It's shit to be poor

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > It's shit to be poor

really queer Christmas: Apr 22, 2014

So the thread on american poverty had a good idea but the thread itself turned into utter loving poo poo. Let's start again without the lovely drama.

The United States of America (death come to it swiftly) is the richest country in the world and may be the richest entity the human race has ever seen. Despite this: 30K people die from lack of health insurance, 1/6 of american children will go without a meal today, 12% of all americans will experience "food insecurity", 25% of americans don't have dental insurance (much less can afford to go to a dentist), and over a half million people are estimated to be homeless.

These are loving stark numbers for a country that gives 8 yachts to the woman who's supposed to run the federal education department. Poverty exists in every nation, and some nations do experience things worse than in america. But what makes the scale in america so terrible is how the resources easily exist to fix all of these issues within a year or two of community actions. This doesn't happen because that would be communist so people need to die to learn a lesson about being born poor.

Here's some poo poo about the situation:

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22533&LangID=E

quote:

4. I have seen and heard a lot over the past two weeks. I met with many people barely surviving on Skid Row in Los Angeles, I witnessed a San Francisco police officer telling a group of homeless people to move on but having no answer when asked where they could move to, I heard how thousands of poor people get minor infraction notices which seem to be intentionally designed to quickly explode into unpayable debt, incarceration, and the replenishment of municipal coffers, I saw sewage filled yards in states where governments don�t consider sanitation facilities to be their responsibility, I saw people who had lost all of their teeth because adult dental care is not covered by the vast majority of programs available to the very poor, I heard about soaring death rates and family and community destruction wrought by prescription and other drug addiction, and I met with people in the South of Puerto Rico living next to a mountain of completely unprotected coal ash which rains down upon them bringing illness, disability and death.

6. American exceptionalism was a constant theme in my conversations. But instead of realizing its founders� admirable commitments, today�s United States has proved itself to be exceptional in far more problematic ways that are shockingly at odds with its immense wealth and its founding commitment to human rights. As a result, contrasts between private wealth and public squalor abound.

talk about your own experiences, post pictures (of which there's so goddamn much), and otherwise talk about how we got here (capitalism) and how we get out of this situation ( :thermidor:

# ? Sep 12, 2019 02:58

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# ? Apr 28, 2024 15:24

Bip Roberts: Mar 29, 2005

dolla dolla bills y'all

# ? Sep 12, 2019 03:34

Captain_Maclaine: Sep 30, 2001; Every moment I'm alive, I pray for death!

I would appreciate it if the derail from this thread's predecessor did not recur.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 03:38

tylersayten: Mar 20, 2019; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUGh1Su7-ok

# ? Sep 12, 2019 03:40

Uncle Wemus: Mar 4, 2004

Its poo poo to be poor (sung to the tune of "Hip to be Square" by huey louis and the news)

# ? Sep 12, 2019 04:13

El Pollo Blanco: Jun 12, 2013; by sebmojo

Everyone should go watch Parasite, then stab their landlord and move into their house

That's my solution to American poverty

# ? Sep 12, 2019 04:18

Blockade: Oct 22, 2008

What if my landlord is a nebulous "property management company" with no discernable employees

# ? Sep 12, 2019 04:24

Zeroisanumber: Oct 23, 2010; Nap Ghost

Blockade posted:

What if my landlord is a nebulous "property management company" with no discernable employees

Stop paying rent and then stab whoever they send to collect.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 04:25

El Pollo Blanco: Jun 12, 2013; by sebmojo

Blockade posted:

What if my landlord is a nebulous "property management company" with no discernable employees

Stab your boss and take their house instead

# ? Sep 12, 2019 04:29

Terminal autist: May 17, 2018; by vyelkin

It is OP

# ? Sep 12, 2019 04:42

Relin: Oct 6, 2002; You have been a most worthy adversary, but in every game, there are winners and there are losers. And as you know, in this game, losers get robotizicized!

this is making the rounds, and aside from a bit of women bashing it could be indicative of future problems. i know in japan some surveys have shown women's expectations for marriage partner income tend to be way above what the average person man makes, and you can see how well that (and many other factors, mostly patriarchal) is working out for their birthrates. higher numbers of sexless/lacking (and research shows most loving is done under wedlock) men is not gonna be great for suppressing populism. thanks late-stage capitalism!

https://nypost.com/2019/09/06/broke-men-are-hurting-american-womens-marriage-prospects/

# ? Sep 12, 2019 05:04

whaley: Aug 13, 2000; MY DOODOO IS SPRAYING OUT

i dunno i like to be poor

# ? Sep 12, 2019 05:25

Carlos Lantana: Oct 2, 2003; I'm really sorry, your avatar is giving me a boner and while that is perfectly OK and I don't want to kink shame anyone, its making me feel really weird getting a boner in a Trump thread.

