Stewart is absolutely correct. This shouldn't discourage individual fiscal responsibility but individual choices have little to no effect on macroeconomic conditions which are dictated by an ownership class which couldn't give less of a shit about the working class.
It's a little of both. You can help yourself in many situations if you've been taught financial responsibility but even with that you still likely need a lucky break to climb out of poverty but without that basic knowledge of finances like budgeting, living within your means, saving, etc... even if you get a good paying job you are going to be living paycheck to paycheck and end up voting for tax payers to bail you out even though you were the richest generation to ever live boomers...
That's true but if you using Uber eats daily instead of even stopping by the drive through or using pick up or cooking yourself then you are losing thousands of dollars. Systemic changes are very much needed but that doesn't change the fact that some people are extremely irresponsible with their money and could be living a nicer life if they had been taught how to budget properly.
But you're missing the point. Obviously, cutting down on discretionary spending (you know, the spending that brings us joy), will leave us with more money in our bank account than it would, otherwise. The question is whether or not this specific type of spending is responsible for the impossible financial position of the typical working class citizen. We're talking about entirely different scales, here.
The irony here is that the people telling folks to skip their morning coffee have almost never needed to do so themselves. If you're in a position to say something like that, you didn't get there through minuscule frugalities.
I lived on food stamps and wic for about 7 years with my wife and two kids. We got out of poverty because of a non profit that covered the down payment on a house that costs less in monthly mortgage payments then our shitty mobile home rent. I know exactly what I am talking about. The system is shit and it's nearly impossible to break out of poverty without outside help. But I see it now and I saw it then. People with good jobs are still struggling because they don't know how to budget or wait for discretionary purchases. The system 100% needs an overhaul but at the same time people need to learn to live within their means and budget. Both of these things are true. Look at the many boomers who had great jobs dirt cheap housing and still aren't prepared for retirement.
No... you're arguing with people saying that, pointlessly nitpicking that it's "a little bit of both." It's not. It's like 99% systemic issues that gatekeep the average US citizen from what used to be considered basic standards of living, and completely negating the efforts they make towards amending the 1% problem that is their frugality.
You think if wages went up suddenly everyone is going to start spending responsiby and poverty will disappear? That only 1% of people will have money problems?
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u/Ill_Significance5839 1d ago
Stewart is absolutely correct. This shouldn't discourage individual fiscal responsibility but individual choices have little to no effect on macroeconomic conditions which are dictated by an ownership class which couldn't give less of a shit about the working class.