Paycheck to Paycheck HBO Documentary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having children young isn't a problem exclusive to the poor. Well, I guess the having the children part is. The wealthier groups just get abortions. Let's not pretend that wealthy children don't make mistakes/poor decisions. They are just lucky enough to have parents who can help clean up the mess. That is the main difference between the poor and the rich. The rich can afford some mistakes and bounce back. The poor cannot. So, since it is unlikely we will ever succeed in eliminating mistakes/poor decisions, I think we should focus on how to help the poor overcome those things.

Can't you get an abortion on a sliding scale fee at Planned Parenthood? Or you could, you know, just use BC correctly each time. It's extremely rare to get KU if you take your pill correctly or use a condom every single time.

Well, given the large numbers of highly educated and rich women who I know that have had an oops pregnancy, I think it is actually harder than you believe. Or maybe everyone isn't as perfect as you. Who knows. Anything is possible.

They had an oops because they secretly, deep down, wanted one. If you don't want a child, it's really really easy to take a pill at the same time every day or use a condom correctly each time. Or get an IUD or a Depo shot (again not fool proof but very very rare to get pg. on one). The latter aren't exactly cheap but they're certainly less expensive than a child and you can get one for less at PP.

Yep, I am sure they wanted an accidental pregnancy so that they then could have a really fun abortion. People like you scare me for the future of our country. Really scare me. Everything is black and white to you, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She was just born in to a world that didn't have much to offer her in the way of being able to improve her station in life. I feel like she could be me or my friends had we not had some of the support we did early in life.

This. 100x THIS.

This x 10000
So many people, especially on this board, do not realized how Blessed they are and how much support and opportunities they have had that got them to the place they are now. Just simply going to a decent school can mean all the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the sadest part is that Katrina didn't realize that she was living in poverty when she was married and before she even had the first child. The failed belief that they were "getting by" when she was married and the three kids is a popular one among those living in poverty because they simply don't know enough about financial matters to understand that they are in poverty and what and how to get out.

I agree whole heartedly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the sadest part is that Katrina didn't realize that she was living in poverty when she was married and before she even had the first child. The failed belief that they were "getting by" when she was married and the three kids is a popular one among those living in poverty because they simply don't know enough about financial matters to understand that they are in poverty and what and how to get out.

I agree. Having three children is a VERY expensive endeavour. We only had one because we felt we "couldn't afford it" when we were bringing home $85K during child bearing years (didn't pay for child care & had a $500 a month mortage).

It annoys the piss out of me when someone says, "Raise the minumum wage at McDonalds, a single mother of three can't support her kids." The chances are that mother was pretty damn poor before she even had the first child. She should have had enough common sense not to have two more.

That's all you got out of this...really? Your ignorance is astounding. Yep, we all need to make better decisions. People need to be better educated about finances and how to handle their money. Oh -- wait, maybe we need an educational system that is equally educating EVERYONE. Maybe we should not have schools that are falling apart and worth s***. AND yes, we need to raise the minimum wage. People should be able to make a living at a job -- period!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What struck me is that she was going almost everything right. She showed up at a not great job every day and did it well. She seemed like a good, loving mother. She left her husband when he developed an addiction, and then when he cleaned up, she made sure her children had a relationship with him. She was trying to go back to school to make their lives better. She was just born in to a world that didn't have much to offer her in the way of being able to improve her station in life. I feel like she could be me or my friends had we not had some of the support we did early in life.

I grew up like this and my H did too. The difference is, we knew it would be a mistake to have children too early and also how important it was to take our educations seriously and to establish our careers before having a family. I feel for this young woman. But the perils of having children too young is definitely something that teachers/school admin/church leaders/community leaders talk about. It's not like it's unknown to these people.

And who are "these people" -- I doubt you know exactly what she was taught. And a lot of people are NOT taught how to make good financial decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the sadest part is that Katrina didn't realize that she was living in poverty when she was married and before she even had the first child. The failed belief that they were "getting by" when she was married and the three kids is a popular one among those living in poverty because they simply don't know enough about financial matters to understand that they are in poverty and what and how to get out.

I agree. Having three children is a VERY expensive endeavour. We only had one because we felt we "couldn't afford it" when we were bringing home $85K during child bearing years (didn't pay for child care & had a $500 a month mortage).

It annoys the piss out of me when someone says, "Raise the minumum wage at McDonalds, a single mother of three can't support her kids." The chances are that mother was pretty damn poor before she even had the first child. She should have had enough common sense not to have two more.

