Inflation – Has it arrived?

[zzz]

SD Realtor- I agree with you that there are many families who already scrimp, save and still barely scrape by and have 0 to little modern luxuries. There ALWAYS will be folks who live marginally, inflation or not, they are folks who works 2 or 3 jobs, to feed their children, and often their extended families. However, there are a LOT of these marginal families who need to make better choices, but often lack the skills needed to do so.

You are wrong about the middle class having worst eating habits, not that the middle class doesn’t overeat or choose very poorly. The poorest in this country are the most obese, from the NYT article referenced below: “Seven of the 10 states with the highest poverty levels are also among the 10 states with the highest obesity rates.”

http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger&obesity.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5576/obesity_and_poverty_the_poorest_of.html?cat=51
http://scienceblog.com/14046/correlation-between-obesity-and-poverty-healthy-people-2010-should-increase-attention-on-those-in-poverty/

There are hundreds if not thousands of other articles if you just google poverty and obesity.

You said you DONT know these poor people yourself, what are you doing to help them? I find it ironic you are calling other people elitist on this board.

There are a lot of other trends that come with those who are poor, disadvantaged that leads them to mismanage what money they do have. Many of these poor families lack education, do not understand nutrition, they do not value education for their children, do not value exercise, and they do not know how to manage finances. This cycle repeats itself generation after generation.

I DO know these poor people, I volunteer to help children and families in these situations and the trends I presented above are not anecdotal, there are many many statistics to back this up. In MH, just a few houses down from us, the original home that never got rebuilt/remodeled has housed the same family, many generations of Mexicans for over 30 years. There are12 people living in 800 sq ft. 2 grandparents in their 50s, their 3 kids (2 daughters, 1 son). The 2 daughters have 2 small children + their husbands who had just gotten out of jail. Plus one kid they took in off the streets. The 2 parents work, the 2 daughters do not, and their husbands had temporary work ( whatever they could pick up). The 2 young men work in odd jobs or in minimum wage jobs when they can find it or get hired, but in this economy, they have been let go or had hours cut. The 2 young men both graduated from HS but were not literate – they could not fill out a job application without someone’s help. These men are underemployed but also lack skills to find jobs. They do not know how to use computers or the internet proficiently, nor have one at home. They barely speak English fluently.

The daughters /husband/2kids each received welfare benefits.

The 1 son who we befriended and would ask us for advice, help, guidance, would often tell us how they barely scraped by to buy food. Here is what we observed:

–They All had cell phones
–They also pay for a home phone- I asked the son why they had a home phone? Answer: we’ve always had it, but I should ask my parents.
–They buy alcohol – we would see recycling bags filled with beer cans/ liquor bottles
–They pay for cable TV
–They have nice clothes / sneakers
–They have high fat diets- a lot of Mexican food, a lot of pizza, a lot of prepackaged food. The 3 woman of the house are obese

Another family we know – when they are making money working in construction, they SPEND it, they do not save. Now they are unemployed. They have 2 PS3s and loads of games – 1 for the adults, 1 for the kids. They have iPhones, they have cable TV, they drive 30k gas guzzling cars that get 8mpg and then cannot afford to put gas in these cars. They are on welfare. They are obese

These are just 2 families, but I observe these same things firsthand repeated over and over.

We have a friend who is an economics teacher in a poor farming community in Northern CA. He tries to teach his kids about diet, exercise and money. They are kids who are POOR, but have ipods, Xbox’s or PS3s and their families buy cable. Their families have no value for exercise, or necessarily education, they just want their kids working so they have one less mouth to feed. We live in a world now where if kids, even very poor ones don’t have some of these toys, its like they are being abused.

What we need is a better WELFARE system in providing aid that obligates them to go to classes on parenting, diet, budgeting/credit cards/ finances.

[briansd1]

[quote=zzz]What we need is a better WELFARE system in providing aid that obligates them to go to classes on parenting, diet, budgeting/credit cards/ finances.[/quote]

So very well said. Education.

When I’m in Philly, I see satellite TV dishes by every front door of the public housing complexes (I guess they can’t have cable).

Thanks to technology, it’s easy to determine what can be bought with food stamps debit cards. But business interests want the revenue.

Cable and satellite TV companies should be prohibited from selling their services to housing units where a resident is on public assistance.

Why are credit cards given to the poorest, least educated family so that they can spend themselves into debt and pay 40% APR? Because they are easy targets for the banks and the vendors who want the revenue.

