Barbara Ehrenreich: It's expensive to be poor

[mominatrix]

It Is Expensive to Be Poor

Minimum-wage jobs are physically demanding, have unpredictable schedules, and pay so meagerly that workers can't save up enough to move on.

BARBARA EHRENREICHJAN 13 2014, 10:09 AM ET






Binita Pradham is a single mother who runs a food business and raises her 4-year-old son. (Barbara Reis)



Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson made a move that was unprecedented at the time and remains unmatched by succeeding administrations. He announced a War on Poverty, saying that its “chief weapons” would be “better schools, and better health, and better homes, and better training, and better job opportunities.”



So starting in 1964 and for almost a decade, the federal government poured at least some of its resources in the direction they should have been going all along: toward those who were most in need. Longstanding programs like Head Start, Legal Services, and the Job Corps were created. Medicaid was established. Poverty among seniors was significantly reduced by improvements in Social Security.



Johnson seemed to have established the principle that it is the responsibility of government to intervene on behalf of the disadvantaged and deprived. But there was never enough money for the fight against poverty, and Johnson found himself increasingly distracted by another and deadlier war—the one in Vietnam. Although underfunded, the War on Poverty still managed to provoke an intense backlash from conservative intellectuals and politicians.




In their view, government programs could do nothing to help the poor because poverty arises from the twisted psychology of the poor themselves. By the Reagan era, it had become a cornerstone of conservative ideology that poverty is caused not by low wages or a lack of jobs and education, but by the bad attitudes and faulty lifestyles of the poor.




Picking up on this theory, pundits and politicians have bemoaned the character failings and bad habits of the poor for at least the past 50 years. In their view, the poor are shiftless, irresponsible, and prone to addiction. They have too many children and fail to get married. So if they suffer from grievous material deprivation, if they run out of money between paychecks, if they do not always have food on their tables—then they have no one to blame but themselves.



In the 1990s, with a bipartisan attack on welfare, this kind of prejudice against the poor took a drastically misogynistic turn. Poor single mothers were identified as a key link in what was called “the cycle of poverty.” By staying at home and collecting welfare, they set a toxic example for their children, who—important policymakers came to believe—would be better off being cared for by paid child care workers or even, as Newt Gingrich proposed, in orphanages.



Welfare “reform” was the answer, and it was intended not only to end financial support for imperiled families, but also to cure the self-induced “culture of poverty” that was supposedly at the root of their misery. The original welfare reform bill—a bill, it should be recalled, which was signed by President Bill Clinton—included an allocation of $100 million for “chastity training” for low-income women.



The Great Recession should have put the victim-blaming theory of poverty to rest. In the space of only a few months, millions of people entered the ranks of the officially poor—not only laid-off blue-collar workers, but also downsized tech workers, managers, lawyers, and other once-comfortable professionals. No one could accuse these “nouveau poor” Americans of having made bad choices or bad lifestyle decisions. They were educated, hardworking, and ambitious, and now they were also poor—applying for food stamps, showing up in shelters, lining up for entry-level jobs in retail. This would have been the moment for the pundits to finally admit the truth: Poverty is not a character failing or a lack of motivation. Poverty is a shortage of money.



For most women in poverty, in both good times and bad, the shortage of money arises largely from inadequate wages. When I worked on my book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, I took jobs as a waitress, nursing-home aide, hotel housekeeper, Wal-Mart associate, and a maid with a house-cleaning service. I did not choose these jobs because they were low-paying. I chose them because these are the entry-level jobs most readily available to women.



What I discovered is that in many ways, these jobs are a trap: They pay so little that you cannot accumulate even a couple of hundred dollars to help you make the transition to a better-paying job. They often give you no control over your work schedule, making it impossible to arrange for child care or take a second job. And in many of these jobs, even young women soon begin to experience the physical deterioration—especially knee and back problems—that can bring a painful end to their work life.



I was also dismayed to find that in some ways, it is actually more expensive to be poor than not poor. If you can’t afford the first month’s rent and security deposit you need in order to rent an apartment, you may get stuck in an overpriced residential motel. If you don’t have a kitchen or even a refrigerator and microwave, you will find yourself falling back on convenience store food, which—in addition to its nutritional deficits—is also alarmingly overpriced. If you need a loan, as most poor people eventually do, you will end up paying an interest rate many times more than what a more affluent borrower would be charged. To be poor—especially with children to support and care for—is a perpetual high-wire act.






