Thread: "Underpriviliged" American Families

Oh, and lively too!

Second to having one year's worth of living expenses tucked away in the bank, is to have adequate health insurance...even if you have to supplement what you get through your job. Medical crises that bankrupt families are most often due to inadequate medical insurance, disability insurance, or life insurance. My older sister had bilateral breast cancer (almost died from it), and it didn't bankrupt her because she had adequate medical insurance.

I do agree that people live above their means.

But I disagree that because medical expenses bankrupt you, it's because you have prepared yourself. One can have insurance and still be hit with huge and totally unexpected costs due to medical expenses.

I too had breast cancer and it didn't break us - we were prepared, but then it was only one surgery and post op treatments. The huge bulk of the expense was covered by insurance and since the surgery and treatment only lasted 6 weeks and I was not incapacitated for any of that time, it was not such a hardship.

Suppose it the expenses, the illness, the disability had last 6 years, hospitalization insurance is not going to be able to keep up with all the out of pocket expenses, help with small children, lack of income, etc.

I am remembering the family whose young son had cancer. He had to be treated at a hospital quite a distance from their home. I suppose she could have left him in the hospital alone, but she chose to stay with him. This lasted for months. She lost her job, it cost her to stay there. She did work part time at night - but that didn't begin to cover the extra expenses -

It happens. It isn't from lack of planning, savings, preparing, or from being stupid.

I am not arguing with the idea of being very careful where you choose to be charitable - I am the same way. There are a lot of people out ther claiming to be in bad straights who aren't. There are a lot of people out there have very hard times, not of their own making, and are not crying to anyone about it.

My problem is with suggesting if people do have hard times, it is only of their own making or they are stupid.

Don't forget,,,,,,,,,,,,Privleges are "earned".

americangirl wrote:

And if you're poor, then you're not "needy" you're just plain stupid.

I'm sorry, but saying that contradicts any word or meaning of "EXCEPTIONS".

While I'm not going to espouse any particular point of view here, I will just ask for folks to kindly remember one simple fact in the reality of modern day work in the US...

Most states have 'right to work' / 'at will' employment. YOU can be fired at any time for not ANY reason - but for NO reason. You can experience poverty, homelessness and all the related strife of being poor in the US - for absolutely NO FAULT of your own.

That's a fact phred.

There are many things that can happen to people.

Welfare, as it is done now, bothers me greatly.

Not everyone who is poor is on welfare and not everyone who is needy is on welfare or asking for handouts.

I am wondering about the privilages I have? In the past 5/10 years I have seen millions of good paying jobs leave the U.S.; then in-sourcing via Hb? visa's and the illegal alien invasion. As a result, I personally have had to create a business and work at it 6/7 days a week for the above mentioned years to survive and not ask for any help at all.

I guess my privilage is to send my hard earned money in the form of taxes (that I managed to make dispite the treasonous acts from the president, congress and corporate and business thieves) to the very people that sold me out and tried to stop me from making a decent living.

usanevada wrote

I took a ton of ribbing from co workers because after 20 years I still have a 1200 sq ft home and drive an old mini van.

Those kind of people are responsible for our debt and they really suck.

THANK YOU!!:

nntrixie
ALIPAC Super Hero

It happens. It isn't from lack of planning, savings, preparing, or from being stupid.

We go into life thinking that all will be fine, do the things we are supposed to do AND then one day BOOM either a medical, a car accident by a drunk driver (& ins co's that don't want to accept their liability) or disaster such as Katrina, the CA fires (or any other "natural" disaster) happens. It's these situations that can also put one in the state of needing assistance and it'll probably be short term BUT the fact remains the need does exist. [/i]

To follow up to the above...

A lot of the reason many working Americans are in such dire circumstances at the moment, is because, as Lou Dobbs asserts (IMHO), there *is* a concerted and organized effort to undermine (read destroy) middle class American jobs... and, ostensibly, by indirection, to destroy American's lives along with way. ... As deemed 'necessary' by the corrupt government in charge which is 'in bed' with big business and multi-nationals in particular.

If the influence of these large, powerful and extremely narrowly-interested corporations could be removed, America would be a much different place and might, yes *might*, even stand a chance of surviving in the long run...

All the above.. IMHO, of course.

There are needy American families....and most of the time it's due to unexpected and unforeseen circumstances and any emergency aid/help is usually meant as a hand-up. There are many families who do the right things but still can be just one health-care crisis or car accident away from financial ruin. We know that this occurs.

I just want to make sure that agencies that are donating and assisting families are NOT assisting illegal aliens in any way. If they don't screen the subjects of their philanthropy with my money then I don't donate. I found out that a local fund donates groceries from a high-end, pricey gourmet food store as well as free day care directly to a group of illegal alien families in a particular apartment complex two towns over. I was disgusted. I shop at that store and told the manager what I found out.....he claimed no knowledge of course. However, a local paper put out a piece about this complex and how certain "agencies" coordinated to have groceries delivered to the illegal alien families, coordinated for free medical services since the "mamacitas" don't drive, English classes, and even free child care! Toys for Tots were delivering tons of gifts to that complex....I'm sure the Marines didn't realize they were giving presents to people who have no respect for the laws and freedoms those young Marines fight for....