it's also quite disheartening that there is a group of people out there that actually believe the crap that the other side is saying. seriously, i get super depressed every time i'm teaching sociology and we talk about wage inequality in the u.s. and income levels. the idea that the federal poverty line is set around 23k for a family of 4 is insane. i have my students break down the monthly expenses for a family of 4 as a way of demonstrating how impossible it is to actually live around that level. and yet, people still vote against themselves and their own best interests. the believe the insane people that are actually conducting class warfare.
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
war on the poors
i realize that john stewart is a comedian, with a team of writers, but once again he is spot on.
it's also quite disheartening that there is a group of people out there that actually believe the crap that the other side is saying. seriously, i get super depressed every time i'm teaching sociology and we talk about wage inequality in the u.s. and income levels. the idea that the federal poverty line is set around 23k for a family of 4 is insane. i have my students break down the monthly expenses for a family of 4 as a way of demonstrating how impossible it is to actually live around that level. and yet, people still vote against themselves and their own best interests. the believe the insane people that are actually conducting class warfare.
it's also quite disheartening that there is a group of people out there that actually believe the crap that the other side is saying. seriously, i get super depressed every time i'm teaching sociology and we talk about wage inequality in the u.s. and income levels. the idea that the federal poverty line is set around 23k for a family of 4 is insane. i have my students break down the monthly expenses for a family of 4 as a way of demonstrating how impossible it is to actually live around that level. and yet, people still vote against themselves and their own best interests. the believe the insane people that are actually conducting class warfare.
Monday, March 16, 2009
living on $67 a week
how much do you spend on food & drink in a week? is it less than $72? that is essentially the amount of money that a family of two receives in food stamps in california. the l.a. times had an article, that seemed like it could be very interesting, about living/eating for less. i say that it seemed like it would be because it really wasn't all that interesting or helpful. the husband and wife team manage to cut back to $67 a week, but reveal little about what they actually consumed over the two months that they tried the experiment.
a couple of quotes that really stood out for me from the article:
"It wasn't as easy as we thought. For a couple who grow their own tomatoes and have olive oils for different occasions, it was hard to find a balance between eating affordably and healthfully, much less deliciously."
"The first step was a trip to Costco. (I later discovered that Costco doesn't accept food stamps, a reminder that although we were trying to live as if we were receiving government assistance, we were enjoying options that the truly impoverished don't have.)"
you know what, people living off smaller incomes generally aren't worried about "delicious." they often are worried about "eating." really, you can buy a whole hell of a lot of mac n cheese, top ramen, instant rice, and even ground beef (the fattier ground beef). i know this because when i was in college and funds were more limited, i got by on around 30 something dollars a week, if not less. now, this doesn't mean that people shouldn't care about eating healthy and inexpensively. it does bring up the fact that the healthiest foods are often the most expensive. want really nutrient dense bread, it's going to cost you and the loaf is small. want cheap bread? rainbow and other crap bread like that is cheap, but it's so processed and stripped of nutrients that it's of little nutritional value. the same goes for just about every thing at the market. vegetables seem like an area where this changes, but not really. fresh vegetables cost more than frozen which cost more than canned. i grew up eating canned corn and carried this on through college. when i got married my wife introduced me to frozen corn. much better tasting, and healthier, too. and a little more costly. now, in season fresh corn can be pretty cheap. but out of season, not so much.
i'm glad that they admit that they had advantages, like costco, that poorer people don't have. but, there are warehouse stores (foodmaxx, foods co) that do sell in bulk and are on the less expensive side of markets. shoot, i still try and keep our food cost lower by shopping at foodmaxx. the benefit of these stores may be limited by access to them. many lower income neighborhoods don't have supermarkets, let alone large discount supermarkets. shoot, some neighborhoods barely even have anything beyond convenience or mini marts.
it's not my intention to just dissect the article. rather, i do want to acknowledge the article as a part of my continuing thought process on how we all live, and what choices we're making. as i write this i also am co-authoring an article for the undercurrent that deals with the issue of going without things and what that means. i wonder if my wife and i could live off of $72 a week for food cost and how that would change our lives. what choices would we have to make? could we do it?
what do you think? could you do it? are you doing it? if so, how and what choices have you had to make?
a couple of quotes that really stood out for me from the article:
"It wasn't as easy as we thought. For a couple who grow their own tomatoes and have olive oils for different occasions, it was hard to find a balance between eating affordably and healthfully, much less deliciously."