The criminalization of poverty has accelerated since the recession.


Most private-sector employers offer no sick days, and many will fire a person who misses a day of work, even to stay home with a sick child. A nonfunctioning car can also mean lost pay and sudden expenses. A broken headlight invites a ticket, plus a fine greater than the cost of a new headlight, and possible court costs. If a creditor decides to get nasty, a court summons may be issued, often leading to an arrest warrant. No amount of training in financial literacy can prepare someone for such exigencies—or make up for an income that is impossibly low to start with. Instead of treating low-wage mothers as the struggling heroines they are, our political culture still tends to view them as miscreants and contributors to the “cycle of poverty.”



If anything, the criminalization of poverty has accelerated since the recession, with growing numbers of states drug testing applicants for temporary assistance, imposing steep fines for school truancy, and imprisoning people for debt. Such measures constitute a cruel inversion of the Johnson-era principle that it is the responsibility of government to extend a helping hand to the poor. Sadly, this has become the means by which the wealthiest country in the world manages to remain complacent in the face of alarmingly high levels of poverty: by continuing to blame poverty not on the economy or inadequate social supports, but on the poor themselves.



It’s time to revive the notion of a collective national responsibility to the poorest among us, who are disproportionately women and especially women of color. Until that happens, we need to wake up to the fact that the underpaid women who clean our homes and offices, prepare and serve our meals, and care for our elderly—earning wages that do not provide enough to live on—are the true philanthropists of our society.




www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/it-is-expensive-to-be-poor/282979/

[decemberwedding07]

Jan 14, 2014 15:24:07 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Nickel and Dimed should be required reading for everyone, imo.

Whenever I get into an anti-welfare discussion with someone, I beg them to read this book. It really did change my views of welfare when I read it around age 20. Holy shit that was 12 years ago...

[Deleted]

This is a really, really good article.

[Velar Fricative]

Ya know, I completely understand the differences of opinion when it comes to how to tackle the problem of poverty in this country. People can believe this is the job of the federal government, state government, local government, charities, religious organizations, or any combination thereof. I am cool with that. I am not cool with the ridiculous criminalization of the poor because they're poor, and I'm sad that the Great Recession hasn't changed people's minds about our poorest citizens and why it's not so easy for them to just get a job, stop spending money, etc. All people are concerned about is Escalade-driving moms with their done-up nails and iPhones using their EBT cards to buy lobster. Why do we suck so much?

[laceylaplante]

This made me cry. I'm one of the poors. I need to get my family onto food stamps and assistance, but this is the second time in 2 years that we have been in this situation and I'm just so ashamed, embarrassed, and feel defeated. I skip meals so my kids can eat, anything of "luxury" that I have gotten in the last year and a half has been a gift. It's in no way fun or easy, despite popular belief.

There are poor people out there who work their asses off but can never ever get above water. I just wish more of society could see that poor=/= lazy, at least not all the time.

[Deleted]

Jan 14, 2014 16:04:19 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

This made me cry. I'm one of the poors. I need to get my family onto food stamps and assistance, but this is the second time in 2 years that we have been in this situation and I'm just so ashamed, embarrassed, and feel defeated. I skip meals so my kids can eat, anything of "luxury" that I have gotten in the last year and a half has been a gift. It's in no way fun or easy, despite popular belief.

There are poor people out there who work their asses off but can never ever get above water. I just wish more of society could see that poor=/= lazy, at least not all the time.

Big hugs

[laceylaplante]

I keep hanging on to hope that H will get a great job soon and that people tip me generously at work, but Jan-most of March is always the slow time for the food & beverage industry. I teared up on Saturday night when a table left me a $40 tip. Those people had no idea how much it meant to me.

I didn't mean to throw a pity party or anything, it's just awful to hear about how much of the general society looks down on people in my situation.

[iammalcolmx]

I agree with everything there except I want to know who states allow you to be put in jail for debt unless you continuously write bad checks.

[crazycakes]

Jan 14, 2014 15:44:41 GMT -5 decemberwedding07 said:

Jan 14, 2014 15:24:07 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Nickel and Dimed should be required reading for everyone, imo.