Sincerely,

Jailbrekr

Uncle Wemus posted:

Its poo poo to be poor (sung to the tune of "Hip to be Square" by huey louis and the news)

poo poo, poor forevermore....

# ? Sep 12, 2019 06:17

got any sevens: Feb 9, 2013; by Cyrano4747

im in debt lolll

# ? Sep 12, 2019 08:20

R. Guyovich: Dec 25, 1991

really queer Christmas posted:

Poverty exists in every nation,

except china soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFr74zI1LBM

# ? Sep 12, 2019 09:15

fart simpson: Jul 2, 2005; DEATH TO AMERICA

R. Guyovich posted:

except china soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFr74zI1LBM

idk mate the property value to wage ratio in cities is pretty out of control imo

# ? Sep 12, 2019 09:45

Taintrunner: Apr 10, 2017; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

I�ve been poor, I�ve been either housing insecure or straight up homeless most of my 20s. I�m only living decently now out of sheer luck, and even then, all the traumas and horrific experiences have left my brain super hosed up. it�s... incredibly cruel that we do this to people, that we have so many vulnerable people with no end in sight.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 09:52

Lastgirl: Sep 7, 1997; Good Morning!
Sunday Morning!

got any sevens posted:

im in debt lolll

like who the fk isn't?

the average american has 40k in debt according to a 2 year old census

only 23% are debt free. The next census in 2020 should be fun once Trump deports all the poors for not being sufficient patriots and the percentage of debt free americans somehow climb~

consumer debt and student loan debt is deepening, super awesome and latest total debt of the US is 14 trillion :thumbsup:

i practically only get 60 dollars to my name a month after paying bills and rationing food and paying off student loans, barely and that 60 dollars don't make it to the end of the month because of gas and other unforeseen things. Awesome.

but hey, number go up. JOBS JOBS JOBS.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 10:47

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

I'm at the job centrw right now to make sure I don't get sanctioned and can get my 300 a month unemployment benefit

# ? Sep 12, 2019 11:27

K9: May 6, 2007

Jose posted:

I'm at the job centrw right now to make sure I don't get sanctioned and can get my 300 a month unemployment benefit

I feel u bro. I've been unemployed for 6 months, haven't even bothered to sign on because of all the loving bullshit. Do they still have that lovely software where you need to enter all your job search activity? Do they still do that thing where if you turn up ten minutes early, they tell you to wait and then don't call you and then, after waiting, when you dare to approach to suggest they have forgotten you, berate you for being late? gently caress all that.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 11:41

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

its all online now and fairly easy to do but absolutely everything depends on who your appointment will be with. I've had people who have been really laid back the entire time so just needed a general diary of what I'd been doing rather than anything incredibly thorough. It helps that I do have a job lined up now. I've not had any problems with my appointments being too late. Might help that I'm in newcastle though if you live in a proper tory area rip

# ? Sep 12, 2019 12:02

really queer Christmas: Apr 22, 2014

Warren released a health care plan that punishes the poor for having sad brains when being poor is already a huge factor in having mental illness to begin with

This is one of the most leftwing Democrats in this country. Reform won't save the poor

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:05

StashAugustine: Mar 24, 2013; Do not trust in hope- it will betray you! Only faith and hatred sustain.

