The Recession Has Put Millions of Americans into
Survival Mode.
Stretched like a balloon, budgets have reached their breaking points. A Money magazine poll shows that 88% of us will be more frugal, and 89% are making changes in how we manage our finances (Money, June 2009). Most of us had become accustomed to living beyond our income.
Unlike the generation which survived the Great Depression, U.S. households today are in far greater debt today than ever before.
This is a new section of the PoorMan site…we’re inviting you to let us know what survival strategies you’re using to cope with the recession. No names or emails will be shown.
People do better when they share their resources and knowledge…so consider this your own personal support group. Send your thoughts to me at:
bedavid@yahoo.com Put the word COPE in the subject line. In the meantime, click on these ABC news video links to see how others are coping.
Coping with the Recession Video-Philadelphia ABC News
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/video?id=6645748
Living in a recession broadcast from ABC News
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=7024989&page=1
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How the government operates for too many
America's Middle Class
Becomes the New
Working Poor
What recovery? Working poor struggle to pay bills
By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
Cathy Gardner faces difficult choices. With barely enough money to cover her bills and the rent on the home she shares with her brother, she sometimes can't afford to buy food. Other times, she goes without the prescription drugs she takes for her depression.
It's a constant struggle, even though Gardner holds a full-time job as a hospital food service worker, dishing up trays of pizza, pot roast and beef stroganoff for patients.
"There's a manufactured home selling for $7,500, and I can't even afford that," says Gardner, 54, of Salem, Ore., who earns $1,200 a month. "I have a good job, but I have to choose between buying gas or getting food. It's very hard."
The ranks of the working poor are swelling as more families slip into poverty, health benefits are lost and low-wage employees bear the brunt of many corporate cutbacks. That means more employees — many of them in service jobs that are essential to the economy — are working full-time, only to find they can barely support their families.
Nearly 40% of working-age poor people were employed, and the percentage working full time all year increased 45% from 1978 to 2002.
A new class of poor
The fate of the working poor is becoming a major issue for politicians, union groups and activists who are now calling for reform. Unions are launching membership drives and protests — part of an effort to preserve benefits and boost pay for service-sector jobs in much the same way that union muscle helped raise the standard of living for manufacturing workers in the mid-20th century.
The rise in low-wage workers is also a catalyst for activists who are waging campaigns to pass living-wage ordinances, which are local laws that require some businesses to pay employees more than the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. The grass-roots effort is having an impact. So far, more than 120 ordinances mandating living wages have been passed. In San Francisco, a citywide wage of $8.50 an hour went into effect in February.
More at:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2004-06-08-low-wage-working-poor_x.htm
AMERICANS CONTINUE DOWNSIZING TREND FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, ACCORDING TO MAYFLOWER TRANSIT AVERAGE MOVING WEIGHT STUDY |
http://www.mayflower.com/moving/mayflower-newsroom/press-releases/2009/mayflower-moving-weight-study.htm
By Frosty Wooldridge
Washington Dispatch.com
11-2-4
In the past ten years, American jobs screamed out of the United States at an ever-accelerating rate of speed. While American workers stood in unemployment lines, major corporations insourced, outsourced and offshored jobs to Third World countries. Why? They could obtain labor for $1.00 an hour and sometimes less. Capitalism knows no loyalty to man, beast or country.
At the high end, Congress offered hundreds of thousands of H-1B and L-1 visas that displaced 890,000 American high tech workers out of jobs while importing cheap labor from overseas.
To add insult to injury while displacing American workers--meatpacking, chicken processing, paving, construction, hotel, roofing, landscaping and other trade jobs were insourced to millions of illegal alien workers.
America's manufacturing base and ability to sell products to the world diminished with the rising power of corporations to control taxes, tariffs and commodities markets. These huge corporations, run by American CEOs, took advantage of their American roots and benefits enjoyed in a First World country - while giving millions of jobs to people in other countries. For what? Obscene profits! It's why you hear of their $125 million annual paychecks. They are the Ken Lays of Enron crowd who don't get caught. Why not? Because what they do is legal, but then again, they paid enough money into Political Action Committees and other organizations to make sure they gained tax breaks and other benefits from Congress.
