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This is why so many people can't work their way out of it. $300 sneakers to look cool in the ghetto or a community college class? A $600 iphone or a laptop for

This is why so many people can't work their way out of it. $300 sneakers to look cool in the ghetto or a community college class? A $600 iphone or a laptop for your kids? A new tat or new clothes for your kids? When I lived in a 'up and coming' urban neighborhood, my unemployed/welfare neighbors had nicer shoes and phones than I did. But they partied until 2 or 3 while I had to go to bed early for work. Part of the problem of being poor is lack of self-control and lack of planning and how that all culminates into a endless party/bling lifestyle. This is why education is seen as the solution to being poor, not necessarily a lifetime of handouts. Income distribution hits the laws of diminishing returns pretty fast. Some people, unfortunately, can't accept this for political reasons, hence all my drive-by downvotes.

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
That and family planning. Poor kids have babies that are guaranteed poverty from birth and likelier to deal with the same situation as (very young) adults. More unwanted children means more strain on the system that could otherwise more readily help the poor person trying to get a leg up and doesn't party till 2 in the morning. And that means double for people who have it hard as it is without having to be a parent as well. I can't imagine making birth control pills OTC and free of charge would be more expensive in the long run than a steadily increasing line for welfare checks and SNAP benefits. Edit: if one person can explain why they are downvoting me, I would love to listen. Otherwise I assume you all think I'm shitty because I think birth control should be available to everyone, especially people who aren't ready to have kids.
alistairSH 11y ago
It's not just about looking cool. You're over-simplifying and trivializing the impact of poverty on a person's ability to live life in the way a not-poor person lives. And then there's the fact that being poor actually impairs IQ.[1] And that hopeless feeling that leads to immediate pleasures over long-term goals. [2] 1 http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/6716/ http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/... 2 http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-brain-on-poverty-why-poor-people-seem-to-make-bad-decisions/281780/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-bra...

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago

That and family planning. Poor kids have babies that are guaranteed poverty from birth and likelier to deal with the same situation as (very young) adults. More unwanted children means more strain on the system that could otherwise more readily help the poor person trying to get a leg up and doesn't party till 2 in the morning. And that means double for people who have it hard as it is without having to be a parent as well. I can't imagine making birth control pills OTC and free of charge would be more expensive in the long run than a steadily increasing line for welfare checks and SNAP benefits. Edit: if one person can explain why they are downvoting me, I would love to listen. Otherwise I assume you all think I'm shitty because I think birth control should be available to everyone, especially people who aren't ready to have kids.

alistairSH 11y ago

It's not just about looking cool. You're over-simplifying and trivializing the impact of poverty on a person's ability to live life in the way a not-poor person lives. And then there's the fact that being poor actually impairs IQ.[1] And that hopeless feeling that leads to immediate pleasures over long-term goals. [2] 1 http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/6716/ http://www.citylab.com/work/2013/08/how-poverty-taxes-brain/... 2 http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-brain-on-poverty-why-poor-people-seem-to-make-bad-decisions/281780/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-bra...