Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That there is ZERO timely or courteous service when applying for food stamps or govt assistance. In most cities it is one of the most difficult and degrading processes one can experience soley to get resources to feed your children.

As it should be. Why have children if you can't feed them?

Are you suggesting they kill their children?

No I am suggesting that they abort the fetus if they know they cannot feed what will become a child.

Who is paying for that abortion? Paying for the day off work? Possible childcare for older children?

Some families eats Top Ramon for dinner.

Rich people don't know how to make 2 cans of tuna and a large jar of peanut butter last two weeks until their next paycheck. I, sadly, do.

I think may people, especially the rich, are actually losing the point of the thread. Some of the posts are digs at rich people. But to me, this is about giving people a different perspective. The OP was relaying what kids are observing. That what was fascinating about the post. I used to teach in an urban HS before law school and it was always fascinating when you asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. A few would say doctors, lawyers or whatever. Most would say athletes, hairdressers, barbers, teachers, mailmen, cops. From where they sat, those were the people that they regularly interacted with who were doing "well." If you ask a HS kid in a more affluent HS, your answers would be MUCH different. That is the underlying point of the OP. Poor kids and rich kids see the world in different ways.

I grew up as poor as you can be. There are some things that I experienced that my rich college roommates could never fathom. I learned things about them and about how rich people live that I never knew.

While I grew up poor. My kids did not. So in order to not offend anyone, let me re-phrase the "question."

Here are a few things that I grew up dealing with in a poor family that my kids did not. No judgment on the rich or poor.

1. They never had to wear hand me downs after they grew out of baby clothes. I wore hand me downs through HS.

2. They never got their holiday meals from charity drives.

3. They never had to participate in "adopt a family" programs at Xmas in order to get presents.

4. They never had to skip EC activities because they had to take care 3 siblings after school because their parents worked.

5. They never had to rely on benevolent teachers and counselors seeing their potential as the vehicle for getting opportunities because their parents were clueless.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many more free things are available to the rich who don't need them. I was fortunate to grow up UMC in NJ but I totally noticed this when I arrived in NYC biglaw. My law firm -- free breakfast every morning; lunches at least 2x/wk through some CLE, lunch meeting etc; cookies in the afternoon. All of this is in the "attorneys lounge" -- so not available to the secretaries, support staff, janitors etc. who were living paycheck to paycheck on 40k or less in NYC. We didn't need the free breakfast -- associates can spend $5 on a bagel and coffee; yet for someone who is paycheck to paycheck, that $5/day savings is $25/week that can pay a half a month of electric.

+1

Not sure how prevalent this is but I know of two college students who chose to attend out of state schools with the full funding of their college funds and brokerage accounts which allowed them to take advantage of loopholes to show they were in-state residents (show that you are self supporting) and as a result, were able to obtain in-state tuition rates for most of their four year attendance. They both had out of state peers who obtained student loans which prohibited them from qualifying as "self supported."

I’ve heard that before. More common in my area — mom and dad buy a house in the college town bc it’s a good investment compared to dorm rent. To take it one step further for state schools, they put the deed in the college freshman’s name and now with his fully funded college account and house in the state, he gets cheap in state tuition. And of course the house is large enough and in a nice enough part of the college town that 3-4 roommates pay the lions share of the mortgage. 4 yrs later kid walks out with no college debt and an investment property that either generates rental income or is sold for a down payment to buy wherever the kid lands. All of this is great and everyone would do it if they could, but it’s just gotten to the point where if your kid wasn’t born on third base, he may never get there even with 3 singles.

The last sentence is ridiculous. You're just making excuses now. The financial advantages of others don't hold you back. I paid my way through law school with loans and part time work, and I had friends who lived in condos bought by their parents. I'm much better off than most of them now (wealthier, more professionally accomplished, etc). Yes, I started my career with more debt than they did, but that didn't impact my career (in fact, it probably gave me more of an incentive to succeed). I was used to being poor at that point, so living frugally to pay off my debt wasn't a big deal. Why is it that kids these days think they are owed -- right out of college -- the lifestyle that their parents took decades to achieve? Rant over.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many more free things are available to the rich who don't need them. I was fortunate to grow up UMC in NJ but I totally noticed this when I arrived in NYC biglaw. My law firm -- free breakfast every morning; lunches at least 2x/wk through some CLE, lunch meeting etc; cookies in the afternoon. All of this is in the "attorneys lounge" -- so not available to the secretaries, support staff, janitors etc. who were living paycheck to paycheck on 40k or less in NYC. We didn't need the free breakfast -- associates can spend $5 on a bagel and coffee; yet for someone who is paycheck to paycheck, that $5/day savings is $25/week that can pay a half a month of electric.

+1

Not sure how prevalent this is but I know of two college students who chose to attend out of state schools with the full funding of their college funds and brokerage accounts which allowed them to take advantage of loopholes to show they were in-state residents (show that you are self supporting) and as a result, were able to obtain in-state tuition rates for most of their four year attendance. They both had out of state peers who obtained student loans which prohibited them from qualifying as "self supported."

