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Other than the low salaries, there are two compounding issues here: – Transportation. The US is very unfriendly to forms of transportation that are not cars. T

Other than the low salaries, there are two compounding issues here: – Transportation. The US is very unfriendly to forms of transportation that are not cars. There are a few exceptions, but these are exceptions. Good public transport or even bike lanes would massively improve conditions for a lot of people. – Health care. Private companies are overcharging people and have made health care(hospitals and medication) unreachable if you don't have your costs subsidized by your employer. – Education. Higher education would likely help this person. But how could she afford it?

paulcole 7y ago
> Good public transport or even bike lanes would massively improve conditions for a lot of people. Bring up public transit or bicycling to people in nearly every non-urban part of the United States and you'll get a million reasons why it won't work. Car culture is so engrained in America that people have convinced themselves there is no alternative. "I'd get sweaty", "Oh but I have to carry...", "Walking to the stop would take...", "My kids...", "I don't want to sit next to people..." . Even the rare people who actually have to drive refuse to understand why they should be among the strongest proponents of alternative and public transit.
- smileysteve 7y ago
  A 80 year old man was remarking how Gen Z (and late millennials) aren't even getting their licenses as teens anymore. It's amazing to think that he was the first generation of the ubiquitous automobile in the US and now can't comprehend how the generation before him got around.
  - cnasc 7y ago
    > now can't comprehend how the generation before him got around. The generation before him _didn’t_ get around, relatively speaking. Widespread use of the automobile changed transportation patterns dramatically.
    - andrewem 7y ago
      The automobile also changed land use patterns dramatically, and the truism is that transportation is land use. See eg Cleveland, Ohio, which now has roughly the same population as it did in I think 1940, but takes something like 4 times the land. So people in 1900 didn't have to travel as much to access a similar amount of opportunity, because things were closer together.
      - Gibbon1 7y ago
        I remember some pictures of Pittsburgh from the 1940's. With the steel mills belching smoke. You can imagine why people fled to the Suburbs. Seems like considering environmental regulations and the resulting clean up that that was ultimately a mistake.
    - paulcole 7y ago
      Yep, look at the incredibly limited streetcar and trolley system in Portland in the early 1900s. Really wonder how people survived. http://myplace.frontier.com/~trolley503/HistMaps.html http://myplace.frontier.com/~trolley503/HistMaps.html
      - Gibbon1 7y ago
        A friend found an old San Francisco bus schedule from the 1920s. I just remember it was faster to get from downtown to the Outer Richmond in 1925 by bus than it now. And actually faster than it is by car too. Also remember San Francisco to Yosemite was I think 6-7 hours by train at one time.
    - smileysteve 7y ago
      Trains, busses, and street cars were much more common in my city until the 50s. Every major town around me (within 4 hours), and my city was established by because they were a rail stop. I feel this is most pronounced when I go to the mountains 2 hours North; which was a popular summer destination at the turn of the 20th century to the mid century. Now it's a long drive away and no longer has the visitors it used to have.
    - 7y ago
nlfwhulsdhouv 7y ago
> Health care. Private companies are overcharging people and have made health care(hospitals and medication) unreachable if you don't have your costs subsidized by your employer. Medicare for all is one of the most important policies to alleviate pressure on lower-income people. Even for the middle class, the freedom to change jobs or take time off without fear of disaster will take such a load off of society.
- virmundi 7y ago
  If we implement it like the Scandinavian countries, the average poor family would still have to pay 600-700 per month. I believe that would be about 2/3 of her monthly income.
  - nlfwhulsdhouv 7y ago
    The Scandinavian implementation is not the only option; although it would still be an improvement. ~$700 is about what people pay for 'Bronze' plans before their deductible. For someone with a chronic condition, the average out-of-pocket would be much higher to access any amount of care. Alternatively, the Canadian system does not require any sort of insurance-like payment to access all but a few parts of the healthcare system. While wait times are a bit of a problem for non-emergency care, Canada pays ~1/3rd of what America pays for healthcare. That leaves significant funding available to improve on that system simply through more doctors and and better equipment availability, while still being much more cost-effective than the current system. It should also be extended to dental and drug insurance, but again, there is ample funding available to accomplish that and still remain cheaper than the current system. Medicare For All is most similar to the Canadian 'insurance', and the best candidate for healthcare reform. There are some important conditions for it's success however---the restrictions on price negotiation must be removed; equivalent private insurance must not be allowed; and taxes must be increased to appropriately fund the system. Ignoring any of these will allow the system to be corrupted by wealthy interests (of HN includes many), and could result in a system deliberately designed to fail. Rich people _must_ use the same healthcare service as poor people, aligning incentives among all socio-economic classes, ensuring the system remains effective and well-funded.
virmundi 7y ago
As to education she probably would have received a stipend for college or have taken loans for a skill. She hasn’t. While it would suck to take out loans to be a chef or plumber, it would provide her with marketable skills. My reading of the article is she peaked at 14. She didn’t think anything would be better. She probably didn’t try.
peter303 7y ago
McDonald, bless them, gives some education aid to employees, up to $5000. http://www.archwaystoopportunity.com/tuition_assistance.html http://www.archwaystoopportunity.com/tuition_assistance.html Seems like giving up your best employees who are motivated to improve themselves. Unfortunately the women in this article probably lacks the free hours to pursue this benefit.

