*throws the horns for you*

Good luck. I'm horrifying spoiled for Italian bakeries in North Jersey.

*stares*

You bought that off a shelf? You didn't go to the Italian bakery?

Might as well give yourself the malocchio...

I'd hope so. I'm an accredited investor.

But saving assumes having income which is in excess of your needs. You know, money you *can* save. Families of four, with two young children, both adults working, might not be in that position, no matter how much snark you put behind your words.

Yet you put a dollar amount out there and expected me to justify a position you are arguing.

I think we're at different points in this conversation if you are expecting me to accept your dollar amount for transportation costs without giving a scope of what you think that covers. Good day.

I know lots of people find it very stressful in their current car situation. To have good auto insurance and a reliable car.

I want to see what you consider to fall under that budget you put together. And I never said they 'lack transportation'.

"pull it off"

Could you show an example? What cars? With insurance, gas, and maintenance?

Because I could "pull it off"... until major maintenance. Or an accident I didn't have emergency funds for.

That's the point. You could "pull it off"... but our standard of living is worse now.

Again, are you part of a family, with a spouse and two young children?

And I think the point of this is that yes, you can get by spending less. I have comrades who are this article (husband, wife, two young children) and live with less. But quality of life is dramatically diminished doing so.

Car payment + insurance + gas + repairs. If two people are working, you may need two cars.

Other costs went way up, food costs increased less, yet they still base 'poverty' on the food costs. You can certainly argue the math particulars, but the trend is there showing quality of life is way down.

He literally did the math showing that it is not, and in fact in some case more expensive in the 40k-100k range because benefits and credits phase out (like subsidies for child care).

Could you read the article and then come back? I think it would be a more productive conversation then.

I sold a story this month which had 30 rejections previously. I will accept 'fair job' as to not swell my head.

Anything we can do to help you?

Are you married with two young children, as per the case given by the post?

It doesn't buy what it used to, or what is needed to buy into society.

Only flaw in this otherwise excellent article is blaming the left: "your bad for not showing your work or coming up with workable solutions."

So much work has been done on UBI, universal healthcare, infrastructure, and appropriate taxation! Peak capitalist brain.

Meanwhile, egirls promoting their own consensual work have to post through 12 layers of obfuscation only to watch their accounts get vanished for posting a bikini pic which would be tame on primetime TV.

justseeds.org/257-penguin-... look here. Seems there were several designed like that.

My cremains are to be mixed with inks and paints, then given to my writer and artist friends, as well as used to print a limited edition anthology of my writing.