[quote=zzz] 2 grandparents in their 50s, their 3 kids (2 daughters, 1 son). The 2 daughters have 2 small children + their husbands who had just gotten out of jail. [/quote]

We need family planning and contraception.

We know that there’s a problem when the grandparents are in the 40s or 50s.

[briansd1]

[quote=zzz]What we need is a better WELFARE system in providing aid that obligates them to go to classes on parenting, diet, budgeting/credit cards/ finances.[/quote]

So very well said. Education.

When I’m in Philly, I see satellite TV dishes by every front door of the public housing complexes (I guess they can’t have cable).

Thanks to technology, it’s easy to determine what can be bought with food stamps debit cards. But business interests want the revenue.

Cable and satellite TV companies should be prohibited from selling their services to housing units where a resident is on public assistance.

Why are credit cards given to the poorest, least educated family so that they can spend themselves into debt and pay 40% APR? Because they are easy targets for the banks and the vendors who want the revenue.

[quote=zzz] 2 grandparents in their 50s, their 3 kids (2 daughters, 1 son). The 2 daughters have 2 small children + their husbands who had just gotten out of jail. [/quote]

We need family planning and contraception.

We know that there’s a problem when the grandparents are in the 40s or 50s.

[briansd1]

[quote=zzz]What we need is a better WELFARE system in providing aid that obligates them to go to classes on parenting, diet, budgeting/credit cards/ finances.[/quote]

So very well said. Education.

When I’m in Philly, I see satellite TV dishes by every front door of the public housing complexes (I guess they can’t have cable).

Thanks to technology, it’s easy to determine what can be bought with food stamps debit cards. But business interests want the revenue.

Cable and satellite TV companies should be prohibited from selling their services to housing units where a resident is on public assistance.

Why are credit cards given to the poorest, least educated family so that they can spend themselves into debt and pay 40% APR? Because they are easy targets for the banks and the vendors who want the revenue.

[quote=zzz] 2 grandparents in their 50s, their 3 kids (2 daughters, 1 son). The 2 daughters have 2 small children + their husbands who had just gotten out of jail. [/quote]

We need family planning and contraception.

We know that there’s a problem when the grandparents are in the 40s or 50s.

[briansd1]

[quote=zzz]What we need is a better WELFARE system in providing aid that obligates them to go to classes on parenting, diet, budgeting/credit cards/ finances.[/quote]

So very well said. Education.

When I’m in Philly, I see satellite TV dishes by every front door of the public housing complexes (I guess they can’t have cable).

Thanks to technology, it’s easy to determine what can be bought with food stamps debit cards. But business interests want the revenue.

Cable and satellite TV companies should be prohibited from selling their services to housing units where a resident is on public assistance.

Why are credit cards given to the poorest, least educated family so that they can spend themselves into debt and pay 40% APR? Because they are easy targets for the banks and the vendors who want the revenue.

[quote=zzz] 2 grandparents in their 50s, their 3 kids (2 daughters, 1 son). The 2 daughters have 2 small children + their husbands who had just gotten out of jail. [/quote]

We need family planning and contraception.

We know that there’s a problem when the grandparents are in the 40s or 50s.

[briansd1]

[quote=zzz]What we need is a better WELFARE system in providing aid that obligates them to go to classes on parenting, diet, budgeting/credit cards/ finances.[/quote]

So very well said. Education.

When I’m in Philly, I see satellite TV dishes by every front door of the public housing complexes (I guess they can’t have cable).

Thanks to technology, it’s easy to determine what can be bought with food stamps debit cards. But business interests want the revenue.

Cable and satellite TV companies should be prohibited from selling their services to housing units where a resident is on public assistance.

Why are credit cards given to the poorest, least educated family so that they can spend themselves into debt and pay 40% APR? Because they are easy targets for the banks and the vendors who want the revenue.

[quote=zzz] 2 grandparents in their 50s, their 3 kids (2 daughters, 1 son). The 2 daughters have 2 small children + their husbands who had just gotten out of jail. [/quote]

We need family planning and contraception.

We know that there’s a problem when the grandparents are in the 40s or 50s.