Whenever I get into an anti-welfare discussion with someone, I beg them to read this book. It really did change my views of welfare when I read it around age 20. Holy shit that was 12 years ago...

Agreed. This book was so well done and well written, I refer to it all the time. I can't believe more people haven't read it. I bring it up a lot in these types of discussions IRL and most haven't even heard of it. 

I think I read it my freshman year in college and it totally changed my perspective. 

[Kattey]

Jan 14, 2014 16:16:44 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

I keep hanging on to hope that H will get a great job soon and that people tip me generously at work, but Jan-most of March is always the slow time for the food & beverage industry. I teared up on Saturday night when a table left me a $40 tip. Those people had no idea how much it meant to me.

I didn't mean to throw a pity party or anything, it's just awful to hear about how much of the general society looks down on people in my situation.

I am here with you. I'm fortunate in that I married DH and he made enough to lift me from poverty, but I am living proof that poor =/= lazy. McDonald's got more of my time and dedication than they deserve. Most of my coworkers in the low paying jobs I've had were busting their collective asses to make ends meet. Being poor is fucking hard work and I get so ragey when people just look down on those in poverty as being less than and/or lacking.

We currently have my brother, SIL, and their 2 year old living with us. They moved in with us from out of state and we're helping them get on their feet. If it weren't for the food-stamps they collect, none of us would be eating. It took my brother 8 months to finally find a job, and the one he found only pays $8/hour. What DH makes works for our family of three, but having six of us on that one income, it's fracking impossible. We can barely afford the things we need, forget the things we want. We have cut every possible extra we could and don't even go out anymore. Life is hard. People do not choose this, and being poor does not equal lazy.

[LoveTrains]

Jan 14, 2014 17:27:48 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

I agree with everything there except I want to know who states allow you to be put in jail for debt unless you continuously write bad checks.

ESF I seem to recall an article in the NYT about this practice in some red state (maybe in the state) a few years ago. We even had a discussion about it on the nest.

[Jermys]

Jan 14, 2014 16:04:19 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

This made me cry. I'm one of the poors. I need to get my family onto food stamps and assistance, but this is the second time in 2 years that we have been in this situation and I'm just so ashamed, embarrassed, and feel defeated. I skip meals so my kids can eat, anything of "luxury" that I have gotten in the last year and a half has been a gift. It's in no way fun or easy, despite popular belief.

There are poor people out there who work their asses off but can never ever get above water. I just wish more of society could see that poor=/= lazy, at least not all the time.

Listen.  You should NOT feel ashamed, embarrassed, or defeated.  You are not worthless and you aren't alone.  It's a total mind fuck to be poor and it's exhausting.  Please do yourself and your kids a favor and get the assistance.  Please don't go without eating.  It's hard enough to be in your situation and be hungry to boot.  Find yourself a food bank and get something to tide you over until your benefits come through, and if you ever need an ear, please feel free to PM me.  I grew up in your kids' shoes and I'm not in your shoes by pure luck.

[aurora]

Jan 14, 2014 16:16:44 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

I keep hanging on to hope that H will get a great job soon and that people tip me generously at work, but Jan-most of March is always the slow time for the food & beverage industry. I teared up on Saturday night when a table left me a $40 tip. Those people had no idea how much it meant to me.

I didn't mean to throw a pity party or anything, it's just awful to hear about how much of the general society looks down on people in my situation.

I never really thought much about Jan-March being slower than usual in food service, but thanks for this tip.  It will certainly make me think about leaving a larger tip at this time of year.

[ttt]

Jan 14, 2014 17:27:48 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

I agree with everything there except I want to know who states allow you to be put in jail for debt unless you continuously write bad checks.

Nearly a third of states have this now. It's horrifying.

www.clarkhoward.com/news/clark-howard/consumer-issues-id-theft/how-you-can-be-jailed-over-unpaid-debt-some-states/nFzj5/

[Deleted]

What a well-written article. I agree that the Great Recession should have changed people's perceptions of poverty and those who are poor, but it didn't, because those tech people, lawyers, etc all think that "they are different" and not like those "other" poor people. I really think people underestimate the role that luck plays in your life's outcome, as well as your roots. My mom gets snarky with my brothers a lot, who are both successful, because they get very 'well people shouldn't do X and they would be like us" and my mom has to remind them that my parents paid for them to go to private school, paid for them to go to college (even though it took my one brother 8 years for his undergrad), let them live at home when they needed to, and then were able to do things like write my brother a check when he closed on his first house because his flood insurance was higher than anticipated. But NOOOOO, they did it all on their own because they are amazing. Do I think most successful people work hard? Yes, to some extent. But I don't think that all people who work hard are automatically going to be successful, and that's the part that seems to trip people up.

anyway, I love this Melville quote, it really sums up the current state of things in the US for me right now:

"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.”

