ShooterTX said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Bruce Leroy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Actually, having a smart phone, for many families, is THE most efficient way to use their money. Internet access is a requirement for life, even if it's just applying for jobs, checking email, signing up for work shifts. Those phones can cost $700, but they rarely have people pay full price (usually there's a buy 1/get one etc). It is essentially the family computer and entertainment all in one.

So this weird FoxNews soundbite obsession with this idea that poor people have to look poor and be poor all the time as if they weren't human beings that would want and could occasionally afford a nice thing, probably trips your conservative erogenous zones, but it isn't based in any sort of fact.

---

Apparently, your pot infused brain cannot read anything beyond the second line.
I'm sure it tingles your communist erogenous zones to believe that everyone is working full time, eating beans & rice, and just barely surviving... but it just isn't reality.
I guess we shouldn't expect someone who has willfully been detached from reality for the past 10+ years to understand how things work in the real world. All those years in school, and still no understanding or wisdom... so sad.
Almost everyone who has an iPhone is paying for that iPhone. If they would look at their monthly statements, they would see that they are paying for around 48 months for that phone. Meanwhile, almost every carrier has some kind of "smart phone" which is either vastly cheaper... or in some cases is actually free.

But let's forget the iPhone for a minute. How about you address any of the other cost-cutting measures I mentioned? Put down the bong and your copy of Das Kapital for a few, and actually think for a change.
Someday, you might have to get a real job, so it would probably be a good idea to learn about the real world before you have to enter it.

---

Listen, I get that you're perpetually angry. Maybe you treat everyone else like **** and that's cool, I guess. But you can at least try. You sincerely don't seem capable of disagreeing with someone over anything without getting upset and calling names or calling someone stupid.

Take a break, guy.

You need to calm down.

---

And yet you still cannot answer any of the ideas I proposed.
Yes, I'm sure you need me to take a break... I'm ruining your fantasy.
Try and answer the questions I asked.... go ahead... give it a try.
Ignore the iPhone part, and attempt to respond to the rest of it.
Or do you want to just keep hiding? You can run & hide within academia for awhile, but not forever. You'll have to face the real world eventually.

---

^^^ Methinks you get this BBL character

YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

ShooterTX said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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ShooterTX said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Actually, having a smart phone, for many families, is THE most efficient way to use their money. Internet access is a requirement for life, even if it's just applying for jobs, checking email, signing up for work shifts. Those phones can cost $700, but they rarely have people pay full price (usually there's a buy 1/get one etc). It is essentially the family computer and entertainment all in one.

So this weird FoxNews soundbite obsession with this idea that poor people have to look poor and be poor all the time as if they weren't human beings that would want and could occasionally afford a nice thing, probably trips your conservative erogenous zones, but it isn't based in any sort of fact.

---

Apparently, your pot infused brain cannot read anything beyond the second line.
I'm sure it tingles your communist erogenous zones to believe that everyone is working full time, eating beans & rice, and just barely surviving... but it just isn't reality.
I guess we shouldn't expect someone who has willfully been detached from reality for the past 10+ years to understand how things work in the real world. All those years in school, and still no understanding or wisdom... so sad.
Almost everyone who has an iPhone is paying for that iPhone. If they would look at their monthly statements, they would see that they are paying for around 48 months for that phone. Meanwhile, almost every carrier has some kind of "smart phone" which is either vastly cheaper... or in some cases is actually free.

But let's forget the iPhone for a minute. How about you address any of the other cost-cutting measures I mentioned? Put down the bong and your copy of Das Kapital for a few, and actually think for a change.
Someday, you might have to get a real job, so it would probably be a good idea to learn about the real world before you have to enter it.

---

Listen, I get that you're perpetually angry. Maybe you treat everyone else like **** and that's cool, I guess. But you can at least try. You sincerely don't seem capable of disagreeing with someone over anything without getting upset and calling names or calling someone stupid.

Take a break, guy.

You need to calm down.

---

And yet you still cannot answer any of the ideas I proposed.
Yes, I'm sure you need me to take a break... I'm ruining your fantasy.
Try and answer the questions I asked.... go ahead... give it a try.
Ignore the iPhone part, and attempt to respond to the rest of it.
Or do you want to just keep hiding? You can run & hide within academia for awhile, but not forever. You'll have to face the real world eventually.

---

Why are you so angry? Honest question. Why are you so incredibly intent on being rude and personally insulting?

