The Poor Want More Opportunity, Not More Entitlement Spending

[KenH]

"It probably won’t come as much of a surprise to learn that most Americans regard the War on Poverty as a failure. According to a new YouGov poll, conducted for the Cato Institute, 77 percent of Americans call it “ineffective.” This includes 80 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of Democrats. In this age of political polarization, that represents an extraordinary bipartisan consensus. But what many might find to be even more extraordinary is that the vast majority of poor Americans agree, too. ...

In reality, the poor, like everyone else, simply want an opportunity to succeed in a growing economy. That means an agenda based on removing government barriers to success — an agenda based on limited government, free markets, and giving people more control over their lives."

The Poor Want More Opportunity, Not More Entitlement Spending

 

[just-want-peace]

At the risk of sounding “partisan”, this seems to be what is happening right now, and could/would happen even more if certain people didn’t hate Trump MORE than they love their country!!!!!!!

 

[General Mung Beans]

The way polling questions are framed matters. People generally agree the "War on Poverty" hasn't worked but that doesn't necessarily mean they want to get rid of programs that currently aid people such as Medicaid or food stamps.

 

[GoodTidings]

America is full of opportunities, but they are not gifts that can be handed out. You actually have to work. Right now, there are more jobs in this nation than there are people to work them. There is no reason for anyone, unless they are genuinely disabled and cannot physically hold down a job, to be on government assistance.

The first step is to get a job if want out of poverty. A job is the best social program in America. That's just the first step. A person may even need more than one job; may need to get a second extra part time job to make ends meet.

But there are jobs all over America, millions of them that require no college and pay over $50k per year with full benefits and complete on the job training, so no experience required. They are hard manual labor jobs, and you will go home with sore muscles and will be sweating through your shirt, but opportunities are there.

There are loans and grants available for good paying jobs in the trades like welding or HVAC or plumbing. Those jobs pay upwards of $3000 a month.

But there is also something to be said about how people spend their money. That sends people into poverty than anything else. Self destructive habits like alcoholism, cigarette addiction, are very expensive. People running up their credit card bills, going to expensive restaurants, not saving for retirement, are all factors in creating poverty.

The jobs an opportunities are out there, but when someone has been living on gov't assistance for a long time, it is hard to get back into the work routine of getting up and going to a job.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I have a job now, it's not enough to live on but it's a step up from what I was living on before. It took me years to find a job, and I felt like something was wrong with me, I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. For example some jobs want you to follow up, others want you to wait until they contact you....and they may put you on a "do not hire" list if you contact them. It's dicey. In my case, it also turned out I had mental issues to work on and get under control--ie, social anxiety and OCD. I'm on medication that's covered by the state, but since I'm operating on a normal level now I do want to try lowering the dosage and see if my symptoms are still at bay--if I'm lucky, maybe I can get off the meds permanently. I wouldn't have been able to afford counseling or medical treatment without state funding or the availability of a nonprofit clinic.

I am on food stamps, but now that I have a job I expect them to be cut soonish. Which is fine. These programs are an aid, not something to be on permanently.

I do wish people wouldn't assume that us poor folks are poor because we don't want to work--I hated myself for years for my inability to land a job. My mom has a full time job and still lives paycheck to paycheck--my income's role is to save up for property taxes and emergencies, as well as to lend a hand whenever she needs help covering a bill. Of course, I pay rent too.

 

[FollowTheWay]

"It probably won’t come as much of a surprise to learn that most Americans regard the War on Poverty as a failure. According to a new YouGov poll, conducted for the Cato Institute, 77 percent of Americans call it “ineffective.” This includes 80 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of Democrats. In this age of political polarization, that represents an extraordinary bipartisan consensus. But what many might find to be even more extraordinary is that the vast majority of poor Americans agree, too. ...

In reality, the poor, like everyone else, simply want an opportunity to succeed in a growing economy. That means an agenda based on removing government barriers to success — an agenda based on limited government, free markets, and giving people more control over their lives."

