Are You Having A Tough Time Making Ends Meet? (page 6)

Priest73

Retail eh Min? With that red dot I'd thought you would be in IT.

I know priest, things come up for everyone but at some point you have to stop placing blame on others because that’s going to get you nowhere. I don’t fault credit card companies for charging me interest rates, they are a business, why is that so hard to understand? They are in it to make money that’s why they are companies rather than charities. I used their money and I knew what I was getting into, so I really have no right to complain.

Blueblades

What happened to the "Living Wage" vs. the "Minimun Wage". Congress was supposed to vote for the living wage as a standard and do away with the minimum wage. The living wage back then in the 90"s was supposed to be $9.00 an hour vs. $5.00. Now it should be much much higher! Anyone know about this? What is the update on the living wage vs. the minimum wage?

Blueblades

FreedomFrog

What is the update on the living wage vs. the minimum wage?

Don't know about "living" wages...just know that minimum is at $6.75 or something like that and is suppose to go up this year to $7? I thought I read that on the Better Business poster.

Dagney

I work in a sort of recession proof business. For the first time EVER, sales are down.

wings

lola, you may not feel you have no right to complain, but among friends you should be able to if you want. Complaining and blaming are two different things. I haven't read anything on this thread that leads me to think the ones complaining are not owning their situation.

"Are you having a tough time making ends meet?" that is the thread....not....."If you can't make ends meet it is your own damn fault"

lola28

Go back and read the posts from one of the posters who believes credit card companies are to blame for charging him fees.

Freedomfrog

No, it doesn't disqualify you. but the opinions are coming off as if the rest of us that are having trouble are "dead beat" or lazy.

That was never my intention, but I will fess up to something, I do have a very strong dislike of those that blame the evil credit cards for the problems they have when they are unable to keep up with the bills. I hate the “poor me the marketing machine got me” attitude, no one makes you use credit cards and I’m pretty sure all companies disclose all their fees up front, so how can you blame them for charging you when you know what being late will cost you upfront? How can you blame a company for trying to make money? I never called anyone lazy or a deadbeat, I simply said that there are far too many Americans who use their cards and then bitch about it when they can’t pay and I for one have no sympathy for them or their “plight”

sammielee24

It's not business greed,it's consumer ignorance (did you read the terms on your cards?), and poor personal finance skills.

Not always IMO. I worked in finance - I'm pretty skilled and I'm not greedy. I'm okay - but believe me, I've seen how people do suffer and struggle and sometimes lose out when business decides to move out, close up and produce cheaper someplace else. I've seen people who don't take vacations, have never flown in a plane, who drive 2nd hand cars and think eating out once a month is still a treat. Careful consumers, conservative spenders. Do that for 25 years, have what you think is a tidy sum in the bank for retirement, house almost paid off and kids in school - then wham! You lose your job, think you'll get another one, then your wife gets sick and paying that bill takes up all your savings. You are over 50 which is a strike against you, so on you struggle - can't refinance the house to live on because you need a job, and the list goes on and on and on.

A personal can be as careful as they want but one illness, one job loss, age, company meltdowns or even something as simple as the cost of living tripling for 5 years while your real income falls, can easily cripple those who have been conservative all their lives.

People do have to take responsibility for rash choices and finance should be mandatory in public school education - never understood why they don't teach kids how to budget alongside music appreciation but hey, what do I know? but life happens.

This whole topic is pretty funny really. It's always up to the person for their total responsibility and I've never understood that rationale. I wonder how we would justify saying that to the Iraqi's that couldn't leave and got bombed out, their families killed. Personal responsibility? How about the mobile homes in the trailer parks in California that got destroyed and left in the dust when the wealthiest homes had private firefighters sweep in to save their places? They were responsible in paying taxes but nobody saved their homes - how many years will it take them to get ahead? What about the people in Katrina who had insurance on their homes only to be waiting years later for the settlements to come in to begin rebuilding their lives? What about the people in Zimbabwe who have money in the bank to live on and jobs but can't get their cash out of the bank or earn enough to pay for the cost of food? Things are all relevant to where we are aren't they?

Personal responsibility is necessary but so is it necessary to have good, responsible government and business in order to survive and maintain a healthy society.

BTW - the USA is in a mess because of George Bush. His 9 trillion dollar debt has sunk the country. He's still going around the world promising that the Americans will cough up another 30 billion here and another 40 million there - maybe if the country had a strong leader, one who was fiscally responsible and who really governed for the people and not against them - maybe then the people themselves might have made different choices along the way..might have. sammieswife.

Layla33

This whole topic is pretty funny really. It's always up to the person for their total responsibility and I've never understood that rationale. I wonder how we would justify saying that to the Iraqi's that couldn't leave and got bombed out, their families killed. Personal responsibility? How about the mobile homes in the trailer parks in California that got destroyed and left in the dust when the wealthiest homes had private firefighters sweep in to save their places? They were responsible in paying taxes but nobody saved their homes - how many years will it take them to get ahead? What about the people in Katrina who had insurance on their homes only to be waiting years later for the settlements to come in to begin rebuilding their lives? What about the people in Zimbabwe who have money in the bank to live on and jobs but can't get their cash out of the bank or earn enough to pay for the cost of food? Things are all relevant to where we are aren't they?

I particularly like this quote above. Minus credit card debt, this is about real people with real issues. When you get laid off from a job and the best you can do is get a $7.00 an hour job or even two or three jobs paying about that, things are going to suffer. People are losing their homes, the price of food has gone up, living has become very difficult. To be honest, I have worked in social service for many years and many people do not have compassion for the poor. Lose your home? Your problem! You get sick and can't work? Your problem! The economy is in ruins and thus we all suffer as humans? Your problem. There are more children out there starving then ever before in this country, low-skilled american citizens workers that can't find work because this government would rather give it to an illegal who they can pay less than minimum wage and no benefits whatsoever, I mean it is pretty sad.

I know someone who had a very high level job at AOL and was laid off from making in the triple figures. Had a nice home, nice education for his kids, stocks, etc and LOST EVERYTHING. This man lives in a studio apartment and he works two jobs just to have food on the table. Should he be blamed for anything? I don't get it.

My next response is just a general response, really. We have a right to vent about any old subject under the sun. Your opinion is just that, but this vicious personal attacking is uncalled for and reading it just boogles my mind. Have you walked in someone else's shoes, walked their path? Maybe some people come here to just vent, without all the sermonizing and whatever. Don't judge someone unless you would like the same judgment placed on you. No one walks a straight perfect line in this world. My heart goes out to anyone that is suffering right now, whether it is loss of work, illness, fear of losing their home and I want you to know that there are those of us that give a damn.

Priest73

Sammieswife,
We're gunna have to agree to disagree on this one.
I will give you the first example, lose job sick wife etc...
But we've been expecting this melt down for years. 5/1 ARM/ Interest only loan? c'mon now. A little perception and market savy can go along way...

Jobs going over seas? Yeah. How many of you have shopped at walmart because it's cheaper? Why you would you expect big business to do any different? Only their walmart is India and China.

Somebody moved our cheese, so we just have to find different cheese.

Sorry to ramble but I get worked up over this.

And good luck with Hillary as your president (that's tongue in cheek.. don't hit me)

Are You Having A Tough Time Making Ends Meet?

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