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aravain -> RE: The Economy and Being Politically Incorrect... (3/29/2009 8:36:33 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: TreasureKY
Are some of those people who are having the most difficulties, ones that would have difficulties just the same... people who've lived far beyond their means, or mismanaged their funds?
Some? Certainly. All? Not nearly. The Scary Thing (tm) about this situation is that it's affecting a lot of people who *WEREN'T* mismanaging their funds, or who HAD in their past but had learned better and were trying to fix what they'd done to themselves! It really *is* happening to people who have been doing their best and who, through no fault of their own, suddenly don't have any income, enough in their savings to live off of for very long, and they're either ridiculously overqualified (this is the problem I've personally seen the most often), or nowhere needs them that can feasibly pay a livable wage... so they're delegated to 2 or 3 jobs in food-service getting minimum wage, working 60 hours or more in a week, and *still* not able to make ends meet.
The problem isn't that people are 'living outside of their means' anywhere near as much as... they were living *in* their means, and suddenly their 'means' is much lower than it was before, and getting to a place where it will be similar is far off (if not unattainable). If they bought a house recently with the help of a loan from a bank, and/or a car, those don't just go away because they're not able to keep up with their current loan rates... and even if they can there's utilities to think about, as well as food and if they have any family members (especially if they were the 'breadwinner' before)... it makes it pretty difficult.
It's these people that are feeling it the hardest. The people who WEREN'T living outside of their means, but who no longer *have* that means for whatever reason.
quote:
Are you really worse off than you were five years ago? If not, do you admit that when the subject of the economy comes up and everyone else seems to be having a hard time? Do you think it's possible that things aren't quite as bad as we're being led to believe, but that it's simply become "PC" to go along with the group lamenting?
Me personally? Not really. I'm jobless, but that's ok because even when I had a job I was pulling in less than 10k a year. I'm a student, first, a worker second by my family's reckoning. My brother, on the other hand switched to part-time student status... now he's a worker first, a student second... and he's making "enough" right now, but still looking for another job that will pay more, AND also be amenable to him continuing classes (preferably on campus so that he can continue to take a class or two each semester *for free*). My family? Not really. My father recently got a rather huge job promotion (after multiple pay increases over the past 5 years), my mother took a pay cut to move to a less stressful position within the same college because we could afford it. We're doing 'ok' but if either my mother or my father were made redundant and unable to find work after three months or so, we would have serious problems as a family. The likelihood of that happening for either is (knock on wood) relatively close to zero, both for being made redundant, or for not finding work quickly. It's another one of the reasons my mother took a different position.
So no, we're not doing worse than we were five years ago. We're doing quite better... but we're still not doing 'well,' we're still pinching pennies because we have to, etc. etc. etc.
Part of the glory of it is that we still function as a family unit. My mom, dad, brother and I pool our resources together. If I make money, it's "mine" but it's also "the family's" in a more abstract thing... and to be honest, it's probably saved us at least twice in the past year (as in my mother wouldn't be able to get to work, kind of issues without my brother's and my income once, to give you a clue, which would have caused her to be fired since her position at the time required her to be there pretty much *every* week day). Even so, if I want something, an I have the money to buy it, I do/can (usually very few questions asked, though my mom does see my bank statements). If I want something and don't personally have the money, and can make a convincing argument for having it, my mother will usually help supliment.
This is offset by the fact that my brother and I... don't ask for much. We don't need much... why not save up to pay more toward the student loans that are gaining interest, or for the car payments, or for emergency repairs, etc?
Despite all this... YES I do see that it IS as bad as we're led to believe. I don't go along with it because it's politically correct, I do because I have friends whose families really *are* in trouble, not because they have done *anything* wrong, but because (for instance) their father, who was the breadwinner while his wife stayed at home with the children, was laid off, and had been working at the same place for almost 20 years... but had no advancement. It was a basic factory job, that he was making enough off of to support a family with three kids... and now nowhere will hire him because he has no job skills (the skills needed for his old job were highly specialized)! Of course, SHE'S not been working since they were married, over 20 years ago... and she can't get hired anywhere, either. They haven't been living out of their means, no credit charges... just the mortage on their house they took out to be able to afford their second (used) car for their two teenagers to fight and squabble over because the last one finally died.
Do I admit my family's better off? I admit that we're lucky... and that I hope we stay that way. Most people do the same. I have yet to come across anyone who got angry at me (probably because I put it that way). Then again, the only people I talk to about it in such depth are either online (and hence relatively anonymous) or very, very close friends.
ETA: Uh, sorry for, y'know, spewing on the topic >.> I started writing then kinda lost myself in it.
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