3 ms·

Why is it unfair. Americans are highly motivated too. Or at least they should be. It's much less risky to have to get on the Greyhound back to your parent's hou

Why is it unfair. Americans are highly motivated too. Or at least they should be. It's much less risky to have to get on the Greyhound back to your parent's house than back to the other side of the world. This is a great country and we are in the perfect industry to take risks.

throwaway5752 8y ago
Not everyone has the money for the bus trip, parents that would have them back, or parents that have a house. A lot of the people on HN come from a background of privilege (nothing wrong with that) but it effects how one perceives risk.
- cafard 8y ago
  Not everyone has parents that own a house, not everyone has parents that can shelter them. However, a quick check on the Greyhound site shows that bus fare from Washington, DC, to Topeka, Kansas, could be about $120, and from Washington to Los Angeles can be done for $180 to $280.
  - throwaway5752 8y ago
    I know they sound cheap, but I think you're underestimating how hard an extra $250 can be for a lot of people and how little savings the bulk of the US has (particularly lower income areas/populations, since we're talking in the context of "when their town has no future"). You are also assuming 1 ticket, and if my memory's right then there's a negative correlation between income and family size/age of having first child.
  - TheCoelacanth 8y ago
    $280 is more than a week's worth of take home pay for a minimum wage worker.
  - romwell 8y ago
    Yeah right, because the bus ticket is the most expensive cost of relocation. That's why when a company pays for relocation, they typically pay in the ballpark of $500 to account for the expenses associated with an interstate move for one person. ...which would be a nice narrative if it wasn't an order of magnitude off. Someone relocating has to pay for: -transportation of themselves (that's your Greyhound) -transportation of their goods OR re-purchases of all the basic necessities (something to sleep on, something to cook with, etc) - $1000 conservatively -transportation or purchase of a vehicle (because you really can't live and work without a car in most of the US), so in fact, let's forget about Greyhound. Throw in vehicle registration fees, increase in insurance (going from Podunk, MN to SF Bay Area will cost you $1000 just there, not accounting for gas/mileage). Of course, you can save by moving to an area with extensive public transportation networks, but that means you'll pay way more in... -security deposit AND first month's rent (which, spoiler! is usually going to be much higher in the city that people are relocating to). Again, for the Bay Rea, assuming you are a 20-something single who can live with room-mates (and not someone with a family who needs an apartment), that's around $1000 + $1000 if you are lucky. Add more for NYC where 2x rent is standard for a deposit (remember how you were going to save by going car-less? Put all that money here) -perhaps you don't have a job offer waiting for you, so a month's worth of expenses while you're looking for a job. Let's say you are frugal, so that's $500, assuming you don't want health insurance and your jalopy made it across the country without needing repairs. So somewhere around $5K for a single person for interstate relocation, assuming one finds a job within a month. (I moved with a job offer; typical tech relocation packages are around $5-10K) To all those looking at Greyhound costs, I need to ask: have you ever actually moved somewhere, tallying your expenses?
kamaal 8y ago
Sometimes its hard to understand the value of something until you see something much worse. For an immigrant the contrast is very clear. For some one born and used to privilege not so much. There is reason why so many new millionaires are made, but existing heirs of all those millionaires don't become billionaires. Without any real pressure, a persons efforts will juts wax and wane over time.
Broken_Hippo 8y ago
If you are lucky enough to have that sort of situation available and the money to do so... sure. That isn't all that risky. Of course, you might not be able to get that far. A greyhound ticket is expensive when you don't have work and are trying to feed children. Or your parents live in the same area. Or they are dead. Or maybe greyhound doesn't serve your area well enough for you to get transportation to the bus stop. and these are just shallow things. Anyone who doesn't have a parent or friend to stay with in an area with jobs is just out of luck.
haskellandchill 8y ago
HAHA Parents house. Bus. What! I guess you can beg in the streets for bus money, but nothing can make you have a place to stay.

throwaway5752 8y ago

Not everyone has the money for the bus trip, parents that would have them back, or parents that have a house. A lot of the people on HN come from a background of privilege (nothing wrong with that) but it effects how one perceives risk.

cafard 8y ago
Not everyone has parents that own a house, not everyone has parents that can shelter them. However, a quick check on the Greyhound site shows that bus fare from Washington, DC, to Topeka, Kansas, could be about $120, and from Washington to Los Angeles can be done for $180 to $280.
- throwaway5752 8y ago
  I know they sound cheap, but I think you're underestimating how hard an extra $250 can be for a lot of people and how little savings the bulk of the US has (particularly lower income areas/populations, since we're talking in the context of "when their town has no future"). You are also assuming 1 ticket, and if my memory's right then there's a negative correlation between income and family size/age of having first child.
- TheCoelacanth 8y ago
  $280 is more than a week's worth of take home pay for a minimum wage worker.
- romwell 8y ago
  Yeah right, because the bus ticket is the most expensive cost of relocation. That's why when a company pays for relocation, they typically pay in the ballpark of $500 to account for the expenses associated with an interstate move for one person. ...which would be a nice narrative if it wasn't an order of magnitude off. Someone relocating has to pay for: -transportation of themselves (that's your Greyhound) -transportation of their goods OR re-purchases of all the basic necessities (something to sleep on, something to cook with, etc) - $1000 conservatively -transportation or purchase of a vehicle (because you really can't live and work without a car in most of the US), so in fact, let's forget about Greyhound. Throw in vehicle registration fees, increase in insurance (going from Podunk, MN to SF Bay Area will cost you $1000 just there, not accounting for gas/mileage). Of course, you can save by moving to an area with extensive public transportation networks, but that means you'll pay way more in... -security deposit AND first month's rent (which, spoiler! is usually going to be much higher in the city that people are relocating to). Again, for the Bay Rea, assuming you are a 20-something single who can live with room-mates (and not someone with a family who needs an apartment), that's around $1000 + $1000 if you are lucky. Add more for NYC where 2x rent is standard for a deposit (remember how you were going to save by going car-less? Put all that money here) -perhaps you don't have a job offer waiting for you, so a month's worth of expenses while you're looking for a job. Let's say you are frugal, so that's $500, assuming you don't want health insurance and your jalopy made it across the country without needing repairs. So somewhere around $5K for a single person for interstate relocation, assuming one finds a job within a month. (I moved with a job offer; typical tech relocation packages are around $5-10K) To all those looking at Greyhound costs, I need to ask: have you ever actually moved somewhere, tallying your expenses?

kamaal 8y ago

Sometimes its hard to understand the value of something until you see something much worse. For an immigrant the contrast is very clear. For some one born and used to privilege not so much. There is reason why so many new millionaires are made, but existing heirs of all those millionaires don't become billionaires. Without any real pressure, a persons efforts will juts wax and wane over time.

Broken_Hippo 8y ago

If you are lucky enough to have that sort of situation available and the money to do so... sure. That isn't all that risky. Of course, you might not be able to get that far. A greyhound ticket is expensive when you don't have work and are trying to feed children. Or your parents live in the same area. Or they are dead. Or maybe greyhound doesn't serve your area well enough for you to get transportation to the bus stop. and these are just shallow things. Anyone who doesn't have a parent or friend to stay with in an area with jobs is just out of luck.

haskellandchill 8y ago

HAHA Parents house. Bus. What! I guess you can beg in the streets for bus money, but nothing can make you have a place to stay.