What a peach you are.

Well it's not a generous thought. But it *is* true and something people need to talk about when discussing the causes of poverty. While I sympathize with the people in the video, we shouldn't pretend that they're completely innocent victims. They played an active role in producing their current circumstances and they need to realize that if they hope to move into the middle class.

"They need to realize that" sounds an awful lot like some kind of shaming exercise that has little utility. I grew up poor. I'm one of three. My parents were poor when I was born, and when they got divorced when I was 11, we were even poorer overall. There have been multiple threads about what poverty feels like, and I feel like a lot of people who have never been poor are very dismissive of the heartbreaking aspect for both parents and children. As the oldest child, I spent a lot of time trying to alleviate stress on my mom - learning how to cook and doing a lot of cleaning because she was trying so hard to get her degree so that she could be something other than a waitress, not telling her about field trips at school because I didn't want to have to ask for the fee, not telling her when I got my first period and using toilet paper when I couldn't get pads at school for three cycles because I knew we were broke and didn't want to add to her stress. Later, I learned that she agonized over what to cut, which bill to pay first (was it more important to have heat, or running water? Was it more important to eat, or have winter coats?). She worked her ass off in school for 8 years (undergrad, then medical school) and racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars of student loan debt that she knows she'll never be able to pay back. I know how hard it was for her, and I know how hard it was for me, and I would never suggest that someone living in poverty with children "needs to realize" how they contributed to the situation. Trust me. They know. They know every time their child needs a new pair of shoes. They know every time bills come due. They know every time they go to the grocery store and every time they put gas in their car if they have a car. They don't need to be reminded about their "active role in producing their current circumstances" so much as they need less judgmental assistance (by which I mean education, training and support in getting those things, not blank checks to do whatever the hell they want) in getting out of those circumstances.

PREACH!
PREACH!
PREACH!
Let those who have ears, listen!!!!

[Anonymous]

I think the sadest part is that Katrina didn't realize that she was living in poverty when she was married and before she even had the first child. The failed belief that they were "getting by" when she was married and the three kids is a popular one among those living in poverty because they simply don't know enough about financial matters to understand that they are in poverty and what and how to get out.

In that part of the country, if you are married with three kids, with a HHI maybe double what it was after she got divorced (35-40K? maybe, especially without childcare expenses), it isn't considered poverty, it is considered middle class even if you qualify for food stamps, medicaid, and head start. Retirement funds, emergency funds, college savings, health insurance, these are all not factored into "getting by," in many parts of the country, these are rich people's concerns. Since truly over 1/3rd of the country lives like this or worse, even more in areas with lower median incomes, it kind of makes since that people consider this "middle class" even if they are one unfortunate event away from financial disaster--if there's a roof over their head, they are fed, they have beautiful kids, and they have a job, they count their blessings.

[Anonymous]

Has the Republican Party seen this documentary? If not, they should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has the Republican Party seen this documentary? If not, they should.

The GOP lacks BOTH the intelligence and compassion to understand what it is to be a poor single mom. It is a party if out if touch white old guys and the new ones coming up are Ayn Rand obsessed douche bags who can barely grasp that others exist who have had a totally different life experience. But I do find it cute that you think there is hope! Lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She was just born in to a world that didn't have much to offer her in the way of being able to improve her station in life. I feel like she could be me or my friends had we not had some of the support we did early in life.

This. 100x THIS.

This x 10000
So many people, especially on this board, do not realized how Blessed they are and how much support and opportunities they have had that got them to the place they are now. Just simply going to a decent school can mean all the world.

You assume a lot. My husband had no supports. His only option was the military. He was out by 17, living at a friends house working full-time and going to school to finish high school. By 20, was married and two kids. He managed to do it without help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She was just born in to a world that didn't have much to offer her in the way of being able to improve her station in life. I feel like she could be me or my friends had we not had some of the support we did early in life.

This. 100x THIS.

This x 10000
So many people, especially on this board, do not realized how Blessed they are and how much support and opportunities they have had that got them to the place they are now. Just simply going to a decent school can mean all the world.

You assume a lot. My husband had no supports. His only option was the military. He was out by 17, living at a friends house working full-time and going to school to finish high school. By 20, was married and two kids. He managed to do it without help.

