome one's negative circumstances.

 

[Bazza]

Someone rated this thread....one star.

What's that all about?

I think we've had some really great posts here.

Sheesh....

 

[92tide]

Great example of making good decisions during a time of extreme adversity and fighting to overcome one's negative circumstances.

thanks, i had good parenting and decent amount of practice overcoming extreme adversity as a young 'un, some of it self imposed.