I was startled to see in my local newspaper that 20 - 25% of the people in my county receive SNAP (food stamps).
That seemed high to me so I am looking at poverty this morning.
According to the Census Bureau, about 1 in 9 people (11%) of Americans live below the poverty line. This is not evenly distributed around the states.
I just wrote a long post about poverty but it didn’t post.
Bottom line:
From a Macroeconomic viewpoint, the bottom income quintile only earns 5% of total income so their impact on the economy is small.
But cuts in SNAP and Medicaid will hurt the working poor since 53.3% of public school students in the United States were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
A few years ago in some of the Bay area schools, even in “rich” school districts started having free lunch and now breakfast for everyone…so that there is no stigma to getting a free meal.
I doubt there are a lot of large factories in your area to provide decent paying opportunities for poorly educated people. Some may remember the rhubarb, some years ago, when WalMart was explicitly telling employees to apply for SNAP and Medicaid, because, given what WalMart paid them, most qualified for assistance.
Likely not true in my locale. WalMart now start at $13/hour. And of course raise follow as they build experience. And WalMart has better healthcare benefits than in the past.
All of the bottom feeder employers have had to improve pay and benefits in recent years. Hence the “idea” of Medicaid work requirements, to force people to take low pay jobs.
40% of all births in this country are paid for primarily by Medicaid. That’s a statistic from 2024, just another stat which illustrates the wealth disparity in this country. I believe significant changes are needed fairly soon to prevent even more violence.
You know how I hate people who don’t know what they’re talking about? The below ref’d response was whacked totally out because I quoted the wrong statement. If it makes any sense it’s purely coincidental
It might have something to do with impulse control and delayed gratification disparity too.
This is the quote I was responding to with the “impulse control” statement:
40% of all births in this country are paid for primarily by Medicaid. That’s a statistic from 2024, just another stat which illustrates the wealth disparity in this country. I believe significant changes are needed fairly soon to prevent even more violence.
If you’re going to hate me or disagree I want you to at least know why
You don’t have to spend a ton of money to protect yourself from pregnancy and STDs. Condons are usually inexpensive, and can even be free.
On average, condons cost about a dollar each, but it may be less or more depending on the brand, store, and package — most of the time larger packs end up being a better value. Boxes of 3 go for about $2 to $6. In packages of 12 or more, condoms usually cost less than $1 each. So stocking up on condoms not only helps you be prepared, it can also save money.
Hence the push, in some areas of the country, and by some employers, to put any and all forms of contraception out of reach of the Proles,regardless of their ability to pay a reasonable price.
I have seen several stories recently about WalMart - and Costco. WalMart’s employee turnover, per year, is between 50% and 70%. Costco’s is 8%. Want to guess why?
Quite a few households have 2 bread winners. Sometimes 2 full-time or 1 full-time & 1 part-time.
My community is 60% Hispanic with large extended families Nanas-grandmas are utilized for childcare. And a diligent apartment hunter can still find a rental in &700-$800/month range.
One must be frugal in spending habits though. No $100/month cable bills. No new vehicle buying. And if your job is on one of the bus lines. Zero work transportation cost. Yep, bus service is free for the rider in my burg. Or if not on a bus line but only 3 or miles away from work-an e-bike could be a solution.
Obviously their living would be quite different from the professional class. And they likely wouldn’t ever own their own home. But they were likely raised in an apartment themselves. One sometimes never misses what one never had.
Just wait until robots are plentiful & cheap enough to replace the working class. Civil unrest could be around the corner. That won’t be a problem for me as I likely be dead before that occurs.
It is high. At WalMart it 3 strikes and you are gone. Failing to come to work or calling just before your shift that you won’t be there, or are late or have too many problems so that you are unreliable to report to work. You’re gone. WalMart will take a chance on just about anyone but if you don’t measure up you are gone. My Walmart does need workers. Everytime I am there I see a shelve somewhere in the store that isn’t stocked.
But Costco business model is different from WalMart. They sell bulk amount of items. Sam’s is similar. As a single person I have no desire to shop in such a store. Besides the nearest Costco in 50 miles from my house.
Costco has just announced a big pay hike for their employees.
Costco’s new employee agreement took effect this week, increasing its minimum wage to $20 per hour and its average wage to more than $31 an hour in the US and Canada.
That is quite an increase. I wonder how this will effect Costco’s bottom line? Can current pricing be maintained? Will membership fee rise?
Not if removing the stigma and administrative costs of collecting the lunch money improve student health and education outcomes. Too often, the usual suspects are willing to pay extra just to make sure others are suffering more. It’s just nuts!
Racism, ignorance and innumeracy, and the promotion of such, have a profound macroeconomic effect on the nation.