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In America, we hate poor people. I mean, none of us say it. In fact, most of us state the opposite. However, a good chunk of us vote for politicians and work fo
by firstplacelast 9y ago
In America, we hate poor people. I mean, none of us say it. In fact, most of us state the opposite. However, a good chunk of us vote for politicians and work for companies that exacerbate the problems of the poor.
- lwansbrough 9y agoThere’s a difference between hating them hen poor, and being self-interested. That being said, the effects are often the same. And self-interest is an acceptable excuse for people that want to ignore their impact on those around them.
- disordinary 9y agoThere does seem to be a culture where poor people are dismissed as being lazy when often that's the opposite of true.
- rndgermandude 9y agoI rarely (actually never I think) heard anybody complain that "I have to pay for somebody else's healthcare?! Socialism sucks" where I live. In the US however that seems to be a different matter for a lot of people. This - to me - goes beyond mere self-interest... It's essentially stating that one is fine with other people suffering and dying just because they are too poor to pay the ridiculous health care premiums in the US or find an employer who does that for them.
- jjeaff 9y agoThat's because if you live in the US, you know better. The only people that are going without proper healthcare are those that make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. But that live beyond their means and can't afford other insurance. The very poor have it just fine when it comes to healthcare in the us. It's those that make too much for Medicaid but not enough for private insurance that have a problem.
- btown 9y agoWow. To say that those who can't afford insurance but are above the Medicaid eligibility requirements (which are only 33% above the federal poverty level) are voluntarily "living beyond their means" is an incredible oversimplification. Unexpected financial hardships, from motor vehicle breakdowns to insufficiently covered health events, can easily cause a family to fall behind on commitments, and any lapse in premium payments can destroy healthcare coverage for the remainder of a calendar year (or more) with little warning. But somehow I don't think anything I can write would convince you to change your beliefs.
- jjeaff 9y agoYou are providing a legitimate case where people get behind on payments. The thread I responded too was making a case that everyone that isn't rich in the US is completely screwed. Sure, there are some cases where you can't make your commitments, but that isn't everyone. As for little warning, there have been laws requiring ample notice and grace period for a long time now in the US.
- btown 9y ago> find an employer who does that for them Most [0] employers who "offer health care" don't actually pay the premiums for you; they'll usually negotiate a group rate that's better than individual (ACA/ObamaCare) insurance, and perhaps chip in some, but you're still paying the premium yourself. Half of ridiculous still rounds up to ridiculous... [0] http://fortune.com/2016/03/30/employer-paid-health-insurance-is-dying-off/ http://fortune.com/2016/03/30/employer-paid-health-insurance...
- spicymaki 9y agoIf you want to understand the why American culture hates the downtrodden so much, you need to understand its roots in Puritanical thought: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans#Beliefs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans#Beliefs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconditional_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconditional_election These ideas are a foundational construct to the culture today.