[laceylaplante]

Thanks everyone. I get my first paystub this week and then I will go downtown to sign up on my next day off since it's pretty much an all day process. I have to hold on to the hope that H gets the life changing job that he's been waiting on for 2 years. I keep telling myself "Just a little bit longer, and then we'll be alright."

[darnkatz]

Jan 15, 2014 8:26:55 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

Thanks everyone. I get my first paystub this week and then I will go downtown to sign up on my next day off since it's pretty much an all day process. I have to hold on to the hope that H gets the life changing job that he's been waiting on for 2 years. I keep telling myself "Just a little bit longer, and then we'll be alright."

Does your state not have an online application? You should be able to submit one online, and social services will send you a letter about what documentation you need to make copies of and send in to them. I remember that you can also specify what type of interview you want - phone or in-person. Maybe your state doesn't do that, but it's worth looking into on their website.

[laceylaplante]

Jan 15, 2014 9:40:32 GMT -5 darnkatz said:

Jan 15, 2014 8:26:55 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

Thanks everyone. I get my first paystub this week and then I will go downtown to sign up on my next day off since it's pretty much an all day process. I have to hold on to the hope that H gets the life changing job that he's been waiting on for 2 years. I keep telling myself "Just a little bit longer, and then we'll be alright."

Does your state not have an online application? You should be able to submit one online, and social services will send you a letter about what documentation you need to make copies of and send in to them. I remember that you can also specify what type of interview you want - phone or in-person. Maybe your state doesn't do that, but it's worth looking into on their website.

In my state, you fill out an application online, but it is mandatory to have a face to face interview. They do not set up appointments either. When we went a year and a half ago, we got there at 10am and were not seen until 3ish pm.

[mominatrix]

Jan 15, 2014 9:49:05 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

Jan 15, 2014 9:40:32 GMT -5 darnkatz said:

Does your state not have an online application? You should be able to submit one online, and social services will send you a letter about what documentation you need to make copies of and send in to them. I remember that you can also specify what type of interview you want - phone or in-person. Maybe your state doesn't do that, but it's worth looking into on their website.

In my state, you fill out an application online, but it is mandatory to have a face to face interview. They do not set up appointments either. When we went a year and a half ago, we got there at 10am and were not seen until 3ish pm.

ffs.


because if you're working but not making enough to feed your kids,  it's perfectly honky-dory to sit there all day with your kids waiting to be interviewed.


grrr.


I'm so sorry you have to go through this, it sucks, and you deserve better.

[darnkatz]

Jan 15, 2014 9:49:05 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

Jan 15, 2014 9:40:32 GMT -5 darnkatz said:

Does your state not have an online application? You should be able to submit one online, and social services will send you a letter about what documentation you need to make copies of and send in to them. I remember that you can also specify what type of interview you want - phone or in-person. Maybe your state doesn't do that, but it's worth looking into on their website.

In my state, you fill out an application online, but it is mandatory to have a face to face interview. They do not set up appointments either. When we went a year and a half ago, we got there at 10am and were not seen until 3ish pm.

I am so sorry. I hope the day goes by quickly for you and that you can get what you need.

[laceylaplante]

Jan 15, 2014 9:52:26 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

Jan 15, 2014 9:49:05 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

In my state, you fill out an application online, but it is mandatory to have a face to face interview. They do not set up appointments either. When we went a year and a half ago, we got there at 10am and were not seen until 3ish pm.

ffs.


because if you're working but not making enough to feed your kids,  it's perfectly honky-dory to sit there all day with your kids waiting to be interviewed.


grrr.


I'm so sorry you have to go through this, it sucks, and you deserve better.

