Working Poor: The New Title for the Middle Class
With today's economic conditions, we are pretty sure we are in the poor category, and we didn't even see it coming. Does this sound familiar to you?: You work every day to be responsible citizens, pay your bills, help those you can along the way, and the only thing you have to look forward to is getting up and going to work the next day and doing it all over again.
Now there is nothing wrong with the idea of keeping your nose to the grindstone,being a hard worker, and just being responsible. But if you are like the rest of us, there is no money to do anything else. Let's start with gas prices. We are now paying 4 times the price we should be, with no end in site. So when you get that thing they call a paycheck, we know a big chunk of what used to be usable cash for food, family, fun if you were lucky, is now going into the gas tank. Food prices continue to rise as a direct result of the fuel costs the trucking companies must endure. But our paycheck is not going up. How can we continue to survive when we have less to work with? Medical costs are non existent for a lot of us, simply because you choose to eat this month instead of going in for a physical, etc...since we are not covered by a medical plan. Even if you happen to be, they are beginning to cover less and less.
We never considered ourselves poor, but we think we must be. Yes, we have a roof over our head, the frig is somewhat full, at the moment, and most of the bills are paid, but what about the rest of this life? Can you afford to go to a movie, out to eat, how about to a sports related event? Is this what poor feels like? If you have read this, we want you to feel free to comment on whether or not you feel like you are now designated as poor? What are you doing about it?
By the way, for a lot of folks who have not gotten their government stimulus checks, is it starting to feel like the carrot and the donkey story?
Published by Dragonfly
5O YR OLD WANTING TO SHARE ALL THAT I KNOW ABOUT LIVING WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND DECIDING TO BREAK FREE OF IT AFTER A 30 YR MARRIAGE. I CURRENTLY HOLD 2 JOBS TO SURVIVE AND HAVE ALOT OF EMPATHY AND COMPASS... View profile
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5 Comments
Post a CommentBill Gates is a good example; he starts a charitable organization that gets that tax exempt title. Yet he pays himself and his wife salaries as CEO and major board member of the group. They call them "tax shelters". The rich guy~Buffet~donates a large chunk of $$$ to Gate's foundation. Now he gets some tax deductions for his "generosity". GWB decides these super rich people deserve even more tax breaks. Because they get the tax cuts, I guess he thinks, they will raise wages of the people who work for them. But it does not trickle down. Ever!
As long as I can remember, it has been suggested that the government was trying to tax the middle class out of existence, creating two classes, the poor and the rich. Of course we know who would be the workers! It seems we are on the way there right about now. I do not equate working with classes; even doctors work and doctors are usually a bit higher class than a high school drop out. Yet there are high school drop outs that have become very wealthy~either through business ownership or careers, such as movie actors or recording artists. Trickle down economics and stimulus packages do not help the average person as far as the economy goes. Taxes are a problem. Property taxes go up; fixed income seniors have to cut something out of their budget; that takes money out of the pockets of other workers. Landlords increase rents and again a tenant with no raise, stops buying something; more workers losing out.
Nicely written ... sad truths in this article.
Great article Dragonfly! I agree with Mike. This should definitely be passed on to others. It's definitely getting harder and harder for the average person to make a decent living. I'm glad I'm resourceful. :-)
Dragonfly, I have never seen this expressed better. I had Depression-era parents and know how to eat peanut butter sandwiches and so forth, but am afraid other family members are not adjusting. So we are not just little paycheck to paycheck, sometimes we scrounge for pop bottle deposits and so forth. Hopefully there is an end in sight. Gas prices are at least 20 percent of the problem, but sadly with haves and have nots, the people who already hog gas with their huge cars and vans and their distant suburban homes and their frequent flying do not have to worry if it is $10 a gallon, and will continue to use it all up, and we all have to pay for the shortage. If we all used as little as my family and I suspect yours, D-Fly, it would still be $1 per gallon. Brilliant writing; I only hope others will see it. Anyone who reads this should recommend it to others. -- mike