2/3 of US would struggle to cover $1,000 crisis

[....lybob]

There are rich people in India, Venezuela, China, 1000 millionaires in Kyrgyzstan so I guess all the poor people in those countries are poor because of the bad choices they made - really one rich person in any country is enough to prove all the poor people are slackers- in North Korea they could all be living like Kim Jong-un if they just put their mind to it.

[What a Tuel]

I just put a damn roof on my house.

 

I found this pretty hilarious and relevant to the current generation growing up.

 

Edited May 21, 2016 by What a Tuel

[Chef Jim]

There are rich people in India, Venezuela, China, 1000 millionaires in Kyrgyzstan so I guess all the poor people in those countries are poor because of the bad choices they made - really one rich person in any country is enough to prove all the poor people are slackers- in North Korea they could all be living like Kim Jong-un if they just put their mind to it.

So you're comparing being successful in the US with North Korea? Bravo! You lost the internet today.

[....lybob]

So you're comparing being successful in the US with North Korea? Bravo! You lost the internet today.

Your argument boils down to "I've done well because I've worked hard and made the right choices therefore anyone who hasn't done well must be lazy and has made the wrong choices" I'm just extending your argument

 

which is poverty is a choice and circumstance doesn't really matter.

[DC Tom]

Your argument boils down to "I've done well because I've worked hard and made the right choices therefore anyone who hasn't done well must be lazy and has made the wrong choices" I'm just extending your argument

 

which is poverty is a choice and circumstance doesn't really matter.

 

When a poll is taken as to how well North Koreans could handle a $1k crisis, you might even have a point.

[What a Tuel]

Your argument boils down to "I've done well because I've worked hard and made the right choices therefore anyone who hasn't done well must be lazy and has made the wrong choices" I'm just extending your argument

 

which is poverty is a choice and circumstance doesn't really matter.

 

Your argument also boils down to people in poverty doing everything they can to educate themselves, and do better for themselves. This is simply not true. The vast majority of people are perfectly fine where they are and simply wish upon a better lifestyle while exerting no additional effort to make it so. This also isn't limited to the impoverished.

 

The poll in this thread is a monument to that. Rather than ensure your lifestyle is sustainable, the majority of people choose to invest in the short-term enjoyment while not being concerned for the future.

[birdog1960]

 

Your argument also boils down to people in poverty doing everything they can to educate themselves, and do better for themselves. This is simply not true. The vast majority of people are perfectly fine where they are and simply wish upon a better lifestyle while exerting no additional effort to make it so. This also isn't limited to the impoverished.

 

The poll in this thread is a monument to that. Rather than ensure your lifestyle is sustainable, the majority of people choose to invest in the short-term enjoyment while not being concerned for the fut?ure.

the poll here is more than the inverse of a much larger poll that showed 2/3 can't cover a $1000 expense. which poll do you believe? a bunch of blowhards in a circle jerk with an agenda? um, no. people that can't admit that adversity, luck, the sperm lottery and fate play a role in where someone ends up financially in life are not going to admit that they're in that pool.

 

the 88% here that state they can afford a $1000 hit would be well reminded that it wouldn't take much to alter that even if they're telling the truth. a family illness, a flood, a hurricane, a lawsuit, an accident, a plant closing and that 1k looks a lot bigger.

 

i was talking to an hr director of a medium sized company that is closing and moving all production to mexico in the next month. he's "retiring". he told me he's seen the figures. they can produce the same goods there for 10% of what they can here. a lot of people working there will soon find 1k a pretty steep price.

 

so lets not pretend it's all a matter of laziness and bad choices. it's not.

 

but trump is not the answer...that's for another thread.

Edited May 22, 2016 by birdog1960

[What a Tuel]

the poll here is more than the inverse of a much larger poll that showed 2/3 can't cover a $1000 expense. which poll do you believe? a bunch of blowhards in a circle jerk with an agenda? um, no. people that can't admit that adversity, luck, the sperm lottery and fate play a role in where someone ends up financially in life are not going to admit that they're in that pool.

 

the 88% here that state they can afford a $1000 hit would be well reminded that it wouldn't take much to alter that even if they're telling the truth. a family illness, a flood, a hurricane, a lawsuit, an accident, a plant closing and that 1k looks a lot bigger.

 

i was talking to an hr director of a medium sized company that is closing and moving all production to mexico in the next month. he's "retiring". he told me he's seen the figures. they can produce the same goods there for 10% of what they can here. a lot of people working there will soon find 1k a pretty steep price.

 

so lets not pretend it's all a matter of laziness and bad choices. it's not.

 

but trump is not the answer...that's for another thread.