Hm but have you considered that actually USA #1, you have a smartphone, and you're all just whiners? Works for me, a college student from a well off family.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:11

Destroy My Sweater: Jul 24, 2009

according to business/tech twitter "being poor" is a mindset

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:13

Victory Position: Mar 16, 2004

you can't even sell your piss these days

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:15

the bitcoin of weed: Nov 1, 2014

Destroy My Sweater posted:

according to business/tech twitter "being poor" is a mindset

finance manager, on hearing that other people are in debt and miserable: works on my machine :shrug:

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:18

Egg Moron: Jul 21, 2003; the dreams of the delighting void

I dont have all my teeth because I couldnt get routine dental care for most of my 20s and a broken filling got infected so i had that poo poo yanked out

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:51

Taintrunner: Apr 10, 2017; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Victory Position posted:

you can't even sell your piss these days

but you can sell your daughter into some billionaires sex slave ring! we�re #1 USA USA USA

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:52

Victory Position: Mar 16, 2004

Over Easy posted:

I dont have all my teeth because I couldnt get routine dental care for most of my 20s and a broken filling got infected so i had that poo poo yanked out

my mom's currently in for oral surgery because she couldn't afford to get what she needed, so it's time for a bridge

# ? Sep 12, 2019 19:53

got any sevens: Feb 9, 2013; by Cyrano4747

Taintrunner posted:

but you can sell your daughter into some billionaires sex slave ring! we�re #1 USA USA USA

i cant afford to date, let alone have a kid lolll

# ? Sep 12, 2019 20:04

MonsieurChoc: Oct 12, 2013; Every species can smell its own extinction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8a4fGbkbSY

# ? Sep 12, 2019 20:14

WampaLord: Jan 14, 2010

I keep reading the title to the tune of "hip to be square"

But for real tho, it sucks. The rent is too drat high.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 20:27

tylersayten: Mar 20, 2019; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

Taintrunner posted:

I�ve been poor, I�ve been either housing insecure or straight up homeless most of my 20s. I�m only living decently now out of sheer luck, and even then, all the traumas and horrific experiences have left my brain super hosed up. it�s... incredibly cruel that we do this to people, that we have so many vulnerable people with no end in sight.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 20:31

tylersayten: Mar 20, 2019; by LITERALLY AN ADMIN

The Homeless Are Dying in Record Numbers on the Streets of Los Angeles

An average of three homeless people are dying per day in LA, on track to top 1000 this year. The article has some good graphs illustrating the problem, too.

https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-04-23/homeless-dying-in-record-numbers-on-the-streets-of-los-angeles

quote:

A record number of homeless people � 918 last year alone � are dying across Los Angeles County, on bus benches, hillsides, railroad tracks and sidewalks.

Deaths have jumped 76% in the past five years, outpacing the growth of the homeless population, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the coroner's data.

Health officials and experts have not pinpointed a single cause for the sharp increase in deaths, but they say rising substance abuse may be a major reason. The surge also reflects growth in the number of people who are chronically homeless and those who don't typically use shelters, which means more people are living longer on the streets with serious physical and behavioral health issues, they say.

"It is a combination of people who are living for a long time in unhealthy situations and who have multiple health problems," said Michael Cousineau, a professor at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. "There are more complications, and one of those complications is a high mortality rate. It's just a tragedy."

Nearly 53,000 people were homeless in L.A. County last year, according to a point-in-time count of homeless residents, an increase of about 39% since 2014. The majority were not living in shelters.

The homeless population has also grown nationwide, but there is no national count of homeless deaths.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner considers someone homeless if that person doesn't have an established residence, or if the body was found in an encampment, shelter or other location that suggests homelessness.

Based on that criteria, the coroner reported 3,612 deaths of homeless people in L.A. County from 2014 to 2018.

A detailed look at the numbers reveals a complex picture of where � and how � homeless people are dying.

One-third died in hospitals and even more died outside, in places such as sidewalks, alleyways, parking lots, riverbeds and on freeway on-ramps.

Male deaths outnumbered female deaths, but the percentage of homeless women who died increased faster than that of men. And although black people make up fewer than one-tenth of the county's population, they accounted for nearly a quarter of the homeless deaths.

"We need to take action now," said Rev. Andy Bales, CEO of the Union Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter on L.A.'s skid row. "Otherwise next year it's going to be more than 1,000."

Substance Abuse

Drugs and alcohol played a direct role in at least a quarter of the deaths of homeless people over the past five years, according to the analysis of the coroner's data. It likely contributed to many more, including some whose deaths were related to liver and heart problems.

The coroner's cause of death determination "doesn't necessarily tell the whole story," said Brian Elias, the county's chief of coroner investigations, who called the increase "alarming."

