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Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

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Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#31

Post by frgtpsswrdlame »

rayiner wrote: post #20

> But there is little money to see the sights. She earns too much to receive food stamps, and a lot of it goes to groceries. She tries to eat organic food, with her low blood sugar. That rules out cheap but filling Big Macs — as well as the food kitchens whose mass-produced meals, she decided, are unhealthful. Why do newspapers use as examples people who seem to have done everything wrong? Is it because formerly midd…

>Is it because formerly middle class people are somehow more relatable to the readers of the LA Times than people who never had much of a chance to begin with?

Hit the nail on the head. And not only is it the readers that skew towards middle class but it's the writers as well.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#32

Post by rabbite »

rayiner wrote: post #20

> But there is little money to see the sights. She earns too much to receive food stamps, and a lot of it goes to groceries. She tries to eat organic food, with her low blood sugar. That rules out cheap but filling Big Macs — as well as the food kitchens whose mass-produced meals, she decided, are unhealthful. Why do newspapers use as examples people who seem to have done everything wrong? Is it because formerly midd…

I'd tend to agree, many of the critical decisions highlighted make her life much harder than it has to be.

"Organic" labeled food is much more expensive than beans, rice, and basic chicken. She even decides to buy a $21 prime rib dinner from a restaurant! the article mentions that it would be good for 3 meals. $7 per meal is much larger than what it would cost to make that meal yourself from groceries.

I feel for her situation, but it's hard to ignore a lot of the bad decisions she makes.

Another place in the article mentions she got a $300 speeding ticket for driving 43 in a 35. That's a pretty bad mistake to make when you are living on fumes.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#33

Post by ianai »

rayiner wrote: post #20

> But there is little money to see the sights. She earns too much to receive food stamps, and a lot of it goes to groceries. She tries to eat organic food, with her low blood sugar. That rules out cheap but filling Big Macs — as well as the food kitchens whose mass-produced meals, she decided, are unhealthful. Why do newspapers use as examples people who seem to have done everything wrong? Is it because formerly midd…

Every author has an audience. Her example is easier for people to understand within her cohort. If they had wrote the story about someone who did not reflect their readership people could view it without any “that could happen to me” thoughts.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#36

Post by creaghpatr »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #14
wincy wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or if, you know, we had social values where it’s OK to have your children take care of you.

Mind if I expound on this? My mother died in July at 59 from a brain hemorrhage. I took her in 2 years ago, and I paid ~$1000/month for her prescriptions before the ACA kicked in. After it kicked in, her prescription costs dropped (thankfully, as I was going to Canada to get non-controlled prescriptions) but her provider costs increased. Only because I’m a tech professional in a top earning tier was I able to do this…

So your solution was to shaft the hospitals $48k? Sounds like an applicable solution for the rest of America. This is why healthcare costs are so high.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#37

Post by epistasis »

nnfy wrote: post #21

>Her savings long gone, and having never done much long-term financial planning And so again we are expected to pay for the mistakes of others. What incentive is there to save if you know you have a social net to save you anyway? Yes, I understand, it is a terrifying way to live, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but if we deincentivize personal responsibility, what stops this from becoming a larger problem? How can this…

There are many nations with a similar level of development and wealth as the United States. How prevalent is this problem in Canada? In Europe?

You propose "personal responsibility" as the solution to this, but does Canada or Europe depend more on "personal responsibility" or less than the US?

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#38

Post by JSONwebtoken »

mallet wrote: post #27

Article begins with spending $20 on a prime-rib lunch, then complains about not being able to eat....

> “I thought I could handle eating and shopping,” she said, “but lunch put me over the top.”

If lunch put her over the top as she says, why did she buy a $21 lunch? The Ice Tea probably cost at least $3.50.

Let's be real, there weren't two extra meals in those leftovers.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#39

Post by pmoriarty »

40acres wrote: post #7

Both of my parents are in this situation, and it's only exacerbated by the fact that my mom had to retire due to spinal surgery and my dad has a bad hip injury that he refuses to get surgery for because he fears missing rent. Despite my willingness to help with the rent and bills I can only provide so much as I live in a high COL area as well. The next 15-20 years are going to be very, very tough for older Americans.

"I can only provide so much as I live in a high COL area as well"

Why are your parents living in a high cost-of-living area?

Wouldn't it make sense for them to move somewhere they could better afford?

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#40

Post by bwanab »

40acres wrote: post #7

Both of my parents are in this situation, and it's only exacerbated by the fact that my mom had to retire due to spinal surgery and my dad has a bad hip injury that he refuses to get surgery for because he fears missing rent. Despite my willingness to help with the rent and bills I can only provide so much as I live in a high COL area as well. The next 15-20 years are going to be very, very tough for older Americans.

I hope it's only the next 15-20 years. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
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