The Poor Want More Opportunity, Not More Entitlement Spending

The poor need the opportunity to earn a living wage not $8/hr. They also need affordable housing. There is a severe shortage of affordable housing in America.

 

[Revmitchell]

The poor need the opportunity to earn a living wage not $8/hr. They also need affordable housing. There is a severe shortage of affordable housing in America.

Then they should go get a job that pays more so that can afford the house they need.

 

[FollowTheWay]

Then they should go get a job that pays more so that can afford the house they need.

Jobs that pay a living wage are not being created. They don't exist for the middle class.

 

[Revmitchell]

Jobs that pay a living wage are not being created. They don't exist for the middle class.

I see it every day. Go on indeeed.com and check they are their. You either are not telling the truth knowingly or are seriously ignorant.

 

[GoodTidings]

The poor need the opportunity to earn a living wage not $8/hr. They also need affordable housing. There is a severe shortage of affordable housing in America.

There are millions of good paying jobs that pay close to $50,000 - 60,000 a year and require no college education. You will work hard, and you go home with sore muscles and you will sweat through your shirt, but you get paid very handsomely. They pay benefits and have hands-on training. There are schools that accept federal student loans that train people for the trades like welding, plumbing, H-VAC and those jobs pay very well, too. If you get one of those jobs, housing won't be a problem.

There are opportunities, but no one is going to hand them to you on a silver platter. But getting an $8-$9 an hour job might be necessary if one decides to go the school route.

There are a lot of people who simply want high-wages handed to them, and that is not going to happen.

The Left's solution is always amounts to throwing money at the problem. The best social program is a job. That will pull people out of poverty, whereas the Left just wants to keep people in poverty.

 

[FollowTheWay]

I see it every day. Go on indeeed.com and check they are their. You either are not telling the truth knowingly or are seriously ignorant.

Read questdriven's post. Ask him.

 

[FollowTheWay]

There are millions of good paying jobs that pay close to $50,000 - 60,000 a year and require no college education. You will work hard, and you go home with sore muscles and you will sweat through your shirt, but you get paid very handsomely. They pay benefits and have hands-on training. There are schools that accept federal student loans that train people for the trades like welding, plumbing, H-VAC and those jobs pay very well, too. If you get one of those jobs, housing won't be a problem.

There are opportunities, but no one is going to hand them to you on a silver platter. But getting an $8-$9 an hour job might be necessary if one decides to go the school route.

There are a lot of people who simply want high-wages handed to them, and that is not going to happen.

The Left's solution is always amounts to throwing money at the problem. The best social program is a job. That will pull people out of poverty, whereas the Left just wants to keep people in poverty.

High school graduates who work full time had median weekly earnings of $718 in second quarter : The Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

High school graduates who work full time had median weekly earnings of $718 in second quarter
JULY 21, 2017

Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and older were $909 in the second quarter of 2017. Full-time workers without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $515, compared with $718 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,189 for those with a bachelor's degree. Full-time workers with advanced degrees (professional or master's degree and above) had median weekly earnings of $1,451.

******************************************************************************************************************************************
That comes to $37,000/year for the median pay for high school grads at all experience levels. Starting pay for someone without experience is quite a bit less. The median rent for two-bedroom apartments in the U.S. stood at $1,255 in December. That's over $15,000/year. Average health insurance costs for a family are about $1200/mo or $14,400/year with a deductible of $8,800. Taxes including FICA would take out about $6,250. That doesn't make it.

In other words a HS grad making the median salary in an apartment costing the median amount and a family of 4 can't survive in America. Yeas, there are jobs that pay a lot more but I'm talking about average. There are apartments that cost less but this is average.

 

[GoodTidings]

High school graduates who work full time had median weekly earnings of $718 in second quarter : The Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

And there are millions of jobs out there that require no college that pay close to $50k per year or more. The fact that high school graduates don't take those jobs doesn't change the fact that the opportunities are there for people with NO college, to get a great paying job. Here are just some examples of what is out there for high school graduates >>> 11 High-Paying Blue Collar Jobs with Mike Rowe

If they won't take those jobs, and they are able-bodied and can physically do the job, that is their problem, but that doesn't mean there no opportunities for them.

