No Sandwich is Safe: The Joe Biden Presidency

[Hugh Akston]

Gross

[Ellie]

Fan though I am of providing relief and safety nets via direct cash in pockets, I don't really see how that really solves the problem; maybe edge cases, but I don't think you can lift a child out of poverty for $3,600/year. It helps, sure, but how much quality of life does $300/month buy?

Though obviously, selfishly, as someone with four children, I'm delighted

[Shem]

Fan though I am of providing relief and safety nets via direct cash in pockets, I don't really see how that really solves the problem; maybe edge cases, but I don't think you can lift a child out of poverty for $3,600/year. It helps, sure, but how much quality of life does $300/month buy?

Though obviously, selfishly, as someone with four children, I'm delighted

You might be surprised. Consider how your budgeting would change if suddenly, your grocery bill were halved, or your car payment dropped from $400 to $100. It's like, the water is still there, but you go from it being up to your chest to having it be waist high. Low enough that you can sit down sometimes. Makes for a big relief.

[Hugh Akston]

That's assuming of course that you have the foresight to distribute the gains from a once-a-year tax deduction over 12 months.

[Shem]

That's assuming of course that you have the foresight to distribute the gains from a once-a-year tax deduction over 12 months.

Or you pay down debts that would otherwise have needed to have been serviced over the course of the year. Or fulfill needs like car repair that would otherwise have required debt-based financing. Not saying it's the best way to improve the lives of the poor and working class, or even a good idea, but for a certain level of income (that's higher than one might expect), it definitely is a life-changing amount of money.

[Mo]

That's assuming of course that you have the foresight to distribute the gains from a once-a-year tax deduction over 12 months.

Withholding schedules can be updated to do basically do the same thing

[Ellie]

It's like, the water is still there, but you go from it being up to your chest to having it be waist high. Low enough that you can sit down sometimes. Makes for a big relief.

Oh, for sure.

I misread the tweet and thought I saw something about "lifting children out of poverty" and was being unfairly snarky based on that. $300/month does make a big difference when you're poor but I think at the end of the day, you're less-stressed poor, less dire-going-without poor, but still poor. Not lifted out. Which was not what the tweet said anyway!

[Ellie]

Speaking of big differences, I just realized four kids at $300/month/kid literally doubles my income, so, uh, sorry if I'm not TOO mad about the idea

[Warren]

That's assuming of course that you have the foresight to distribute the gains from a once-a-year tax deduction over 12 months.

Or you pay down debts that would otherwise have needed to have been serviced over the course of the year. Or fulfill needs like car repair that would otherwise have required debt-based financing. Not saying it's the best way to improve the lives of the poor and working class, or even a good idea, but for a certain level of income (that's higher than one might expect), it definitely is a life-changing amount of money.

I think someone linked this before
https://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stup ... g-up-poor/

#4 Extra Money Has to Be Spent Right Goddamn Now!

Every poor person I knew got a big check one time a year in the form of their tax return. They made just enough money to file taxes, and made little enough to claim "earned income credit," which is a tax credit that can dramatically boost your return. For my ex-wife and I, it meant getting around $5,000 at the end of January. And just like many poor people, we'd be broke within days of cashing that check, our living room sporting a new TV. Or we'd replace our old computers and all of our furniture. There's a reason many poor people blow through that money instead of saving it for future bills.

When you live in poverty, you're used to your bank account revolving very tightly around a balance of zero. Your work money comes in and goes right back out to bills, leaving you breaking even each month (if you're lucky). That's the life you've gotten used to. It's normal for you.

Put down the calculator, asshole, it equals zero. It always equals zero.

When a windfall check is dropped in your lap, you don't know how to handle it. Instead of thinking, "This will cover our rent and bills for half a year," you immediately jump to all the things you've been meaning to get, but couldn't afford on your regular income. If you don't buy it right now, you know that the money will slowly bleed away to everyday life over the course of the next few months, leaving you with nothing to show for it. Don't misunderstand me here, it's never a "greed" thing. It's a panic thing. "We have to spend this before it disappears."