 

I think you misinterpret laziness or bad choices for complacency. It's funny that you think adversity, luck, the sperm lottery, and fate play a role with a person's financial life, but hard work and dedication are shrugged off as meaningless or ineffective. Nothing is guaranteed in life, yes sometimes you can pour everything you have into something and still fail. However, I am hesitant to believe in the internet and entertainment age we live in, that everyone is pouring everything they have into being successful and still just failing.

 

Not seeking out opportunity to learn or apply yourself to do better in life is not the same as not being able to find such opportunities. My argument is that there are many more complacent people than one would like to think. You seem to think that these people are one opportunity away from being helped up because they can't help themselves, and that their lifestyle sucks so much that they would jump at the opportunity and pour everything they have into it.

 

Rather I suggest that a good amount of those people would not jump at the opportunity if it meant a significant trade off from their current lifestyle (how ever much it sucks to you). Then, in addition a good portion of the people who do accept the opportunity would not invest the time necessary - I guess you could call that laziness, I still think it is more of a concerted decision because they don't understand the future reward for the lifestyle trade off.

 

I've got a feeling this will be chalked up to poor people being not as good as the rest of us though. That isn't true. There are complacent people in all income ranges that could do better, but make a concerted decision not to because to them it isn't worth the tradeoff - regardless of whether that decision is right or wrong.

Edited May 22, 2016 by What a Tuel

[jr1]

student debt is over 1.2 trillion. This isn't surprising

[3rdnlng]

Student debt---the confluence of Women's Studies, University Greed and Easy Money.

[Magox]

 

I think you misinterpret laziness or bad choices for complacency. It's funny that you think adversity, luck, the sperm lottery, and fate play a role with a person's financial life, but hard work and dedication are shrugged off as meaningless or ineffective. Nothing is guaranteed in life, yes sometimes you can pour everything you have into something and still fail. However, I am hesitant to believe in the internet and entertainment age we live in, that everyone is pouring everything they have into being successful and still just failing.

 

Not seeking out opportunity to learn or apply yourself to do better in life is not the same as not being able to find such opportunities. My argument is that there are many more complacent people than one would like to think. You seem to think that these people are one opportunity away from being helped up because they can't help themselves, and that their lifestyle sucks so much that they would jump at the opportunity and pour everything they have into it.

 

Rather I suggest that a good amount of those people would not jump at the opportunity if it meant a significant trade off from their current lifestyle (how ever much it sucks to you). Then, in addition a good portion of the people who do accept the opportunity would not invest the time necessary - I guess you could call that laziness, I still think it is more of a concerted decision because they don't understand the future reward for the lifestyle trade off.

 

I've got a feeling this will be chalked up to poor people being not as good as the rest of us though. That isn't true. There are complacent people in all income ranges that could do better, but make a concerted decision not to because to them it isn't worth the tradeoff - regardless of whether that decision is right or wrong.

 

Excellent post

[unbillievable]

student debt is over 1.2 trillion. This isn't surprising

 

%20 of college students admit to using their student loans to go on Spring Break.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-20/can-you-use-student-loans-to-go-on-spring-break

[Chef Jim]

Your argument boils down to "I've done well because I've worked hard and made the right choices therefore anyone who hasn't done well must be lazy and has made the wrong choices" I'm just extending your argument

 

which is poverty is a choice and circumstance doesn't really matter.

Circumstances absolutely matter and if you pay attention at all I've always said there are people that are not able to succeed in life and most of them that I care about have a mental or physical disability. But I think it's safe to say that a vast majority of those that are poor are in that situation because it's comfortable for them. Oftentimes they choose living a poor existence over hard work and smart choices because it's just easier. The fact that you brought up poor people being held down by an insane dictator and used that as an example for your argument proves you have no argument.

[Tiberius]

Student debt---the confluence of Women's Studies, University Greed and Easy Money.

Let me take a wild guess, you don't have a college degree?

Excellent post

I disagree. I have personally made a lot of good choices to get ahead, but I also had a lot of help. Good role models, parents that taught me to read early in life, family that pushed me in the right direction at the right time and financial resources to smooth over tough times. Oh ya, I've also never had a major medical problem. But some of the people I grew up with are now either dead, poor or stuck in dead end jobs. How can a person over come a family experience where they were not taught to read, learned smoking was ok at an early age and learned the manners and customs that are anathema to the working world?

[Chef Jim]

Let me take a wild guess, you don't have a college degree?