[bearishgurl]

Folks, I’ve already finished my work for today. I’m going up to my attic and closets to clean them out because AMVETS will be around on Friday and I can fill my whole front porch 4 feet high. There’s no reason to keep this stuff around anymore. It’s just taking up space :=]

[bearishgurl]

Folks, I’ve already finished my work for today. I’m going up to my attic and closets to clean them out because AMVETS will be around on Friday and I can fill my whole front porch 4 feet high. There’s no reason to keep this stuff around anymore. It’s just taking up space :=]

[bearishgurl]

Folks, I’ve already finished my work for today. I’m going up to my attic and closets to clean them out because AMVETS will be around on Friday and I can fill my whole front porch 4 feet high. There’s no reason to keep this stuff around anymore. It’s just taking up space :=]

[bearishgurl]

Folks, I’ve already finished my work for today. I’m going up to my attic and closets to clean them out because AMVETS will be around on Friday and I can fill my whole front porch 4 feet high. There’s no reason to keep this stuff around anymore. It’s just taking up space :=]

[bearishgurl]

Folks, I’ve already finished my work for today. I’m going up to my attic and closets to clean them out because AMVETS will be around on Friday and I can fill my whole front porch 4 feet high. There’s no reason to keep this stuff around anymore. It’s just taking up space :=]

[bearishgurl]

[quote=CONCHO]. . . If they would just shop at Whole Foods like I do, they could cook nice, fresh prepared foods. BTW I just picked a great new pan from Sur La Table, everyone should get one. It normally sells for $199 but I got it on sale for $129 because I’M A FREAKING GENIUS.

Back to sleep everyone. . . [/quote]

FWIW, CONCHO, I’ve never set foot in a “Whole Paycheck” market in my entire life. And the most expensive “pan” I’ve ever purchased was a $100 cast-iron skillet on the Macy’s clearance table for $32. With a small scratch, WTH?? It’s lasted me 16 years so far.

This thread has nothing to do with “morality of the poor.” It has to do with the effect inflation on everyday commodities has on the poor. Topics I brought up were food-group ignorance and to a lesser extent, not having the proper kitchen facilities, access to or resources to purchase “top-quality” ingredients.

We are all fortunate in this region, even the poor. We have a vast agricultural region beginning 150 miles north of here that grows a wide variety of produce. We can live without heating our homes. We have “almost adequate” TANF payments, a Section 8 voucher program and other rental programs that adjust rent to a worker’s income.

See: http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=ca&topic=renting

This is not the case in all parts of the country. Many poor families in other regions cannot exist without resorting to illegal activities if they can’t get consistent help from relatives. Their only other option is to leave their children behind with a relative and leave the area in search of work but this also requires money for travel and food AND a contact person to stay with for several months while they search for work and save up enough to get settled. It isn’t easy being poor in rural America, even though housing there may be cheaper. Utilities and (lesser-quality) food are often HIGHER than here. There is little to no competition in supermarkets in many areas.

All of my particular posts here have addressed the “function of being poor” and the various types of help that IS available to them. Sometimes poor people feel like they have to do desperate things when they have children. You have to put yourselves in some of these parents shoes to understand their actions.

Even the unfortunate “3-striker” incidences are just a function of being poor … nothing else. At the time of being “sprung” from a Big House in CA to your local parole office, you are given 3-5 things by the CDC:

-a clean change of street clothes if no one has brought you any

-money for one-way bus ticket (if no one is there to pick you up)

-an advance payment of about $200 in “General Relief” to be paid once per month for 6 months (may be renewable)

-an EBT card with an advance deposit on it of about $67, refilled once per month with same

Edit: add a 4th (6th) item: large folder of paperwork with name, address and phone number of parole officer and an Order to contact said officer within a certain number of hours of arriving back home (to set up appt).

**********

Down the line, after settling in with a relative and getting a job (typically manual labor and often “under-the-table”) due to a felony record, these parolees may get their kid(s) back. Then lose their jobs or business is slow and/or they have burned thru living with relatives and may be on a waiting list for subsidized housing. They know they can’t sell drugs because they will end up using again and they can’t test “dirty” or they will certainly end up back at the Inn. When they become desperate enough to feed their kids before EOM again, they’re back in the store trying to score a half-gallon of milk under their clothes w/o paying. For a felon, it’s EASY AS PIE to get a second and third strike against you, even for a (very costly) pack of gum.

It’s just a function of the combination of our screwed up legislature and “being poor.” It’s a terribly vicious cycle. :={

[bearishgurl]

[quote=CONCHO]. . . If they would just shop at Whole Foods like I do, they could cook nice, fresh prepared foods. BTW I just picked a great new pan from Sur La Table, everyone should get one. It normally sells for $199 but I got it on sale for $129 because I’M A FREAKING GENIUS.

Back to sleep everyone. . . [/quote]

FWIW, CONCHO, I’ve never set foot in a “Whole Paycheck” market in my entire life. And the most expensive “pan” I’ve ever purchased was a $100 cast-iron skillet on the Macy’s clearance table for $32. With a small scratch, WTH?? It’s lasted me 16 years so far.