I’ve heard that before. More common in my area — mom and dad buy a house in the college town bc it’s a good investment compared to dorm rent. To take it one step further for state schools, they put the deed in the college freshman’s name and now with his fully funded college account and house in the state, he gets cheap in state tuition. And of course the house is large enough and in a nice enough part of the college town that 3-4 roommates pay the lions share of the mortgage. 4 yrs later kid walks out with no college debt and an investment property that either generates rental income or is sold for a down payment to buy wherever the kid lands. All of this is great and everyone would do it if they could, but it’s just gotten to the point where if your kid wasn’t born on third base, he may never get there even with 3 singles.

I guess the suggestion would be to sell the children. Apparently there's quite a market out there.

Anonymous wrote:How many more free things are available to the rich who don't need them. I was fortunate to grow up UMC in NJ but I totally noticed this when I arrived in NYC biglaw. My law firm -- free breakfast every morning; lunches at least 2x/wk through some CLE, lunch meeting etc; cookies in the afternoon. All of this is in the "attorneys lounge" -- so not available to the secretaries, support staff, janitors etc. who were living paycheck to paycheck on 40k or less in NYC. We didn't need the free breakfast -- associates can spend $5 on a bagel and coffee; yet for someone who is paycheck to paycheck, that $5/day savings is $25/week that can pay a half a month of electric.

+1

Not sure how prevalent this is but I know of two college students who chose to attend out of state schools with the full funding of their college funds and brokerage accounts which allowed them to take advantage of loopholes to show they were in-state residents (show that you are self supporting) and as a result, were able to obtain in-state tuition rates for most of their four year attendance. They both had out of state peers who obtained student loans which prohibited them from qualifying as "self supported."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That there is ZERO timely or courteous service when applying for food stamps or govt assistance. In most cities it is one of the most difficult and degrading processes one can experience soley to get resources to feed your children.

As it should be. Why have children if you can't feed them?

Are you suggesting they kill their children?

No I am suggesting that they abort the fetus if they know they cannot feed what will become a child.

What should one do if they fall on hard times after they have children?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That there is ZERO timely or courteous service when applying for food stamps or govt assistance. In most cities it is one of the most difficult and degrading processes one can experience soley to get resources to feed your children.

As it should be. Why have children if you can't feed them?

Are you suggesting they kill their children?

No I am suggesting that they abort the fetus if they know they cannot feed what will become a child.

Anonymous wrote:How many more free things are available to the rich who don't need them. I was fortunate to grow up UMC in NJ but I totally noticed this when I arrived in NYC biglaw. My law firm -- free breakfast every morning; lunches at least 2x/wk through some CLE, lunch meeting etc; cookies in the afternoon. All of this is in the "attorneys lounge" -- so not available to the secretaries, support staff, janitors etc. who were living paycheck to paycheck on 40k or less in NYC. We didn't need the free breakfast -- associates can spend $5 on a bagel and coffee; yet for someone who is paycheck to paycheck, that $5/day savings is $25/week that can pay a half a month of electric.

I was support staff in Biglaw while in grad school, and many of us lived off the leftovers from all the free food floating around. The maids took stuff out of the attorney's lounges around 11 am and we pounced on it. Partner's lunch leftovers at 2:30 pm -- gone before the caterer could show up. Same with all the CLE lunches. At holidays, the partners, would hand me basket of stuff that my roommates and I froze and lived from through March. Pasta baskets were very big at the time! Staff lounges where I worked had free coffee and tea, so that wasn't a problem.

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
That there is ZERO timely or courteous service when applying for food stamps or govt assistance. In most cities it is one of the most difficult and degrading processes one can experience soley to get resources to feed your children.


This is total bs. We had ebt in grad school and applied online. I never had to go anywhere.

New poster here: no that is the truth. I just applied to SNAP for the first time - family of 4, husband started his own business. We are paying employees but not making ends meet. It took over a month, multiple phone calls and finally sitting at the department of social services for two hours to finally get my card. And I’m college educated, polite, and proactive.

Not piling on, but why don't you get a job so that you don't have to use a SNAP card?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That there is ZERO timely or courteous service when applying for food stamps or govt assistance. In most cities it is one of the most difficult and degrading processes one can experience soley to get resources to feed your children.

As it should be. Why have children if you can't feed them?

Are you suggesting they kill their children?

Anonymous wrote:That there is ZERO timely or courteous service when applying for food stamps or govt assistance. In most cities it is one of the most difficult and degrading processes one can experience soley to get resources to feed your children.

As it should be. Why have children if you can't feed them?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rich people don't know that it's difficult to eat well and healthily if you live in a food desert.

Or aren't rich.

Some poor people from certain cultures don't know how to shop at an outdoor market and buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Or how to buy bags of frozen or canned vegetables instead of chips and Pepsi and eat a Big Mac.

Yeah, because I'm sure you're willing to walk 1.5 miles roundtrip with your six year old in the dark after school to get fresh fruits and vegetables because she ate all the apples you planned to have last for the week, and there is no place close to home or work to buy fresh produce, and no time between putting her on the bus, getting to work, getting back to her school to pick her up to make an extra trip. And we do have a great, affordable outdoor market in the neighborhood-this past summer they set up 4 times, which isn't helping me now.

Speaking from personal experience or what you believe the lives of the poor to be?