Asset-Limited, income-constrained and employed, fyi
More and more Americans are becoming 'ALICEs.' They can't afford rent and groceries but are falling through the cracks in the country's safety net.
Submitted 7 months ago by return2ozma@lemmy.world to aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
Comments
idiomaddict@feddit.de 7 months ago
GrymEdm@lemmy.world 7 months ago
The lower half of Americans (about 170ish million citizens) are sharing about 3% of the nation’s wealth. I have no idea what it’s going to take for the general population to realize that neither major party has their wellbeing as a priority, because that data clearly shows that screwing US citizens is a bilateral policy and persists regardless of who holds majority. Forbes just released a report that 1 in 3 have maxed out their credit cards trying to deal with inflation.
return2ozma@lemmy.world 7 months ago
The empire is collapsing.
Sanctus@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Is this how it was to be Roman during the fall?
Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Capitalism is working as intended. Support ticket closed.
guyrocket@kbin.social 7 months ago
I thought the group living just above poverty limits were called the working poor. Does United Way think the new "sexy" acronym will get this group more attention?
I've always felt pretty bad for these folks. They're working and struggling. Minimum wage really does need to triple or quadruple.
Krauerking@lemy.lol 7 months ago
Society is in love with new clinical terms that help detach emotion for the people using them.
And when people ask for help without using the new terms they can be marked as incorrect more easily and ignored.
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 7 months ago
When being employed still leaves you unable to have a car or rent a place to live, still leaves you eligible for food stamps and state-offered medical care (where applicable): Why even bother to be employed?
Ginger666@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Holy fuck I get so erect when they come up with a new buzzword
TheFriar@lemm.ee 7 months ago
It’s absurd that in this day and age, $31,000 for a FAMILY OF FOUR is how low the supposed poverty line is. And $15,000 for an individual?! These people have no idea how little money that is today.
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 7 months ago
They know exactly how little money that is. Poor employees are the fuel for the American economy. We work ourselves to death, desperate for the chance to “earn a living” and too tired to fight for an actual fair wage. If people aren’t working too hard, they might get educations, they might find creative outlets, or engage in the civic and political processes. That shit is reserved for the rich, and they like it that way.
GrymEdm@lemmy.world 7 months ago
15 grand divided by 12 months = 1,250 dollars a month. Average rent is 1,713 nation-wide for an average apartment size of 900 sq. ft. There is a lot of variation and this is a simplification, but it should still be noted only 14 states have an average rent below 1,250/month. So you’ll find lots of exceptions, but as a rule in a huge majority of the country a poverty line of 15,000 doesn’t even cover average monthly rent for a 20ft x 45ft space, much less food, transportation, etc.
Ember@lemmings.world 7 months ago
If I made 31k - after taxes, rent, health insurance, and utilities there would be almost nothing left for anything else, including food.
I make just under 70k and am the sole income for a family of 5. It’s just enough to afford the essentials since the cost of groceries has gotten so damn high, and any attempts to save money are thwarted by the disaster of the month - which is usually an unexpected car repair, appliance repair/replacement, medical expenses, etc.