This thread has nothing to do with “morality of the poor.” It has to do with the effect inflation on everyday commodities has on the poor. Topics I brought up were food-group ignorance and to a lesser extent, not having the proper kitchen facilities, access to or resources to purchase “top-quality” ingredients.

We are all fortunate in this region, even the poor. We have a vast agricultural region beginning 150 miles north of here that grows a wide variety of produce. We can live without heating our homes. We have “almost adequate” TANF payments, a Section 8 voucher program and other rental programs that adjust rent to a worker’s income.

See: http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=ca&topic=renting

This is not the case in all parts of the country. Many poor families in other regions cannot exist without resorting to illegal activities if they can’t get consistent help from relatives. Their only other option is to leave their children behind with a relative and leave the area in search of work but this also requires money for travel and food AND a contact person to stay with for several months while they search for work and save up enough to get settled. It isn’t easy being poor in rural America, even though housing there may be cheaper. Utilities and (lesser-quality) food are often HIGHER than here. There is little to no competition in supermarkets in many areas.

All of my particular posts here have addressed the “function of being poor” and the various types of help that IS available to them. Sometimes poor people feel like they have to do desperate things when they have children. You have to put yourselves in some of these parents shoes to understand their actions.

Even the unfortunate “3-striker” incidences are just a function of being poor … nothing else. At the time of being “sprung” from a Big House in CA to your local parole office, you are given 3-5 things by the CDC:

-a clean change of street clothes if no one has brought you any

-money for one-way bus ticket (if no one is there to pick you up)

-an advance payment of about $200 in “General Relief” to be paid once per month for 6 months (may be renewable)

-an EBT card with an advance deposit on it of about $67, refilled once per month with same

Edit: add a 4th (6th) item: large folder of paperwork with name, address and phone number of parole officer and an Order to contact said officer within a certain number of hours of arriving back home (to set up appt).

**********

Down the line, after settling in with a relative and getting a job (typically manual labor and often “under-the-table”) due to a felony record, these parolees may get their kid(s) back. Then lose their jobs or business is slow and/or they have burned thru living with relatives and may be on a waiting list for subsidized housing. They know they can’t sell drugs because they will end up using again and they can’t test “dirty” or they will certainly end up back at the Inn. When they become desperate enough to feed their kids before EOM again, they’re back in the store trying to score a half-gallon of milk under their clothes w/o paying. For a felon, it’s EASY AS PIE to get a second and third strike against you, even for a (very costly) pack of gum.

It’s just a function of the combination of our screwed up legislature and “being poor.” It’s a terribly vicious cycle. :={

[bearishgurl]

[quote=CONCHO]. . . If they would just shop at Whole Foods like I do, they could cook nice, fresh prepared foods. BTW I just picked a great new pan from Sur La Table, everyone should get one. It normally sells for $199 but I got it on sale for $129 because I’M A FREAKING GENIUS.

Back to sleep everyone. . . [/quote]

FWIW, CONCHO, I’ve never set foot in a “Whole Paycheck” market in my entire life. And the most expensive “pan” I’ve ever purchased was a $100 cast-iron skillet on the Macy’s clearance table for $32. With a small scratch, WTH?? It’s lasted me 16 years so far.

This thread has nothing to do with “morality of the poor.” It has to do with the effect inflation on everyday commodities has on the poor. Topics I brought up were food-group ignorance and to a lesser extent, not having the proper kitchen facilities, access to or resources to purchase “top-quality” ingredients.

We are all fortunate in this region, even the poor. We have a vast agricultural region beginning 150 miles north of here that grows a wide variety of produce. We can live without heating our homes. We have “almost adequate” TANF payments, a Section 8 voucher program and other rental programs that adjust rent to a worker’s income.

See: http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=ca&topic=renting

This is not the case in all parts of the country. Many poor families in other regions cannot exist without resorting to illegal activities if they can’t get consistent help from relatives. Their only other option is to leave their children behind with a relative and leave the area in search of work but this also requires money for travel and food AND a contact person to stay with for several months while they search for work and save up enough to get settled. It isn’t easy being poor in rural America, even though housing there may be cheaper. Utilities and (lesser-quality) food are often HIGHER than here. There is little to no competition in supermarkets in many areas.

All of my particular posts here have addressed the “function of being poor” and the various types of help that IS available to them. Sometimes poor people feel like they have to do desperate things when they have children. You have to put yourselves in some of these parents shoes to understand their actions.