 

I disagree. I have personally made a lot of good choices to get ahead, but I also had a lot of help. Good role models, parents that taught me to read early in life, family that pushed me in the right direction at the right time and financial resources to smooth over tough times. Oh ya, I've also never had a major medical problem. But some of the people I grew up with are now either dead, poor or stuck in dead end jobs. How can a person over come a family experience where they were not taught to read, learned smoking was ok at an early age and learned the manners and customs that are anathema to the working world?

Poverty often begets poverty. And how can someone overcome that? Stop making stupid choices. Just as your following the good examples of those who raised you was a choice so is following those that set bad examples. I have no sympathy for those that become worthless drug addicts or alcoholics just because they were raised by them.

 

Would you agree that not getting out of that revolving door and following in their loser parent's footsteps was a choice and one that can be overcome?

[B-Large]

B's map to not being broke:

 

1. Don't have children- they're expensive, if choose to do so, don't whine to me and asked me to pay for them in any way

 

2. Create and track a personal budget- 9.8 of 10 dopes in this country don't have a budget, and don't have a clue how much they spend.... Here's a hint, it's usually more than they make. I know exactly what I'll net at the end of the year, I can tell you to the cent how much I spent on coffee at Starbucks, lunch out, grocery.... I also build pools of money for car repairs, house repairs, etc. if you don't have a budget and track it, you'll probably fail at your financial life.

 

3. Don't finance anything you don't 100 percent have to. Don't buy a new car an have payments for 72 months. Don't finance an education, go to CC and do pay go when you get to the last 2 years- and expect your hard work to move you up in a career, not some useless piece of paper that has been installed as a ridiculous gateway in our country. Finance a home, but put no less that 30 percent down and buy during a deep recession when you can.

 

4. Fund any matched qualified plan. You're a idiot if you forego a guaranteed 3-6 return on your money right out of the shoot.

 

5. Don't get caught up in big homes, fancy cars, expensive clothes, expensive jewelry, lavish vacation, and so on and so on.... You'd be surprised how many people who make big money are broke as heck because they 200 dollar purchase themselves to financial death.

 

6. Pay of debt before anything else.

 

 

If you are busted by 1,000 unexpected expense, you're doing something wrong, and likely violating one of the rules above. If you budget and plan well, rarely do you have a unexpected expense anyway. Americans in general are financially retarded and or lazy... Don't be one of them.

Poverty often begets poverty. And how can someone overcome that? Stop making stupid choices. Just as your following the good examples of those who raised you was a choice so is following those that set bad examples. I have no sympathy for those that become worthless drug addicts or alcoholics just because they were raised by them.

Would you agree that not getting out of that revolving door and following in their loser parent's footsteps was a choice and one that can be overcome?

One of my employees I'm going to fire is this exact person. Loser parents, loser siblings, loser friends... But I have given her the chance to have flexible time for school, and she is surrounded by people with MBAs, MDs, all highly accomplished and educatied, making relatively good choices.....

 

But she comes in hung overpften, and I have followed her and she is blowing off work for me to hand with our cleaning people and other low enders while on the clock.... I believe it's easier for her to associate with being a loser, than tread the unfamiliar territory of not being so. She's on a PIP starting this week and gone in 30 days. My guess, welfare, section 8 housing, food stamps, etc... and she has so much potential and capacity.

[....lybob]

 

I think you misinterpret laziness or bad choices for complacency. It's funny that you think adversity, luck, the sperm lottery, and fate play a role with a person's financial life, but hard work and dedication are shrugged off as meaningless or ineffective. Nothing is guaranteed in life, yes sometimes you can pour everything you have into something and still fail. However, I am hesitant to believe in the internet and entertainment age we live in, that everyone is pouring everything they have into being successful and still just failing.

 

Not seeking out opportunity to learn or apply yourself to do better in life is not the same as not being able to find such opportunities. My argument is that there are many more complacent people than one would like to think. You seem to think that these people are one opportunity away from being helped up because they can't help themselves, and that their lifestyle sucks so much that they would jump at the opportunity and pour everything they have into it.

 

Rather I suggest that a good amount of those people would not jump at the opportunity if it meant a significant trade off from their current lifestyle (how ever much it sucks to you). Then, in addition a good portion of the people who do accept the opportunity would not invest the time necessary - I guess you could call that laziness, I still think it is more of a concerted decision because they don't understand the future reward for the lifestyle trade off.

 

I've got a feeling this will be chalked up to poor people being not as good as the rest of us though. That isn't true. There are complacent people in all income ranges that could do better, but make a concerted decision not to because to them it isn't worth the tradeoff - regardless of whether that decision is right or wrong.