 

[evenifigoalone]

As an example, most jobs where I'm at start out part time. I work part time. Which is fine for me, but I don't have to pay for utilities, groceries, etc. Not at this time at least. My mom needs a better paying job, but most of the places she can apply at are not hiring full time. My mom has told me about people she picks up in her cab who work two jobs and still have trouble making ends meet.
Job availability where I'm at isn't great, unless you work in the military or on the base. We used to have a paper mill that shut down 20 years ago, that hurt a lot of people.

In fact, my hours just got cut from 20-25 to 12-17. It sucks, but it's something I can handle at this stage of my life. My co-workers, though, are talking about applying for a second job. (Everyone's hours were cut.)

I wish it were as simple as just going out and getting a better job. I used indeed.com, snagajob, all those sites.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I will say there was an opportunity when I went to GED classes, for a job that PAID you to go to college, then when you got out you earned like $20/hr. But it required high math skills, which not everyone has. P sure that was one of those jobs they offer on the military base.

If you're a boomer, you're basically from a different world. You can't just go in and ask for a job with no experience, and boom, you're hired. There's a lot of hoops you have to jump through, so much experience they require you to have, do they want you to follow up after an application or will they put you on a "do not hire" list for bugging them, etc.

For me, it's fine to have a low level, low paying job, because I can afford that since I live with my mom. I can afford to start small and eventually work up to higher pay. I can afford to get a job just to gain experience, and not necessarily to live off of right off the bat.
Others, they may not have that luxury. Even with trade schools, poorer families like mine for example can't afford to pay for them.

 

[GoodTidings]

I will say there was an opportunity when I went to GED classes, for a job that PAID you to go to college, then when you got out you earned like $20/hr. But it required high math skills, which not everyone has. P sure that was one of those jobs they offer on the military base.

If you're a boomer, you're basically from a different world. You can't just go in and ask for a job with no experience, and boom, you're hired. There's a lot of hoops you have to jump through, so much experience they require you to have, do they want you to follow up after an application or will they put you on a "do not hire" list for bugging them, etc.

For me, it's fine to have a low level, low paying job, because I can afford that since I live with my mom. I can afford to start small and eventually work up to higher pay. I can afford to get a job just to gain experience, and not necessarily to live off of right off the bat.
Others, they may not have that luxury. Even with trade schools, poorer families like mine for example can't afford to pay for them.

Trade schools often accept financial aid, so you would not have to pay for them out-of-pocket. There are also millions of better paying jobs that offer on-the-job training and require no experience.

Those jobs are hard to fill because most people are going the college route instead of manual labor route. If you're willing to work and work hard, there are good paying jobs out there.

And right now, because there are more jobs out there than people work them, they are having to compete with each other for applicants. I live in a retail-industry town. All we have are restaurants and stores. We have no major industry as far as production plants to work at. The retail stores and restaurants are having to raise their pay levels in order to attract people work there. We have, "help wanted" signs all over the place. Jobs are out there for those that want them.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I work retail. That's mostly what's available where I live. I work part time and make 8.25$ an hour.
The problem for many is that the cost of living is higher, or barely enough. I'm not for the government artificially raising the minimum wage, but our struggles are legitimate.

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[Revmitchell]

I wish it were as simple as just going out and getting a better job. I used indeed.com, snagajob, all those sites.

Sigh, getting another job is never easy but it is simple. It may require getting more training, it may require moving to where opportunities are. It may require gaining some experience. It always requires some level of sacrifice.

 

[evenifigoalone]

That isn't very helpful for people who can't move (me), need a living income right now, etc.

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[Revmitchell]

That isn't very helpful for people who can't move (me), need a living income right now, etc.

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Always requires some sacrifice