We're examining the new face (or perhaps the same old face) of poverty in America. We're watching many of the New Poor and some of the Old Poor as they sponge off of others, show no "personal responsibility", and demonstrate how little they value money:
A man now in his late 30's grew up with a welfare mom who was ill and rarely worked during his childhood. He struggled as a young man, dropped out of high school but eventually got a GED. He worked a series of low-wage jobs, but did take classes and managed to get a real estate license. He wasn't particularly successful in real estate, unfortunately, and left the business.
Finally he discovered he had a knack for computers. He took some classes, and created a small business for himself with 5 or 6 regular small-business clients. He was doing reasonably well, adequately providing for himself, when the recession hit. One by one, his clients stopped calling him due to their cutbacks, and, one by one, most of them closed their doors. He had no unemployment insurance to fall back on, so he returned to one of his earlier gigs: Delivering pizzas.
Things had changed, though, in pizza delivery land since he had delivered pizzas a decade or more earlier. He says that he used to be able to make as much as $500 a week delivering pizzas, due to an hourly wage, tips, and a stipend per pizza delivered. But now most pizza places were paying their delivery people as 1099 contract workers, paying them very small hourly "on call" stipends and, other than that, the delivery person only gets tips. And tips are down these days. He was lucky to make $200 most weeks.
Last summer he had a stroke. Undiagnosed and uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension contributed to his stroke as he hadn't had any health insurance or health care for several years. He couldn't pay the medical bills, even though he had been treated in a county hospital, so he had to declare bankruptcy.
His car broke down just as he was recovering and he couldn't afford to fix it. Finally a family member helped him out with the purchase of and repairs to another older car. He did find out that he was eligible for food stamps and energy assistance, and he found a doctor at a free clinic to treat him for his medical conditions.
His car broke down just as he was recovering and he couldn't afford to fix it. Finally a family member helped him out with the purchase of and repairs to another older car. He did find out that he was eligible for food stamps and energy assistance, and he found a doctor at a free clinic to treat him for his medical conditions.
Now he is delivering pizzas, but he doesn't make much doing it, and he got a job working at McDonald's part-time on their clean up crew. He's trying to resurrect his business when he has the time, but he isn't having much luck. And many potential clients want to pay half of what they were paying a few years back for similar work. On top of it, he now badly needs dental care and that doesn't help when he is trying to make an impression meeting clients.
Lazy Sponger Number 2: Busy with Businesses
Another man, now in his early 60's, grew up in the "projects." He worked his way through school, got a job programming computers in the 70's and worked in IT for several decades. He did reasonably well and worked steadily.
He had a son, but that marriage didn't last. Other family members struggled, and he was always generous with them,
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