Understandable. I guess our only recourse is to do austerity / wage suppression about it! See, it’s actually their fault for making too much money and getting too many handouts, or something. It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with all the middlemen taking more profits wherever they can squeeze them from. THAT has to keep happening so we can have Good Paying Jobs, see. Also there’s a labor shortage so we need to suppress wages more.
Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
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Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#102The current financial system and various corporations see the majority of consumers like livestock - a kind of resource to be exploited. It's better to be free range organic though, in my humble opinion, but the majority seem to be trending towards battery/cage chickens.
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Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's getting pretty bad, I wonder where the floor is. A growing number of people are using credit to purchase groceries — buy now pay later schemes are also resulting in people putting ubereats on credit https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/business/buy-now-pay-late... ( https://archive.is/Cmzis )
It's important to note that using credit isn't purely an indication of struggling. A lot of those payment programs offer 0% incentives, and from a purely logical standpoint, the correct thing to do is put everything you buy on a 0% loan for as long as possible.
It's the "correct" thing until it isn't... because there's an entire industry designed to profit off of punishing you for it. Without regulation it used to even trick you into getting over your head... credit card bills wouldn't even do you the basic courtesy of warning you about how much interest you're paying in an effort to obscure real costs.
Businesses still prey on this sort of obscurification. Ask any Uber driver how much wear and tear reduces their income and you'll get a blank stare. Restaurants pushed for no taxes on tips because realistically minimum wage increases cost them more than this sort of glad-handing "don't worry about it, look at what you have now!"
It's a trap that primarily catches disadvantaged people... industries depend on trapping people. A socially health society should not accept this.
Consider another series of facts: the average car loan is $50,000. The average payment is in the area of $700... only 10% of monthly car payments are under $400. Median household income is $78k, rate of household car ownership is 1.8. This should be economically terrifying, but it's just business as usual.
Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
God forbid we touch Obamacare though.
Did everyone just forget what it was like before Obamacare? Apparently you didn’t know anyone excluded for pre-existing conditions Obamacare also mandated coverage for basic care like your annual physical and many mental health conditions. It’s not perfect, but I guess it’s been long enough that people are forgetting how bad the situation was before.
The costs also used to be a lot lower - at least for most people who just pay the premium and don’t need much care. Now it’s not uncommon for a family’s health insurance to cost more than their housing.
The people who are mad are those who are paying more and not experiencing the benefits.
Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
Huh? I'm guessing you didn't mean to reply to me?
You're talking about getting in a car and driving to a specialized grocery store to "save money". I'm saying you could also just by produce and save money.
That was the point of my post. I'm not buying potato chips and dip; I'm buying produce, meat, and herbs. These items are way cheaper at the Asian markets I go to.
Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#106Protip: look for an Asian market in your area for food. I get an entire shopping cart full of food for $60-100 and that lasts for ~2 weeks. When I go to Publix (or any other grocery store), I get like 2-3 bags for $60... Discovering the Asian market has been one of the best financial things to happen to me. Although I'm not really sure how their prices are so low. If someone could answer, that would be awesome!
Publix is expensive. Even Walmart will save you a good amount.
Publix is expensive for general items but the sales are often incredible, I will stop by just to get BOGO items and return to Kroger or Lidl for everything else.
Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#107I did some math a while ago on this topic: 40 million Americans live below the poverty line of $15,000 per year. [1] Total U.S. household net worth (excluding real estate) is around $54 trillion. [2] If every household above the poverty line donated 2.5% of their net worth annually to people living below the poverty line, we could erase poverty instantly. Here’s the math: 2.5% of $54 trillion = $1.35 trillion $1.35 t…
1) After how many years of 2.5% annual donation would their own wealth drop until they thenself become poor?
Donating 2.5% means that you get poorer and poorer over time unless you can make more than that per year back. 2.5% of wealth also means non-liquid assets such as house, how do you donate that? Get credit?
If you are middle class and your house etc is eg 1M$ net worth you are giving 25k$ per year. At 0.5M net worth its 12.5k$ per year.
2) You assume that those people would know how to handle that money well. We see what many poor people do with money: buy trash like soda with food stamps that makes them even more ill and causes them more financial burden due to poor health.
Are you sure that money would be well spent, or is it better to invest in better technology that will benefit everyone?
3) Why would hard working responsible middle class people give their money to those that buy cola with it? Mass revolt, people care about their families only.
Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
God forbid we touch Obamacare though.
Did everyone just forget what it was like before Obamacare? Apparently you didn’t know anyone excluded for pre-existing conditions Obamacare also mandated coverage for basic care like your annual physical and many mental health conditions. It’s not perfect, but I guess it’s been long enough that people are forgetting how bad the situation was before.
Heh I wasn't an adult then. All I've experienced is being forced to buy insurance with a premium so high my risk adjusted return for self insuring is actually higher. I was so happy when the individual mandate was finally killed. That was just straight theft by incompetent health care administration.
Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#109There are times when I have been broke and just meant I ate more plainly. 20kg sack of rice is cheap and lasts a while. Flour is cheap. Eggs are cheap Potatoes Canned tuna Etc A lot of those who complain about groceries could swap out what they would rather have until times improve.
Yeah! And they could sell their refrigerators too! They use way too much electricity.
No. Actually should get more freezer space if possible. So can buy in bulk on offer and freeze.
You clearly have never been broke and are clueless!!!
Re: Food, housing, & health care costs are a source of major stress for many people
#110In the US insurance (of all types: car, house, health) is a major expense and only getting worse.
Vehicles in general. In Houston, I share a car with my girlfriend since I work from home. But some days I don't feel very independent when I want to run an errand while she's at work. I'll look up the price of a used Corolla and think about all the additional expenses, and I'm immediately disabused of the idea. Instead, I decided to book some motorcycle lessons so I can use a $3000 moto. But then I need to pay for li…
In Florida there are "Lottery Winner" style billboards everywhere for auto accident lawyers and other ambulance chasers. This is what helps keep insurance premiums high for everyone and unless you are flat-broke. Good luck gambling not having enough insurance.