If your child was talking this way to someone, anyone, would you be okay with this?

Sam Lowry said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Doc Holliday said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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I did not realize how bad off we all were in this country until watching the Democratic Party debate tonight. After watching, I feel like I need to go make a little cardboard sign.

---

Remember when you said Obamacare was going to collapse our society?

---

The best healthcare plan these days is to just not get sick.

---

That's what's known as the European Plan.

---

How so? The Europeans -all of those countries- spend less on healthcare and have Bette outcomes.

---

They have less access to a lot of treatments, especially those that are more innovative or higher in cost. Better outcomes are usually judged by things like life expectancy and infant mortality, which aren't really a direct measure of the quality of healthcare. Too many other factors, like obesity and poverty, affect the comparison.

---

Not true.

---

How is it not true?

We are much more obese in the U.S. than in Europe. West Virginia is 10% higher in obesity rates than the entire UK. One-third of Americans -- or 78.6 million -- are classified as obese according to a paper published in 2014 in The Journal of the American Medical Association: The Journal of the American Medical Association: Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012

Obesity rates vary by age and ethnic group. Middle-aged Americans, 40- to 59-year-olds, have the highest obesity rates. Regarding race, non-Hispanic blacks have the highest obesity rates, followed by Hispanics, then non-Hispanic whites and finally non-Hispanic Asians. Seventeen percent of children in the United States are obese

Obesity is a major factor.

---

They have access to the same range treatments and innovations.

---

That's beside the point. When your drugs are unavailable because of government restrictions, having the same theoretical "range" doesn't help much.

---

Are there countries where doctors can prescribe a drug that is unavailable because of govt restrictions? What doctor would do that?

BrooksBearLives said:

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Waco1947 said:

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-expansion-contrasts/rich-get-richer-everyone-else-not-so-much-in-record-u-s-expansion-idUSKCN1TX0HE?utm_source=applenews

---

They won't read this.

---

Yeah I know. But I like to their bluff

BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

Waco1947 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Waco1947 said:

---

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-expansion-contrasts/rich-get-richer-everyone-else-not-so-much-in-record-u-s-expansion-idUSKCN1TX0HE?utm_source=applenews

---

They won't read this.

---

Yeah I know. But I like to their bluff

---

Well since the author didn't link or document the sources for his data other than definitive statements like "Federal Reserve data through 2016 shows" or " according to UBS." it makes it difficult to read the information and make my own conclusion.

You added nothing as normal but the link.

If you did read the entire article does the quote at the end support your previous postings on this topic?

"The benefits of this long recovery are now reaching these communities to a degree that has not been felt for many years," Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said last week. "Many people who in the past struggled to stay in the workforce are now getting an opportunity to add new and better chapters to their life stories. All of this underscores how important it is to sustain this expansion."

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Actually, having a smart phone, for many families, is THE most efficient way to use their money. Internet access is a requirement for life, even if it's just applying for jobs, checking email, signing up for work shifts. Those phones can cost $700, but they rarely have people pay full price (usually there's a buy 1/get one etc). It is essentially the family computer and entertainment all in one.

So this weird FoxNews soundbite obsession with this idea that poor people have to look poor and be poor all the time as if they weren't human beings that would want and could occasionally afford a nice thing, probably trips your conservative erogenous zones, but it isn't based in any sort of fact.

---

Apparently, your pot infused brain cannot read anything beyond the second line.
I'm sure it tingles your communist erogenous zones to believe that everyone is working full time, eating beans & rice, and just barely surviving... but it just isn't reality.
I guess we shouldn't expect someone who has willfully been detached from reality for the past 10+ years to understand how things work in the real world. All those years in school, and still no understanding or wisdom... so sad.
Almost everyone who has an iPhone is paying for that iPhone. If they would look at their monthly statements, they would see that they are paying for around 48 months for that phone. Meanwhile, almost every carrier has some kind of "smart phone" which is either vastly cheaper... or in some cases is actually free.

But let's forget the iPhone for a minute. How about you address any of the other cost-cutting measures I mentioned? Put down the bong and your copy of Das Kapital for a few, and actually think for a change.
Someday, you might have to get a real job, so it would probably be a good idea to learn about the real world before you have to enter it.

---

Listen, I get that you're perpetually angry. Maybe you treat everyone else like **** and that's cool, I guess. But you can at least try. You sincerely don't seem capable of disagreeing with someone over anything without getting upset and calling names or calling someone stupid.

