If you make over 75,000 a year, are you rich? (hell)

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by stephenw

I'm stunned at the statement that you would not consider 75k a year rich.

Not even close.

$100k a month is rich.

$75k/yr is middle class for sure.

[Mister_T]

Originally Posted by 9-10ths_Penguin

I wasn't talking about Beverly Hills. When I mentioned housing prices in Toronto, I wasn't trying to imply Rosedale or Lawrence Park. A small fixer-upper bungalow in a crappy part of town is out of reach for the vast majority of people living around here.

You were talking about luxory and implying that living in L.A. is a luxory: Living in Beverly Hills is a luxory, living in Compton is not a luxory. Thus, living in Los Angeles is not the luxory you're trying to make it out to be.

And I do think the situation is bad, but it's not fundamentally different than other problems. If "sell your car" is valid advice in a place with poor or no transit, why isn't "move somewhere cheaper" just as valid?

For the same reason moving to India or Mexico isn't valid if you're struggling to live here.

Originally Posted by 9-10ths_Penguin

India again. For the majority of people, if they were to move to India, even though their cost of living would go down dramatically, so would their income.

Yes India. The same problem you presented here with moving to India, is the same problem the majority of people moving out of Los Angeles would face moving out of state.

Originally Posted by 9-10ths_Penguin

And I didn't say that their complaints were shallow, empty or unjustifiable. It's just a matter of pragmatic realism to recognize that the option is there for many people to reduce their housing costs by moving, even if the reason for the high housing costs in the first place is unfair.

The underlying message you're giving is that because they have an alternative option, that they shouldn't whine about their living situation and should instead, move. Again, see my theory regarding into giving into "pragmatic realisim" by moving to India as oppose to whining about where you live. It is, after all, an option.

Originally Posted by 9-10ths_Penguin

I never said every single person in L.A. could move away. In fact, I tried to emphasize that point in my last post:

The point you seem to be missing is that this is not an isolated few. This is a problem for everyone in Los Angeles faces: Business owners, blue collar workers, white collar workers, city employees, you name it. Which is why we are one of the biggest (if not the biggest) forclosure capitals in the U.S. right now.

[mball1297]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

Not even close.

$100k a month is rich.

$75k/yr is middle class for sure.

Right on, and very concise.

[Draka]

Originally Posted by Reverend Rick

If I worked for 7.25 an hour, I would not own a car. I would walk to work. One crappy job is as good as another and I would live where I worked. If I had a job that only worked me 36 hours, I would have two jobs. Two part time jobs equal a full time one. If I had trouble with my rent, I would have a room mate.

I'm sorry, your living on one paycheck. Get a second job and put all that money in the bank. If you save and invest, 5 years from now, I'm willing to bet you could afford to buy a home or at least afford to move somewhere else or go to college and get a better job. It's not about right now, it's about your whole life ahead of you.

I'll tell you how I do math, 7.25 x 60 is 435 a week times 4 is 1,740.00 times two people working towards the same goal is 3,480 a month or 45,240 dollars a year.

Ok, you go ahead and walk the 5 to 6 miles to and from work at odd and varying times of day and night. A lot of minimum wage jobs have odd hours where you work day shift for a day or two and the night shift the next day and then afternoon and so on and so forth. It's called working fast food and for some people, with their options, it is the only resort for them. Being that the hours vary so much it can be really hard to find a second job that would be able to work around those particular changing hours and days. So, while having a second job can be an option, it just depends on the main job you have and how flexible it is with hours.

Also, if you have trouble swinging the rent on an economy or one bedroom apartment, then how much better is it going to be if you have to get a roommate? You would have to get a larger place just to fit both of you and then you are paying more rent. Not to mention twice the groceries and the bills go up. So while a roommate may help, it still doesn't make you well set and you still have troubles.

And again, you obviously have not bothered to pay attention to anything I have said. I am not in that situation now, but I have been before. I have lost my daughters, my house, my job, my insurance, everything...and had to start all over from scratch. I did not lose all of that due to my being bad with money or "living beyond my means", but due to a horrible dramatic experience in my life. My point is is that things happen that are beyond our control and we may well find ourselves at rock bottom and starting over with nothing. I have done that. I have built myself back up. I have gone to college. The thing is...is that you have made comments along the lines that anyone who doesn't have money or is "poor" is that way because of their own inability to manage money. That is simply not true. You seem to have this attitude about people who struggle to make ends meet. As if they are simply not as good as you. You look down your nose at people who have trouble paying their bills so that they can buy food. That is exactly how you come off to me. And THAT is what I find so incredibly offensive.

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Originally Posted by Mister_T

You were talking about luxory and implying that living in L.A. is a luxory: Living in Beverly Hills is a luxory, living in Compton is not a luxory. Thus, living in Los Angeles is not the luxory you're trying to make it out to be.

I didn't claim that people in Compton spend their days drinking margaritas and sunning themselves by the pool. It stands to reason that the people who choose Compton over other less expensive options get something that they value for their extra expense. What that extra value is I really don't know, but people pay good money for it, apparently.

Originally Posted by Mister_T

For the same reason moving to India or Mexico isn't valid if you're struggling to live here.

Wages in the midwestern US are not on par with India or Mexico.

Originally Posted by Mister_T

Yes India. The same problem you presented here with moving to India, is the same problem the majority of people moving out of Los Angeles would face moving out of state.

How so?

In the non-urban parts of Canada and the US, a person can buy a house on one low-to-mid income. In Toronto, my wife (a department manager for a large firm) and I (an engineer) can't afford a house with both of our incomes together - from what you describe, L.A. is similar. It would take take a very large decrease in income as you get further from L.A. to offset the benefit of lower cost of living.

Originally Posted by Mister_T

The underlying message you're giving is that because they have an alternative option, that they shouldn't whine about their living situation and should instead, move. Again, see my theory regarding into giving into "pragmatic realisim" by moving to India as oppose to whining about where you live. It is, after all, an option.

It's a poor option for the reasons I've already given.

I never said that people can't complain about their lot in life. My point is that if a person can't pay for both food and rent in L.A., but could do okay some place else, then maybe they should consider going there. That's all.

Originally Posted by Mister_T

The point you seem to be missing is that this is not an isolated few. This is a problem for everyone in Los Angeles faces: Business owners, blue collar workers, white collar workers, city employees, you name it. Which is why we are one of the biggest (if not the biggest) forclosure capitals in the U.S. right now.

Again, I never claimed to be describing everyone. I recognize that many people don't have the financial means to pick up and leave. However, just about every single job in the Greater Los Angeles area from longshoreman to bank manager to ballerina can be found some place else.

[DallasApple]

Its not rich where I live..I live in a city where its nothing to be sitting at a red light next to poeple driving cars that cost that much or more..(Vipers,Hummers)

And for us..its especially not rich becasue after expenses..We arent putting that whole amount in our pockets.

Having said that..I am grateful and feel blessed we have a home..nice food to eat..2 cars that are decent and dependable..can afford to do fun things for ourselves and our children..and help others when we can..

Many people dont have things like that.And I realize that..

Blessings

Dallas

[Reverend Rick]

Originally Posted by Mister_T