paulcole 7y ago

> Good public transport or even bike lanes would massively improve conditions for a lot of people. Bring up public transit or bicycling to people in nearly every non-urban part of the United States and you'll get a million reasons why it won't work. Car culture is so engrained in America that people have convinced themselves there is no alternative. "I'd get sweaty", "Oh but I have to carry...", "Walking to the stop would take...", "My kids...", "I don't want to sit next to people..." . Even the rare people who actually have to drive refuse to understand why they should be among the strongest proponents of alternative and public transit.

smileysteve 7y ago
A 80 year old man was remarking how Gen Z (and late millennials) aren't even getting their licenses as teens anymore. It's amazing to think that he was the first generation of the ubiquitous automobile in the US and now can't comprehend how the generation before him got around.
- cnasc 7y ago
  > now can't comprehend how the generation before him got around. The generation before him _didn’t_ get around, relatively speaking. Widespread use of the automobile changed transportation patterns dramatically.
  - andrewem 7y ago
    The automobile also changed land use patterns dramatically, and the truism is that transportation is land use. See eg Cleveland, Ohio, which now has roughly the same population as it did in I think 1940, but takes something like 4 times the land. So people in 1900 didn't have to travel as much to access a similar amount of opportunity, because things were closer together.
    - Gibbon1 7y ago
      I remember some pictures of Pittsburgh from the 1940's. With the steel mills belching smoke. You can imagine why people fled to the Suburbs. Seems like considering environmental regulations and the resulting clean up that that was ultimately a mistake.
  - paulcole 7y ago
    Yep, look at the incredibly limited streetcar and trolley system in Portland in the early 1900s. Really wonder how people survived. http://myplace.frontier.com/~trolley503/HistMaps.html http://myplace.frontier.com/~trolley503/HistMaps.html
    - Gibbon1 7y ago
      A friend found an old San Francisco bus schedule from the 1920s. I just remember it was faster to get from downtown to the Outer Richmond in 1925 by bus than it now. And actually faster than it is by car too. Also remember San Francisco to Yosemite was I think 6-7 hours by train at one time.
  - smileysteve 7y ago
    Trains, busses, and street cars were much more common in my city until the 50s. Every major town around me (within 4 hours), and my city was established by because they were a rail stop. I feel this is most pronounced when I go to the mountains 2 hours North; which was a popular summer destination at the turn of the 20th century to the mid century. Now it's a long drive away and no longer has the visitors it used to have.
  - 7y ago

nlfwhulsdhouv 7y ago

> Health care. Private companies are overcharging people and have made health care(hospitals and medication) unreachable if you don't have your costs subsidized by your employer. Medicare for all is one of the most important policies to alleviate pressure on lower-income people. Even for the middle class, the freedom to change jobs or take time off without fear of disaster will take such a load off of society.

virmundi 7y ago
If we implement it like the Scandinavian countries, the average poor family would still have to pay 600-700 per month. I believe that would be about 2/3 of her monthly income.
- nlfwhulsdhouv 7y ago
  The Scandinavian implementation is not the only option; although it would still be an improvement. ~$700 is about what people pay for 'Bronze' plans before their deductible. For someone with a chronic condition, the average out-of-pocket would be much higher to access any amount of care. Alternatively, the Canadian system does not require any sort of insurance-like payment to access all but a few parts of the healthcare system. While wait times are a bit of a problem for non-emergency care, Canada pays ~1/3rd of what America pays for healthcare. That leaves significant funding available to improve on that system simply through more doctors and and better equipment availability, while still being much more cost-effective than the current system. It should also be extended to dental and drug insurance, but again, there is ample funding available to accomplish that and still remain cheaper than the current system. Medicare For All is most similar to the Canadian 'insurance', and the best candidate for healthcare reform. There are some important conditions for it's success however---the restrictions on price negotiation must be removed; equivalent private insurance must not be allowed; and taxes must be increased to appropriately fund the system. Ignoring any of these will allow the system to be corrupted by wealthy interests (of HN includes many), and could result in a system deliberately designed to fail. Rich people _must_ use the same healthcare service as poor people, aligning incentives among all socio-economic classes, ensuring the system remains effective and well-funded.

virmundi 7y ago

As to education she probably would have received a stipend for college or have taken loans for a skill. She hasn’t. While it would suck to take out loans to be a chef or plumber, it would provide her with marketable skills. My reading of the article is she peaked at 14. She didn’t think anything would be better. She probably didn’t try.

peter303 7y ago

McDonald, bless them, gives some education aid to employees, up to $5000. http://www.archwaystoopportunity.com/tuition_assistance.html http://www.archwaystoopportunity.com/tuition_assistance.html Seems like giving up your best employees who are motivated to improve themselves. Unfortunately the women in this article probably lacks the free hours to pursue this benefit.