Take a break, guy.

You need to calm down.

---

And yet you still cannot answer any of the ideas I proposed.
Yes, I'm sure you need me to take a break... I'm ruining your fantasy.
Try and answer the questions I asked.... go ahead... give it a try.
Ignore the iPhone part, and attempt to respond to the rest of it.
Or do you want to just keep hiding? You can run & hide within academia for awhile, but not forever. You'll have to face the real world eventually.

---

Why are you so angry? Honest question. Why are you so incredibly intent on being rude and personally insulting?

If your child was talking this way to someone, anyone, would you be okay with this?

---

You have no answers.... typical.

You are a colossal waste of time.

BTW, it is hilarious how you chastise me as being rude, when you have been dealing out the personal insults left and... well... left. You never do anything right.

And yes, i do have a child or two. It's called marriage & life... you should look into it.

Yeah! Why are you so angry?
"Do not let the sun set on your anger.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

Screen name quash has become more and more about the abstract and less and less about reality. These days, I have great difficulty trying to figure out the point he is trying to make or what exactly he is trying to say. Maybe it is just me.

---

Ask me more about what is confusing you

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Actually, having a smart phone, for many families, is THE most efficient way to use their money. Internet access is a requirement for life, even if it's just applying for jobs, checking email, signing up for work shifts. Those phones can cost $700, but they rarely have people pay full price (usually there's a buy 1/get one etc). It is essentially the family computer and entertainment all in one.

So this weird FoxNews soundbite obsession with this idea that poor people have to look poor and be poor all the time as if they weren't human beings that would want and could occasionally afford a nice thing, probably trips your conservative erogenous zones, but it isn't based in any sort of fact.

---

Apparently, your pot infused brain cannot read anything beyond the second line.
I'm sure it tingles your communist erogenous zones to believe that everyone is working full time, eating beans & rice, and just barely surviving... but it just isn't reality.
I guess we shouldn't expect someone who has willfully been detached from reality for the past 10+ years to understand how things work in the real world. All those years in school, and still no understanding or wisdom... so sad.
Almost everyone who has an iPhone is paying for that iPhone. If they would look at their monthly statements, they would see that they are paying for around 48 months for that phone. Meanwhile, almost every carrier has some kind of "smart phone" which is either vastly cheaper... or in some cases is actually free.

But let's forget the iPhone for a minute. How about you address any of the other cost-cutting measures I mentioned? Put down the bong and your copy of Das Kapital for a few, and actually think for a change.
Someday, you might have to get a real job, so it would probably be a good idea to learn about the real world before you have to enter it.

---

Listen, I get that you're perpetually angry. Maybe you treat everyone else like **** and that's cool, I guess. But you can at least try. You sincerely don't seem capable of disagreeing with someone over anything without getting upset and calling names or calling someone stupid.

Take a break, guy.

You need to calm down.

---

And yet you still cannot answer any of the ideas I proposed.
Yes, I'm sure you need me to take a break... I'm ruining your fantasy.
Try and answer the questions I asked.... go ahead... give it a try.
Ignore the iPhone part, and attempt to respond to the rest of it.
Or do you want to just keep hiding? You can run & hide within academia for awhile, but not forever. You'll have to face the real world eventually.

---

Why are you so angry? Honest question. Why are you so incredibly intent on being rude and personally insulting?

If your child was talking this way to someone, anyone, would you be okay with this?

---

You have no answers.... typical.

You are a colossal waste of time.

BTW, it is hilarious how you chastise me as being rude, when you have been dealing out the personal insults left and... well... left. You never do anything right.

And yes, i do have a child or two. It's called marriage & life... you should look into it.

---

Yes. Because conversations with you are always so fruitful when you're devolving into just insulting people.

I have kids. And if they talked like this to anyone, I would question my parenting. I'm man enough to admit it. I often DO question my parenting.

But at least I try to check myself.

But you're perfect. So perfect you duck the question altogether.

You've ignored every point I've made. I've shown you actual proof and evidence so many times. And you're just calling names at this point.

Keep going, if you want. Or don't.

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

True, I agree it's a "requirement."

No one's getting a job with a livable wage without internet access. I don't think people would be designating access to a newspaper as a privilege 40 years ago. It's information and education, which are essential to being an informed citizen that can function in today's society.