With my oldest in half day kindergarten, I'll have to keep him home for a day because they need both adults to be at the interview and we have no one to get him off the bus. It's ridiculous, but it really is time to swallow my pride, deal with the process, and get the help we need.

[mominatrix]

Jan 15, 2014 9:59:29 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

Jan 15, 2014 9:52:26 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

ffs.


because if you're working but not making enough to feed your kids,  it's perfectly honky-dory to sit there all day with your kids waiting to be interviewed.


grrr.


I'm so sorry you have to go through this, it sucks, and you deserve better.

With my oldest in half day kindergarten, I'll have to keep him home for a day because they need both adults to be at the interview and we have no one to get him off the bus. It's ridiculous, but it really is time to swallow my pride, deal with the process, and get the help we need.

OK, now it's clear that they're just... 

[Jermys]

That makes me rage. I get that there's red tape, but damn. I hope you have a much shorter wait this time, and that your H gets a great job soon!!

[aurora]

Jan 15, 2014 9:59:29 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

Jan 15, 2014 9:52:26 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

ffs.


because if you're working but not making enough to feed your kids,  it's perfectly honky-dory to sit there all day with your kids waiting to be interviewed.


grrr.


I'm so sorry you have to go through this, it sucks, and you deserve better.

With my oldest in half day kindergarten, I'll have to keep him home for a day because they need both adults to be at the interview and we have no one to get him off the bus. It's ridiculous, but it really is time to swallow my pride, deal with the process, and get the help we need.

Thank you so much for posting here.  I think there are many of us who know in principle how difficult the system is for people to get help when they need it, but sometimes the individual stories make a bigger impact.  A system that requires a child to be pulled out of school all day so parents can get a little help when bad luck strikes is absolutely a broken system.  I hope that you can update us soon with a happy post that your husband got his dream job!

To @mrsbecky07, I am laughing that your brother who took 8 years to get through undergrad (with associated tuition expenses, I'm sure!) thinks he's a harder worker than the average person!

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2014 10:41:37 GMT -5 aurora said:

Jan 15, 2014 9:59:29 GMT -5 laceylaplante said:

To @mrsbecky07, I am laughing that your brother who took 8 years to get through undergrad (with associated tuition expenses, I'm sure!) thinks he's a harder worker than the average person!

LOL I know!  to be fair he is a hard worker now and is at the top of his field, but he did not get there without a great deal of help and support, which is the part that kills me. 

[ESF]

Jan 14, 2014 22:28:52 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Jan 14, 2014 17:27:48 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

I agree with everything there except I want to know who states allow you to be put in jail for debt unless you continuously write bad checks.

ESF I seem to recall an article in the NYT about this practice in some red state (maybe in the state) a few years ago. We even had a discussion about it on the nest.

Here's this one

www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/opinion/return-of-debtors-prisons.html?_r=0

But that would have been on GBCN.   And I know I posted about the teen debtor's prisons in texas a few years ago.

blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/07/hildalgo_county_aclu_lawsuit.php


Basically, creditors get judgments if you default on your debt.  If you get a judgment, you can get a court order compelling a person to show up in court to answer questions about their net worth so the judgment creditor can figure out how to garnish wages, etc.  If the person does not show up to answer, the judgment creditor gets an arrest warrant, and boom, you are in jail.

Creditors are not exactly known for properly following legal procedure, so it is not uncommon for people to not actually owe the underlying amount and/or have no notice of the lawsuit in time to contest it.

[LoveTrains]

Thanks ESF, I couldn't remember the timing but I KNEW there was an NYT article that we discussed.

[decemberwedding07]

Jan 15, 2014 3:22:54 GMT -5 ttt said:

Jan 14, 2014 17:27:48 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

I agree with everything there except I want to know who states allow you to be put in jail for debt unless you continuously write bad checks.

Nearly a third of states have this now. It's horrifying.

www.clarkhoward.com/news/clark-howard/consumer-issues-id-theft/how-you-can-be-jailed-over-unpaid-debt-some-states/nFzj5/

My college roommate's now husband was pulled over for speeding one day. The cop ran his information, and when he came back, he told him that he was under arrest for a bounced check.  He had no idea that the check had bounced.  I guess his bank didn't charge him a penalty because they never paid the check, and he wasn't paying close enough attention to his account to notice that it didn't go through.  He spent the night in jail.  I would be in hysterics.