"The first step was a trip to Costco. (I later discovered that Costco doesn't accept food stamps, a reminder that although we were trying to live as if we were receiving government assistance, we were enjoying options that the truly impoverished don't have.)"
you know what, people living off smaller incomes generally aren't worried about "delicious." they often are worried about "eating." really, you can buy a whole hell of a lot of mac n cheese, top ramen, instant rice, and even ground beef (the fattier ground beef). i know this because when i was in college and funds were more limited, i got by on around 30 something dollars a week, if not less. now, this doesn't mean that people shouldn't care about eating healthy and inexpensively. it does bring up the fact that the healthiest foods are often the most expensive. want really nutrient dense bread, it's going to cost you and the loaf is small. want cheap bread? rainbow and other crap bread like that is cheap, but it's so processed and stripped of nutrients that it's of little nutritional value. the same goes for just about every thing at the market. vegetables seem like an area where this changes, but not really. fresh vegetables cost more than frozen which cost more than canned. i grew up eating canned corn and carried this on through college. when i got married my wife introduced me to frozen corn. much better tasting, and healthier, too. and a little more costly. now, in season fresh corn can be pretty cheap. but out of season, not so much.
i'm glad that they admit that they had advantages, like costco, that poorer people don't have. but, there are warehouse stores (foodmaxx, foods co) that do sell in bulk and are on the less expensive side of markets. shoot, i still try and keep our food cost lower by shopping at foodmaxx. the benefit of these stores may be limited by access to them. many lower income neighborhoods don't have supermarkets, let alone large discount supermarkets. shoot, some neighborhoods barely even have anything beyond convenience or mini marts.
it's not my intention to just dissect the article. rather, i do want to acknowledge the article as a part of my continuing thought process on how we all live, and what choices we're making. as i write this i also am co-authoring an article for the undercurrent that deals with the issue of going without things and what that means. i wonder if my wife and i could live off of $72 a week for food cost and how that would change our lives. what choices would we have to make? could we do it?
what do you think? could you do it? are you doing it? if so, how and what choices have you had to make?
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
living well in a recession
"But I'm young, single and don't have the burden of property. This sounds really sad, but maybe we're like the carpetbaggers of the horrible economic situation."
okay, i recently entered into the realm of owning property, but sometimes i feel this way. we're young, have steady jobs, and the recession isn't affecting us that badly. should i feel wrong about this? i mean, sure, i'd feel wrong if i was profitting off of others' misfortunes, but i don't really feel like i am.
maybe it's perspective. i mean, we have debt. plenty of it. student loans, house, credit, auto, yeah, we're working it all. but, it also seems to be a very manageable level. would i like less of it? of course. but the debt we have isn't really hurting how we live.
perhaps if i was older or actually had a retirement fund set up. i imagine i'd be pissed if my "future" was dramatically reduced to half or a third of what i'd been able to stash away. but, like a jerk, i've got no retirement or stocks, so those fluctuations haven't bothered me.
don't read this wrong, we're not living high on the hog. money is tight at points. and i'm not saying that i don't feel bad for people that are losing jobs, homes, etc. i guess i just don't feel bad that people like me are doing alright.
what do you think? are we the nouveau carpet baggers? should we all be trying to make small steps into the stock market?
okay, i recently entered into the realm of owning property, but sometimes i feel this way. we're young, have steady jobs, and the recession isn't affecting us that badly. should i feel wrong about this? i mean, sure, i'd feel wrong if i was profitting off of others' misfortunes, but i don't really feel like i am.
maybe it's perspective. i mean, we have debt. plenty of it. student loans, house, credit, auto, yeah, we're working it all. but, it also seems to be a very manageable level. would i like less of it? of course. but the debt we have isn't really hurting how we live.
perhaps if i was older or actually had a retirement fund set up. i imagine i'd be pissed if my "future" was dramatically reduced to half or a third of what i'd been able to stash away. but, like a jerk, i've got no retirement or stocks, so those fluctuations haven't bothered me.
don't read this wrong, we're not living high on the hog. money is tight at points. and i'm not saying that i don't feel bad for people that are losing jobs, homes, etc. i guess i just don't feel bad that people like me are doing alright.
what do you think? are we the nouveau carpet baggers? should we all be trying to make small steps into the stock market?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
thanks for working for us, formerly
dear top guy @ the university,
thanks for the Xmas card, the 2009 pocket calendar, and the handwritten note thanking me for being adjunct faculty. i'll be honest, i'd give all three back for 1 class next semester. i know, the economy sucks right now, and everyone is tightening belts. full time faculty are having to take on heavier loads. other staff are having to teach classes if they're qualified & able. and, i understand that the cost of the three things you just sent me in the mail, including envelope & stamp < cost of me teaching a class. but damn i'd like to be teaching.
plus, it's pretty cool cache to say you teach @ a university, even if it's just adjunct.
don't worry fearless readers, i've got enough work @ my other job. you won't find me selling blog posts on the street corner.
thanks for the Xmas card, the 2009 pocket calendar, and the handwritten note thanking me for being adjunct faculty. i'll be honest, i'd give all three back for 1 class next semester. i know, the economy sucks right now, and everyone is tightening belts. full time faculty are having to take on heavier loads. other staff are having to teach classes if they're qualified & able. and, i understand that the cost of the three things you just sent me in the mail, including envelope & stamp < cost of me teaching a class. but damn i'd like to be teaching.
plus, it's pretty cool cache to say you teach @ a university, even if it's just adjunct.
don't worry fearless readers, i've got enough work @ my other job. you won't find me selling blog posts on the street corner.
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