Oh definitely! Navigating public transit with kids is an extra complication same as even when you have a car. The time when I had my longest commute (3 hours) was when I had my worst health problems so commuting via public transit when limited mobility is an issue while also making doctors appointment in 2 separate…

Agreed. $15/hr is a concession. Especially when true value is somewhere above $20/hr now.

That’s not feasible for most people outside of a few large cities. I currently drive 7 miles from my apartment in the suburbs of DC, to park at a Metro station and ride in the rest of the way. This system costs me about $200 a month, factoring in the cost of the train fare, parking, and gas. When I was searching for…

When discussing public transportation, people seem to forget about rural areas. It’s almost like they’re under the assumption that it’s a legal requirement that it be available everywhere. Buses and trains were a completely foreign concept to me when I was growing up. My family is still there and transportation to and…

You are straight-up clueless. I’m almost embarrassed for you.

Quarterly census of employment and wages. Review the trends of reported wages and, also, the local/state elections which empowered Republicans significantly.

What part of the country were you in? That can make a huge difference. I’ve been very poor twice - both times I was in areas of the country where there were very few jobs available (once in Appalachia, once in central Michigan). And I don’t mean that there were few “good” jobs that I wanted to work, I mean there were…

I spent decades of my life being poor... One thing many people don’t realize is that when you speak of the time cost for something, they do not seem to get it... If you work TWO 32 hour /week jobs and spend over 3 hours travelling each day to those various jobs, just to make enough to pay the rent, you simply don’t…

You’re extremely lucky to have discovered these opportunities and maximized your economic benefits. Meanwhile, a majority of America is dealing with a political party that demonizes the poor and yet, remarkably, does everything in their power to remove opportunity, ensuring the growth of poverty. What I’m saying is,…

Khloe and Lamar.

Great article, Eric! The things I remember the most about being poor (growing up and as a young adult) is the shame and stress.

That sounds like a really interesting idea. In my particular case, it might not have been feasible (I haven’t checked recently, but in the past I didn’t qualify as a blood donor for medical reasons), but I’m not sure if I’d said no. However, I do think it’s a pretty fine line. In my case, my only option to avoid a…

Ever been to Auto Zone, O’Reilly’s or Napa Auto Parts? Everyone there is a regular person trying to save a few bucks by buying the parts themselves. Ever wonder why these stores are always in the hood? Poor people already do all their own maintenance, it’s still expensive.

You are condescending as fuck.

Time.

Call me paranoid, but having lived and traveled through various countries I’m going to advance the craaaaaaazy conspiracy theory that public transportation in most of the United Stes is designed to torment and humiliate the poor rather than to actually be useful and reliable.

“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

There’s also the problem of food deserts- that is, areas where getting inexpensive, nutritional food is basically impossible (generally this is urban areas with low incomes).

You’ve obviously never lived paycheck to paycheck if you think eating healthy isn’t more expensive than eating ramen and hotdogs...

Have you ever been poor? Heard of food deserts? Worked two jobs to keep up? Made about ten thousand decisions a day (do I spend money on food? Medicine? Rent? Bills? What do I skimp on? What about my shoes that are about to die?) Try it for a while and then tell poor people how they’re “lazy.”