Even the unfortunate “3-striker” incidences are just a function of being poor … nothing else. At the time of being “sprung” from a Big House in CA to your local parole office, you are given 3-5 things by the CDC:

-a clean change of street clothes if no one has brought you any

-money for one-way bus ticket (if no one is there to pick you up)

-an advance payment of about $200 in “General Relief” to be paid once per month for 6 months (may be renewable)

-an EBT card with an advance deposit on it of about $67, refilled once per month with same

Edit: add a 4th (6th) item: large folder of paperwork with name, address and phone number of parole officer and an Order to contact said officer within a certain number of hours of arriving back home (to set up appt).

**********

Down the line, after settling in with a relative and getting a job (typically manual labor and often “under-the-table”) due to a felony record, these parolees may get their kid(s) back. Then lose their jobs or business is slow and/or they have burned thru living with relatives and may be on a waiting list for subsidized housing. They know they can’t sell drugs because they will end up using again and they can’t test “dirty” or they will certainly end up back at the Inn. When they become desperate enough to feed their kids before EOM again, they’re back in the store trying to score a half-gallon of milk under their clothes w/o paying. For a felon, it’s EASY AS PIE to get a second and third strike against you, even for a (very costly) pack of gum.

It’s just a function of the combination of our screwed up legislature and “being poor.” It’s a terribly vicious cycle. :={

[bearishgurl]

[quote=CONCHO]. . . If they would just shop at Whole Foods like I do, they could cook nice, fresh prepared foods. BTW I just picked a great new pan from Sur La Table, everyone should get one. It normally sells for $199 but I got it on sale for $129 because I’M A FREAKING GENIUS.

Back to sleep everyone. . . [/quote]

FWIW, CONCHO, I’ve never set foot in a “Whole Paycheck” market in my entire life. And the most expensive “pan” I’ve ever purchased was a $100 cast-iron skillet on the Macy’s clearance table for $32. With a small scratch, WTH?? It’s lasted me 16 years so far.

This thread has nothing to do with “morality of the poor.” It has to do with the effect inflation on everyday commodities has on the poor. Topics I brought up were food-group ignorance and to a lesser extent, not having the proper kitchen facilities, access to or resources to purchase “top-quality” ingredients.

We are all fortunate in this region, even the poor. We have a vast agricultural region beginning 150 miles north of here that grows a wide variety of produce. We can live without heating our homes. We have “almost adequate” TANF payments, a Section 8 voucher program and other rental programs that adjust rent to a worker’s income.

See: http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=ca&topic=renting

This is not the case in all parts of the country. Many poor families in other regions cannot exist without resorting to illegal activities if they can’t get consistent help from relatives. Their only other option is to leave their children behind with a relative and leave the area in search of work but this also requires money for travel and food AND a contact person to stay with for several months while they search for work and save up enough to get settled. It isn’t easy being poor in rural America, even though housing there may be cheaper. Utilities and (lesser-quality) food are often HIGHER than here. There is little to no competition in supermarkets in many areas.

All of my particular posts here have addressed the “function of being poor” and the various types of help that IS available to them. Sometimes poor people feel like they have to do desperate things when they have children. You have to put yourselves in some of these parents shoes to understand their actions.

Even the unfortunate “3-striker” incidences are just a function of being poor … nothing else. At the time of being “sprung” from a Big House in CA to your local parole office, you are given 3-5 things by the CDC:

-a clean change of street clothes if no one has brought you any

-money for one-way bus ticket (if no one is there to pick you up)

-an advance payment of about $200 in “General Relief” to be paid once per month for 6 months (may be renewable)

-an EBT card with an advance deposit on it of about $67, refilled once per month with same

Edit: add a 4th (6th) item: large folder of paperwork with name, address and phone number of parole officer and an Order to contact said officer within a certain number of hours of arriving back home (to set up appt).

**********

Down the line, after settling in with a relative and getting a job (typically manual labor and often “under-the-table”) due to a felony record, these parolees may get their kid(s) back. Then lose their jobs or business is slow and/or they have burned thru living with relatives and may be on a waiting list for subsidized housing. They know they can’t sell drugs because they will end up using again and they can’t test “dirty” or they will certainly end up back at the Inn. When they become desperate enough to feed their kids before EOM again, they’re back in the store trying to score a half-gallon of milk under their clothes w/o paying. For a felon, it’s EASY AS PIE to get a second and third strike against you, even for a (very costly) pack of gum.

It’s just a function of the combination of our screwed up legislature and “being poor.” It’s a terribly vicious cycle. :={

[Author]

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