Ah yes, the obligatory entitlement thread.
You could find millions and millions of people around the world who would feel they hit the jackpot if they were allowed to come to America and work at Wal Mart.
To call it slavery is pathetic and degrading to so many people around the world who 1. Are actual slaves and 2. Would kill to have a job at Wal-Mart.
I’d be skeptical if the OP, or anyone who agrees with him/her, has ever actually traveled to poor countries outside the US and see what it’s like to “actually” be poor.
I’d place a safe bet that we have the most obese “poor” people in the world. I’d say Americans definition of poor is a gross overstatement. It’s amazing what some people here classify as poor.
When I was 16 I made $11/hr working in the kitchen at a nursing home. When I was 19 I was making $13.80 as a CNA (a decade ago). In addition, if someone is struggling to get by, why are they limiting themselves to 40 hr weeks like that’s some maximum threshold? I haven’t had a 40 hr/wk job in my career. Sure, it’s great for some people, but if you’re struggling, a person can work 60 hrs regularly no problem, just takes work ethic, and work ethic requires no intelligence or special schooling.
Is it a race to the bottom? A competition to see who is poorer?
I recently read "$2 a day. Living on almost nothing in America" and yes, there are people in the US who are really poor.
When I was in high school, I had a job too...making $3.35 an hour, whee! It was $4.35 on Sundays. Heck, during the summer one year I had two jobs, working 60 hours...one at $4 an hour at the gas company (digging ditches, washing trucks, loading pipe) and then 20 hours at night/ weekends bagging groceries. But I was 19. And not paying rent. Gosh, there are people living like this today who are adults with families and for many of them, there's no way out. They aren't lazy. I don't understand why people have this binary thought about poverty.
Does it make you feel better? (Obviously they did something wrong. They are stupid. Or lazy.) It's a sliding scale of intelligence, grit, hard work, mental health, age, physical health, and availability of jobs. I am astonished at the number of people completely incapable of stepping into someone else's shoes.
And also: obesity is highly correlated with wealth. Because the more money you have:
- less stressed = thinner
- more time for exercise
- more time to prepare food
- more money to buy food that is better for you, but costs more per calorie
I see the food that people get for free at school - luckily, our school system is very healthy and provides a lot of fruits and vegetables. Imagine you are on a budget, and the food you can afford is carbs, carbs, and more carbs. Gee...