Ya you gotta pay for it, but no doubt everyone needs it. You can't even fill out a college application without it. You can't even figure out how to do your taxes properly without it, so ya it's a requirement.

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

---

Lol. That's your argument? People don't need antibiotics. Mankind existed before antibiotics, so medicine is just kind of a fad?

This is such a beautiful example of old conservative men groupthink... it's almost beautiful.

Take the "L" on this one and move on.

Maybe you missed it.
ShooterTX said:

You have no answers.... typical.

You are a colossal waste of time.

BTW, it is hilarious how you chastise me as being rude, when you have been dealing out the personal insults left and... well... left. You never do anything right.

And yes, i do have a child or two. It's called marriage & life... you should look into it.


Yes. Because conversations with you are always so fruitful when you're devolving into just insulting people.

I have kids. And if they talked like this to anyone, I would question my parenting. I'm man enough to admit it. I often DO question my parenting.

But at least I try to check myself.

But you're perfect. So perfect you duck the question altogether.

You've ignored every point I've made. I've shown you actual proof and evidence so many times. And you're just calling names at this point.

Keep going, if you want. Or don't.

Silliness. "Don't need internet."

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

---

Lol. That's your argument? People don't need antibiotics. Mankind existed before antibiotics, so medicine is just kind of a fad?

This is such a beautiful example of old conservative men groupthink... it's almost beautiful.

Take the "L" on this one and move on.

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

---

Lol. That's your argument? People don't need antibiotics. Mankind existed before antibiotics, so medicine is just kind of a fad?

This is such a beautiful example of old conservative men groupthink... it's almost beautiful.

Take the "L" on this one and move on.

---

---

Find a way to respond to this without using the internet.

BBL: "Find a way to respond to this without using the internet."

First thought: This is an internet forum. You lose through poor choice of words

Second thought: The internet is one tool, it is not the only tool. I know this because from time to time the internet goes out at my office.

We still get work done.

The contrived argument that BBL is selling is foolish, but more to the point BBL has not done anything to support his contention, so it dies of evidence starvation.

Try again with a better argument, Brooks.

quash said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Doc Holliday said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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I did not realize how bad off we all were in this country until watching the Democratic Party debate tonight. After watching, I feel like I need to go make a little cardboard sign.

---

Remember when you said Obamacare was going to collapse our society?

---

The best healthcare plan these days is to just not get sick.

---

That's what's known as the European Plan.

---

How so? The Europeans -all of those countries- spend less on healthcare and have Bette outcomes.

---

They have less access to a lot of treatments, especially those that are more innovative or higher in cost. Better outcomes are usually judged by things like life expectancy and infant mortality, which aren't really a direct measure of the quality of healthcare. Too many other factors, like obesity and poverty, affect the comparison.

---

Not true.

---

How is it not true?

We are much more obese in the U.S. than in Europe. West Virginia is 10% higher in obesity rates than the entire UK. One-third of Americans -- or 78.6 million -- are classified as obese according to a paper published in 2014 in The Journal of the American Medical Association: The Journal of the American Medical Association: Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012

Obesity rates vary by age and ethnic group. Middle-aged Americans, 40- to 59-year-olds, have the highest obesity rates. Regarding race, non-Hispanic blacks have the highest obesity rates, followed by Hispanics, then non-Hispanic whites and finally non-Hispanic Asians. Seventeen percent of children in the United States are obese

Obesity is a major factor.

---

They have access to the same range treatments and innovations.

---

That's beside the point. When your drugs are unavailable because of government restrictions, having the same theoretical "range" doesn't help much.

---

Are there countries where doctors can prescribe a drug that is unavailable because of govt restrictions? What doctor would do that?

---

I don't mean prohibition. I'm talking about restrictive guidelines or limits on the use of expensive treatments. For example, most European countries can't afford the newest medications for hepatitis C. They're generally prescribed only to the most seriously ill patients, even though others would benefit greatly from earlier treatment. As a result, an infectious disease goes untreated longer and has more opportunity to spread. It's also more difficult for older Europeans to get a lot of elective treatments (e.g. knee replacements) that Americans value for extended quality of life.

YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

---

Exxon has a long technology history. In the summer of 1973 I learned computer basics (Fortran, quit at Cobol) at an Exxon office in Houston. Heck, Exxon sold desktops in the early '80s, the 500 series.

BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

---

Lol. That's your argument? People don't need antibiotics. Mankind existed before antibiotics, so medicine is just kind of a fad?