A person who is homeless may get an infection on top of a chronic disease on top of a substance abuse disorder � and all of those together lead to bad outcomes. "It's a house of cards," said Dr. Coley King, a physician at the Venice Family Clinic.

Raymond Thill was just 46 when he died last year of what his wife, Sherry Thill, called complications related to alcoholism. The couple had been homeless for many years before moving into a small apartment in South Los Angeles shortly before his death.

Thill said her husband often drank vodka throughout the day and had been in and out of the hospital because of liver and other health problems. He tried rehab and she tried taking the alcohol away. Nothing worked, she said.

"His mind was set," she said. "So I took care of him."

In the end, Thill said, cirrhosis left her husband jaundiced, swollen and unable to keep food down.

King treated Raymond Thill and said he is convinced that Thill would have lived longer if he'd been off the streets earlier.

"This shouldn't be happening," especially when many deaths could have been prevented with better access to health care and housing, said David Snow, a sociology professor at the University of California-Irvine. "If you are on the streets, you are not getting the attention you need."

'Ready for Bad Luck to Happen'

Homeless residents in Los Angeles also died from the same ailments as the general population � heart disease, cancer, lung disease, diabetes and infections. But they did so at a much younger age, said Dr. Paul Gregerson, who treats homeless residents as chief medical officer for JWCH Institute clinics in the Los Angeles area.

A stressful lifestyle, lack of healthy food and exposure to the weather contribute to an early death, he said. "If you are homeless, your body ages faster from living outside," Gregerson said.

In Los Angeles County, the average age of death for homeless people was 48 for women and 51 for men. The life expectancy for women in California in 2016 was 83 and 79 for men � among the best longevity statistics in the nation.

Over the five-year period in L.A. County, there also was a sharp increase in deaths of younger adults who were homeless. For instance, the deaths of adults under 45 more than doubled.

The data does not include information about mental illnesses, which Elias of the coroner's office said could be a contributing factor in some of the deaths.

Stephen Rosenstein, 59, was walking across the street in Panorama City, an L.A. neighborhood, when a car struck and killed him one night early last year, said his sister, Cindy Garcia. He had spent years bouncing from the streets to shelters to board-and-care homes, she said.

Rosenstein had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic depression, Garcia said, and often resisted help � behavior she attributed to his mental illness. "Most people would want to have a roof over your head," she said. "He just fought it all the way."

Rosenstein's cause of death was listed as "traumatic injuries." Deaths by trauma or violence were common among the homeless in the period analyzed: At least 800 people died from trauma, and of those, about 200 were shot or stabbed.

"They are ready for bad luck to happen," King said.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 20:50

really queer Christmas: Apr 22, 2014

Homelessness can be solved in America for a third of the amount we increased the military budget last year.

Devil loving nation

# ? Sep 12, 2019 22:08

Iron Chef Ramen: Sep 15, 2007; HA HA! YOU HAVE CHOSEN POORLY!

really queer Christmas posted:

Homelessness can be solved in America for a third of the amount we increased the military budget last year.

Devil loving nation

but that would be handouts and would disincentivize pulling yourself up by your bootstraps

in other news my fixed bills now only take up 70% of my pay instead of drat near 90% 3 years ago. truly i am living the american dream

# ? Sep 13, 2019 01:14

im on the net me boys: Feb 19, 2017; Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhjjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhjhhhhhhjhhhhhhhhhjjjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh cannabis

E sorry wrong thread

# ? Sep 13, 2019 01:24

abuse culture.: Sep 8, 2004

luv 2 work 60-120 hours a week and still barely make ends meet

# ? Sep 13, 2019 01:31

Control Volume: Dec 31, 2008

What is this thread title? Huey Lewis and the Blues?

# ? Sep 13, 2019 01:50

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# ? Apr 28, 2024 15:24

roomforthetuna: Mar 22, 2005; I don't need to know anything about virii! My CUSTOM PROGRAM keeps me protected! It's not like they'll try to come in through the Internet or something!

tylersayten posted:

Deaths have jumped 76% in the past five years, outpacing the growth of the homeless population,

Trumpspin: homelessness in LA is decreasing for the first time in years!

# ? Sep 13, 2019 01:57

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