I don't think you know what the word concerted means- perhaps you mean conscious

B's map to not being broke:

 

1. Don't have children- they're expensive, if choose to do so, don't whine to me and asked me to pay for them in any way

 

2. Create and track a personal budget- 9.8 of 10 dopes in this country don't have a budget, and don't have a clue how much they spend.... Here's a hint, it's usually more than they make. I know exactly what I'll net at the end of the year, I can tell you to the cent how much I spent on coffee at Starbucks, lunch out, grocery.... I also build pools of money for car repairs, house repairs, etc. if you don't have a budget and track it, you'll probably fail at your financial life.

 

3. Don't finance anything you don't 100 percent have to. Don't buy a new car an have payments for 72 months. Don't finance an education, go to CC and do pay go when you get to the last 2 years- and expect your hard work to move you up in a career, not some useless piece of paper that has been installed as a ridiculous gateway in our country. Finance a home, but put no less that 30 percent down and buy during a deep recession when you can.

 

4. Fund any matched qualified plan. You're a idiot if you forego a guaranteed 3-6 return on your money right out of the shoot.

 

5. Don't get caught up in big homes, fancy cars, expensive clothes, expensive jewelry, lavish vacation, and so on and so on.... You'd be surprised how many people who make big money are broke as heck because they 200 dollar purchase themselves to financial death.

 

6. Pay of debt before anything else.

 

 

If you are busted by 1,000 unexpected expense, you're doing something wrong, and likely violating one of the rules above. If you budget and plan well, rarely do you have a unexpected expense anyway. Americans in general are financially retarded and or lazy... Don't be one of them.

 

One of my employees I'm going to fire is this exact person. Loser parents, loser siblings, loser friends... But I have given her the chance to have flexible time for school, and she is surrounded by people with MBAs, MDs, all highly accomplished and educatied, making relatively good choices.....

 

But she comes in hung overpften, and I have followed her and she is blowing off work for me to hand with our cleaning people and other low enders while on the clock.... I believe it's easier for her to associate with being a loser, than tread the unfamiliar territory of not being so. She's on a PIP starting this week and gone in 30 days. My guess, welfare, section 8 housing, food stamps, etc... and she has so much potential and capacity.

So you are putting her on a Performance Improvement plan but have already decided to fire her in 30 days - may I ask where you work?

[What a Tuel]

I don't think you know what the word concerted means- perhaps you mean conscious

So you are putting her on a Performance Improvement plan but have already decided to fire her in 30 days - may I ask where you work?

 

Sure you could insert conscious if that's what bugs you. But what the heck:

 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the adjective “concerted” as meaning “arranged by mutual agreement; agreed upon, pre-arranged; planned, contrived; done in concert.”

 

This sense of singularity can be traced to the verb “concert” (like the adjective, it’s accented on the second syllable).

In one of its definitions, the OED says the verb “concert” applies to “a single person,” and means “to plan, devise, arrange.”

 

http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2011/04/concerted.html

 

Managers already know when an employee isn't going to work out and it's just a matter of time. This right to work and PIP plan nonsense, and inevitable lawsuit BS is ridiculous. I was listening to some girl complain to someone at the grocery store about her employer firing her because she violated policies or didn't show up, and now she is suing and thinks she has a case because they didn't give her warnings or anything. The system is ripe for abuse by these people.

Edited May 22, 2016 by What a Tuel

[unbillievable]

 

Sure you could insert conscious if that's what bugs you. But what the heck:

 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the adjective “concerted” as meaning “arranged by mutual agreement; agreed upon, pre-arranged; planned, contrived; done in concert.”

 

This sense of singularity can be traced to the verb “concert” (like the adjective, it’s accented on the second syllable).

In one of its definitions, the OED says the verb “concert” applies to “a single person,” and means “to plan, devise, arrange.”

 

http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2011/04/concerted.html

 

Managers already know when an employee isn't going to work out and it's just a matter of time. This right to work and PIP plan nonsense, and inevitable lawsuit BS is ridiculous. I was listening to some girl complain to someone at the grocery store about her employer firing her because she violated policies or didn't show up, and now she is suing and thinks she has a case because they didn't give her warnings or anything. The system is ripe for abuse by these people.

 

I've seen that happen where a new hire sued because he said he wasn't given enough training to do an entry level job (basically secretarial work). I guess that college degree he had in Business taught him nothing.

 

I've seen the training program go from 2 days (when I was hired) to 2 weeks; and newbies only have to work till lunch time the 1st week now, so they're not overwhelmed. The upcoming generation is a bunch of coddled pu$#@!%.

[TakeYouToTasker]

It's hillarious when people sue their employer, and then believe they'll ever get a job within that industry (or often even any large employer at all) again.