This is such a beautiful example of old conservative men groupthink... it's almost beautiful.

Take the "L" on this one and move on.

---

---

Find a way to respond to this without using the internet.

---

It's a tool only. It's not necessary for daily living.

BrooksBearLives said:

---

YoakDaddy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

ShooterTX said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

Bruce Leroy said:

---

BrooksBearLives said:

---

One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

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Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

I must be very disconnected from reality because I know for a fact I can reasonably function without the internet. The internet is simply not a requirement to live. C'mon man. Maybe you intended to mean it is a nice aide to have, but that's not what you said.

YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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ShooterTX said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Bruce Leroy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Bruce Leroy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

---

Lol. That's your argument? People don't need antibiotics. Mankind existed before antibiotics, so medicine is just kind of a fad?

This is such a beautiful example of old conservative men groupthink... it's almost beautiful.

Take the "L" on this one and move on.

---

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Find a way to respond to this without using the internet.

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It's a tool only. It's not necessary for daily living.

---

It is. Name a sector of the economy where someone can exist without using the internet in perpetuity.

I come from a farm community. Even farmers rely on in depth and real-time satellite information and connectivity to get the best yield.

You cannot make the argument that the average person can reasonably exist, pay bills, job search, maintain connectivity, etc WITHOUT access to the internet.

You might as well argue that electricity isn't required.

Move on. You had a bad take. It's okay. I don't think you're dumb. Just stubborn.

BBL, you lost this one.

It's okay, but you need to be honest you failed and ... as you suggested, move on.

Changing the batteries in smoke detectors requires an internet refresher

corncob pipe said:

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Changing the batteries in smoke detectors requires an internet refresher

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I lived most of my life without a computer of any kind. How am I still alive?

Oldbear83 said:

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BBL, you lost this one.

It's okay, but you need to be honest you failed and ... as you suggested, move on.

---

You're still here? Good for you.

We can google legal stuff...

We can google doctor stuff...

We can google tankless water heater installation ( the hardest of the three)

What this country absolutely cannot exist on is an absence of electricity. See how things function without it next time you have a power failure because of storms. It is actually scary. If a country or persons ever figure out a way to disable a country's power grid in a manner that is not readily fixed in a reasonable time, they will hold the upper hand regardless of other considerations.

The bad part is that there are cosmic events that can do this as well. Such events have happened in the past prior to the high reliance on electricity. No big deal then.....BIG deal now. That to me, is our achilles heel and from what I have seen we aren't really in a good position to react or recover.

YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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YoakDaddy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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ShooterTX said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Bruce Leroy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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Bruce Leroy said:

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BrooksBearLives said:

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One hundred and forty million poor and low-income people in America are a $400 emergency away from not being able to pay their bills next month. That's 43.5% of the population in the world's richest nation.

43.5% of the country is a $400 medical bill away from being in some sort of default.

This isn't theoretical.

After 10 years of growth, this is where we are. And y'all are saying that's fine?

---

As always with you, you poorly site your source and "cherry pick" data or quotes to make a point.

I assume that your numbers are based on articles related to a dated version of a Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of US Households.

Per the latest report from May 2019.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2018-report-economic-well-being-us-households-201905.pdf

"When asked about their finances, 75 percent of adults say they are either doing okay or living comfortably. This result in 2018 is similar to 2017 and is 12 percentage points higher than 2013. "

"Dealing with Unexpected Expenses

"While self-reported ability to handle unexpected expenses has improved substantially since the survey began in 2013, a sizeable share of adults nonetheless say that they would have some difficulty with a modest unexpected expense.

If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 61 percent of adults say they would cover it with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement a modest improvement from the prior year. Similar to the prior year, 27 percent would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense, and 12 percent would not be able to cover the expense at all. "

Also to note the statistics are based of a total of 11,440 completed responses.

Interesting that you don't consider it "theoretical" to apply a self-reported survey of 11,440+ to the entire US population to determine your estimate of the number of people in America that are close to default.

---

Lol, actually, it was a study from 2018. Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)

I think it's adorable that you think you know something about statistics. 11,000 responses is incredibly strong. Especially given the metrics and sampling data.

I get that you're just a dude who obviously doesn't work much in research (from your positions, that's clear) but this is solid data. Almost half the country couldn't handle a $400 expense without going into debt or defaulting. That's quite literally the point the OP was making. Some people are doing amazing in this economy.

