Comments on: Daily Links: The Great Depression and Poverty http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/ personal finance that makes cents Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:47:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Rita Bradley http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-171407 Rita Bradley Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:09:12 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-171407 I love this sensible post. Btw, the link for "first-hand memories from the Great Depression" seems to be broken and I really wanted to read it so I found it using google and it is here... http://tinyurl.com/dcubua I love this sensible post. Btw, the link for
“first-hand memories from the Great Depression”
seems to be broken and I really wanted to read it so I found it using google and it is here…

http://tinyurl.com/dcubua

]]> By: Cornelius http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-117108 Cornelius Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:58:07 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-117108 Those 5 points seem pretty prudent. Thanks for the post. Those 5 points seem pretty prudent.

Thanks for the post.

]]> By: BohRev http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-117027 BohRev Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:50:33 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-117027 I like the idea behing "Being Poor", but I don't think he has a clue. Right here, in America, being poor can also mean: -Not having a TV -Not having a car -Hoping EVERY ailment will go away -Yelling at your kids for wearing out shoes by playing at recess when they could just stand around and not wear out said shoes (and the shoes cost under $20) -Having no heat. At all. Because you don't have electricity. -And even being homeless. I mean, by this guy's standards, I only stopped being poor a couple of years ago, and while I did have a really tough time making ends meet, I always knew people who had it worse. I like the idea behing “Being Poor”, but I don’t think he has a clue. Right here, in America, being poor can also mean:

-Not having a TV
-Not having a car
-Hoping EVERY ailment will go away
-Yelling at your kids for wearing out shoes by playing at recess when they could just stand around and not wear out said shoes (and the shoes cost under $20)
-Having no heat. At all. Because you don’t have electricity.
-And even being homeless.

I mean, by this guy’s standards, I only stopped being poor a couple of years ago, and while I did have a really tough time making ends meet, I always knew people who had it worse.

]]> By: Gnashchick http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-117003 Gnashchick Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:44:21 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-117003 I should not have read Scalzi's article. It brought real tears to my eyes because I grew up that poor. It's amazing to me now to look back at how I lived from age 9 to age 15, and how I live now, and see just how fabulously rich I am. I should not have read Scalzi’s article. It brought real tears to my eyes because I grew up that poor. It’s amazing to me now to look back at how I lived from age 9 to age 15, and how I live now, and see just how fabulously rich I am.

]]> By: Sam http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116976 Sam Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:17:00 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116976 I read Shermer's "weird things about money" article, and I don't buy all the examples. Some of them do indeed display irrational beliefs, but the very first one he cites shows an understanding of the relative worth of money, something that the experimenter doesn't seem to grasp as well as the subjects do! Currency amounts don't mean anything in absolute terms. Ask anyone who's lived through out-of-control inflation. I don't know what "other people make $X" really means, but let's say it's the median average income in your country, city or region. If you have $50,000 a year while "other people make $25,000", then you are wealthy. You are going to have options that most other people don't have. On the other hand, if you have $100,000 a year while "other people get $250,000", then you are poor in that society's terms. I don't think anyone would prefer that. We are asked to "assume for the moment that prices of goods and services will stay the same", but that is just silly. Why do you think American retirees on Social Security are moving to Mexico? I read Shermer’s “weird things about money” article, and I don’t buy all the examples. Some of them do indeed display irrational beliefs, but the very first one he cites shows an understanding of the relative worth of money, something that the experimenter doesn’t seem to grasp as well as the subjects do!

Currency amounts don’t mean anything in absolute terms. Ask anyone who’s lived through out-of-control inflation.

I don’t know what “other people make $X” really means, but let’s say it’s the median average income in your country, city or region.

If you have $50,000 a year while “other people make $25,000″, then you are wealthy. You are going to have options that most other people don’t have.

On the other hand, if you have $100,000 a year while “other people get $250,000″, then you are poor in that society’s terms. I don’t think anyone would prefer that.

We are asked to “assume for the moment that prices of goods and services will stay the same”, but that is just silly.

Why do you think American retirees on Social Security are moving to Mexico?

]]> By: john http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116927 john Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:04:24 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116927 I am fortunate to have my Grandparents yet, they are all in their 90's and were farmers during the Great Depression. Their ethic was passed down to me. Use things until they are used up. Wear things until worn out. THEN REUSE. Both my Grandfathers related a story about the year pork prices dropped so low in Wisconsin that it wasn't worth the gas to drive the hogs to market. One decided to get what he could, and a year's work netted him $2.00! The other decided to eat or barter his hogs, to this day my Mother will gag at the smell of cooking pork. They have many stories about hardships and making do without cash, but my Grandmother reminds him that they always had DRINKING money! That helps me keep my priorities straight. Thanks for your excellent blog. JCG. I am fortunate to have my Grandparents yet, they are all in their 90’s and were farmers during the Great Depression. Their ethic was passed down to me. Use things until they are used up. Wear things until worn out. THEN REUSE. Both my Grandfathers related a story about the year pork prices dropped so low in Wisconsin that it wasn’t worth the gas to drive the hogs to market. One decided to get what he could, and a year’s work netted him $2.00! The other decided to eat or barter his hogs, to this day my Mother will gag at the smell of cooking pork. They have many stories about hardships and making do without cash, but my Grandmother reminds him that they always had DRINKING money! That helps me keep my priorities straight. Thanks for your excellent blog. JCG.

]]> By: Cap http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116914 Cap Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:27:03 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116914 Totally off-topic, but when Scalzi's "Being Poor" blog post was being spread the PF blogsphere two years ago, I started poking around his site and found the excerpts to his novels - before I knew it I became an instant fan. Just finished reading the last of Old Man War's trilogy. Not as good as the previous novels but definitely made the marathon flight more enjoyable. Funny thing was, back then I thought he was some just-started writer publishing his own sci-fi works and marketing it on his personal blog... Totally off-topic, but when Scalzi’s “Being Poor” blog post was being spread the PF blogsphere two years ago, I started poking around his site and found the excerpts to his novels - before I knew it I became an instant fan.

Just finished reading the last of Old Man War’s trilogy. Not as good as the previous novels but definitely made the marathon flight more enjoyable.

Funny thing was, back then I thought he was some just-started writer publishing his own sci-fi works and marketing it on his personal blog…

]]> By: Sean http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116899 Sean Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:47:18 +0000 http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/02/11/daily-links-the-great-depression-and-poverty/#comment-116899 Scalzi is great. He actually had another recent article on money. This one is more aimed at writers, but it has some excellent general advice as well. http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=362 Scalzi is great. He actually had another recent article on money. This one is more aimed at writers, but it has some excellent general advice as well. http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=362

]]>