Yes! This is the only option for many poor kids, the military. The rich do not serve in our military! As Dick Cheney succinctly put it, "I had better things to do." The military is for the poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having children young isn't a problem exclusive to the poor. Well, I guess the having the children part is. The wealthier groups just get abortions. Let's not pretend that wealthy children don't make mistakes/poor decisions. They are just lucky enough to have parents who can help clean up the mess. That is the main difference between the poor and the rich. The rich can afford some mistakes and bounce back. The poor cannot. So, since it is unlikely we will ever succeed in eliminating mistakes/poor decisions, I think we should focus on how to help the poor overcome those things.

Can't you get an abortion on a sliding scale fee at Planned Parenthood? Or you could, you know, just use BC correctly each time. It's extremely rare to get KU if you take your pill correctly or use a condom every single time.

Well, given the large numbers of highly educated and rich women who I know that have had an oops pregnancy, I think it is actually harder than you believe. Or maybe everyone isn't as perfect as you. Who knows. Anything is possible.

They had an oops because they secretly, deep down, wanted one. If you don't want a child, it's really really easy to take a pill at the same time every day or use a condom correctly each time. Or get an IUD or a Depo shot (again not fool proof but very very rare to get pg. on one). The latter aren't exactly cheap but they're certainly less expensive than a child and you can get one for less at PP.

I got pregnant while on birth control, and I ASSURE you that I did not want to be pregnant, deep down or otherwise. I took the same pill I'd been not getting pregnant while taking for several years. I took it at the same time every day (5 minutes after my alarm went off, before getting in the shower). And I got pregnant. Not because I was poor/unable to use birth control correctly, but because IT IS NOT 100% EFFECTIVE.

Your comments are completely offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having children young isn't a problem exclusive to the poor. Well, I guess the having the children part is. The wealthier groups just get abortions. Let's not pretend that wealthy children don't make mistakes/poor decisions. They are just lucky enough to have parents who can help clean up the mess. That is the main difference between the poor and the rich. The rich can afford some mistakes and bounce back. The poor cannot. So, since it is unlikely we will ever succeed in eliminating mistakes/poor decisions, I think we should focus on how to help the poor overcome those things.

Can't you get an abortion on a sliding scale fee at Planned Parenthood? Or you could, you know, just use BC correctly each time. It's extremely rare to get KU if you take your pill correctly or use a condom every single time.

Well, given the large numbers of highly educated and rich women who I know that have had an oops pregnancy, I think it is actually harder than you believe. Or maybe everyone isn't as perfect as you. Who knows. Anything is possible.

They had an oops because they secretly, deep down, wanted one. If you don't want a child, it's really really easy to take a pill at the same time every day or use a condom correctly each time. Or get an IUD or a Depo shot (again not fool proof but very very rare to get pg. on one). The latter aren't exactly cheap but they're certainly less expensive than a child and you can get one for less at PP.

I got pregnant while on birth control, and I ASSURE you that I did not want to be pregnant, deep down or otherwise. I took the same pill I'd been not getting pregnant while taking for several years. I took it at the same time every day (5 minutes after my alarm went off, before getting in the shower). And I got pregnant. Not because I was poor/unable to use birth control correctly, but because IT IS NOT 100% EFFECTIVE.

Your comments are completely offensive.

I have never had an unwanted pregnancy, yet I totally agree. People who think this way are ignorant. There is a failure rate for BC for a VARIETY of reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for a nursing home company (upper management) and watching this gave me a pit in my stomach. We employ CNAs and while wage decisions are made locally, I am sure we have a large number of employees in this paycheck-to-paycheck wage rate. I cried a couple times during this movie thinking, and especially when seeing the stats at the end... 26 million kids, or something like that, being supported by women in this situation.

I support raising the minimum wage, I did before this documentary. I get that it will make goods more expensive but we as a society are already paying for this, either directly through programs like food stamps, or indirectly through the lost potential of our children. We should do better and look out for each other.

I literally know someone who is EXACTLY this person you're describing. CNA, paycheck to paycheck at a nursing home, raising a racially-mixed child as a single mom. She has a second job at McDonald's.

[Anonymous]

That daycare center is what is keeping her afloat. If you can call it that. There are plenty of places, my hometown for example, that have nothing of the sort there. Young mothers have to turn to in-home care by older women who, themselves, never had a chance to get out. I can only hope that more centers like Chambliss are established and funded.

That said, raising the minimum wage isn't going to help the Katrinas of the world. If that senior home has to pay 12 employees more, they'll get rid of the 13th. After all, Medicaid and Medicare won't pay more to the home for the living expenses of its residents. There has to be a better way.