Most of that benefit is going to a few.

---

I never professed to having any particular knowledge of statistics and find your deduction of my background interesting.

Because you omitted my point for context (as normal with you) my quote was" self-reported survey of 11,440+".

As I am limited in my knowledge are self reporting surveys incredibly stronger than exit polling data?

To illustrate your logic in this discussion.

"Glad to see things have improved MARGINALLY (from 43% -40%)."

"Most of that benefit is going to a few."

US Population x 3% = +9,600,000 situation has improved. (Compared to OP: The Real Economy isn't Booming)

---

A self-reported poll with that N is pretty great, from my understanding. You can have a non-self-reported poll of 1,000 and not be as accurate.

And it's weird that you missed the point. ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY CAN'T AFFORD A $400 UNEXPECTED EXPENSE. 9 million more can in the last two years of a supposedly booming economy and historically low unemployment.

But almost HALF still can't. That's insanely wild. Can you really say this is the best economy ever when, even after 10 years of growth, half of the country could be forced into some sort of ruin by an expected car repair?

---

These kinds of numbers are really annoying.
You can't afford a $400 bill, but you and your spouse each have a $700 iPhone??
I have been in those situations before, and it isn't as dire as you make it out to be. Most people (sadly) do not save anything. Instead, they go into debt to get a more expensive car, house, phone, clothes, vacation.... etc
The vast majority of working Americans have over $1,000 worth of items which they can sell for that unexpected $400 bill. What they are saying is that there current burn rate doesn't allow for an extra $400 of expenses. If you look into their actual spending vs. income... there is more than enough there, but it would require some hard choices. You would have us all believe that almost half of the country is working, and they don't eat out, don't buy expensive clothes, don't have smart phones, don't buy expensive cars, don't go on any vacations, don't go to movies, don't buy ear buds, don't own jewelry, don't own electronics, don't own much of anything.... and after ALL of that thrifty living... they still have no savings and cannot afford an unexpected $400 bill??? That's total BS. If that were true, then Amazon and Best Buy would be bankrupt from a lack of customers. FYI, Best Buy reported better than expected sales increases last year and the year before that. They also reported a better Q1 than the Q1 the year before. The overall revenue for Q1 was up, even though the international revenue was lower... the stronger domestic sales more than made up the difference.
So people are flocking to Best Buy to buy crap that they don't need... but they can't afford a $400 bill.
In reality, people are responding to a question, and realizing that they are spending everything they have, rather than saving for a rainy day.

---

Internet access is a requirement for life,

---

Ummmmmmmmm..........................................no, it is not.

---

Um. Yes it is. Especially if you want a job. Having a cellphone is a requirement as well (or at the very least a landline).

You serious?

---

It's a privilege and not a requirement. How the fulk do you think folks got jobs before the advent of the internet? I'd had 3 serious jobs (one with a major energy company) after BU graduation before I ever had a cell phone or internet.

---

You are completely disconnected from reality if you think someone can reasonably function as a person without at least some form of reliable access to the internet. You are completely nuts.

http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/What-Low-Income-Students-Miss-When-Their-Only-Internet-Access-is-Through-Their-Phone.html

https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2016/0203/Why-many-low-income-families-have-Internet-access-but-remain-under-connected

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-03-16/internet-access-a-staple-of-american-life-yet-millions-remain-under-connected

---

Hahaha!!! I guess I just glummed along for the first 28 years of my life without internet and a cell phone. Shlt I'm surprised that ExxonMobil even hired me or made a few dollars less than 6 figures before that! Maybe you've never realized that companies actually had technical libraries, training documents, group networking, and real, experienced people passing knowledge down.

---

Cool. You think you could do that job without access to email or a phone, now?

Try selling your new "we don't need the internet" plan to your board. Sure it will go over JUST great.

---

You might be surprised to learn that my peers on the Exxon side did not have internet access whereas we had limited access at our heritage-Mobil site (mid 1990s). Which company bought Mobil?

We landed guys on the moon using slide rules and tech documents. The internet is not a requirement for daily living. I feel sorry that you've had no life untethered from cell phones and the internet.

---

Lol. That's your argument? People don't need antibiotics. Mankind existed before antibiotics, so medicine is just kind of a fad?

This is such a beautiful example of old conservative men groupthink... it's almost beautiful.

Take the "L" on this one and move on.

---

---

"Take your paws off me you damned dirty ape!"