It's a hell of a rich man's club, but it's turning America's Middle Class into the Working Poor Class.
Who are these giants? You'd be surprised. They are some of our most time-honored companies who built their empires on the backs of America's working class heroes.
According to Arianna Online, "Bank of America shouldn't be allowed to have 'America' in the name of the company." One of America's largest banks eliminated 5,000 jobs while outsourcing 1,250 jobs to India. It announced it would cut another 12,000 jobs in the next two years. Employees were given severance pay on condition they train their replacements.
Affiliated Computer Services offers business processing technology--outsourced 1,300 jobs to India in the past three years. They multiplied their profits by paying half the wage rate in a Third World country of 1.1 billion eager workers.
According to Arianna, "The company chairman is known as Darwin 'Survival of the Richest' Deason." General Electric built its empire on American soil. However, it is known as the father of outsourcing. It outsourced 12,000 jobs to people in India who perform at phones answering credit card inquires and give IT technical assistance while handling network security. The three leading executives of GE make untold millions in salaries while American citizens stand in unemployment lines. |
Who are the working poor? The working poor are the new American middle class. This exciting, fast growing demographic includes: military personnel, most minorities, and a growing percentage of the middle class. Even payday loan firms target the retired poor, who often use payday loans for their prescription drug co-pays…more at:
http://www.rense.com/general59/usmid.htm
Consumer Protection Resources
Each of these sites offers valuable information and in some case, legal services.
Free downloadable materials and referrals
http://www.consumerlaw.org/advice/consumer_info.shtml
National Association of Consumer Advocates
http://www.naca.net/
The Sate of MO – offers many useful links for consumers, the elderly & more
Not just in their state, but nationally
http://www.lsmo.org/Data/LinkFarm/Link_Directory_19?site=PublicWeb§ion=Links
National Consumer League
http://www.natlconsumersleague.org/
Consumers World
http://www.consumerworld.org/
Consumer/Watchdog Sites
The Consumer Federation of America connects you with local groups that are working on issues important to you and your family. Check them out at:
www.consumerfed.org
Want to find out information on major bills, the “stimulus” plan, special interest groups and a map to where congressional earmarks are going…check out this group at:
www.Sunlightfoundation.com
Companies Offer Freebies to Unemployed
Desperate for business (or to create and maintain goodwill) more and more companies are encouraging you to buy their products because they have an unemployment guarantee. It started with Hyundai Assurance (now any buyer can also get gas for $1.49 a gallon for a year), and others are jumping on the bandwagon. Sears just announced a buyer protection program for major appliances costing $399 or more and charged to your Citi Sears card. If you lose your job after 60 days from purchase, they will rebate 1/12 of the appliance price per month of unemployment. Pfizer is offering 70 of its medications free to those who become unemployed after taking the pills for at least three months (and have no insurance). And Discover Bank is offering to waive penalties on a one-year CD if you lose your job…
Through Aug 4th, get free ebooks – about two million available
http://worldebookfair.org/Collections.htm
16 Free Personal finance programs
Now that Windows Money Program is no longer being sold…good deals!
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/07/01/good-bye-microsoft-money-16-powerful-personal-finance-programs/
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Cow Pooling Anyone?
Folks, tired of supermarket prices, especially for grass fed beef, have started going into together buy a side of natural beef. For the rest of the story, go to: time.com/cowpooling
Or to find food producers directly, visit:
www.localharvest.org
As you know from our site, we’re big believers in do-it-yourself strategies for saving bucks. For example, if one of your appliances goes on the fritz and you can’t find the owners manual, get a replacement copy instantly at:
www.safemanuals.com
The free site offers guides to more than 850,000 manuals.
For free, simple how-to guides on 100s of home repair and other projects, go to:
www.fixitclub.com
We'd like your input...please share your ideas & resources!