Re: Can a Limited Utopia Exist?

On Oct 19, 5:48 pm, Michael Ash <m...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
IsaacKuo <mech...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071019/ap_on_bi_ge/stretching_paychecks

"It's bad enough already for 85-year-old Dominica Hoffman.

She gets $1,400 a month in pension and Social Security from
her days in the garment industry. [...] She's had to cut fruits
and vegetables from her grocery order - and that's even with
financial help from her children."

I have to wonder just where her budget goes, though.

I don't. I know enough people with incomes on that level
to know more or less where the budget goes.

Admittedly this was five years ago, but during my senior year of college I
was living on around $1,000/month and I was living pretty well. I scrimped
and saved in places, of course, and lived in a single rented room, but I
was able to have decent food and still have enough money left over to fly
to Europe a couple of times.

The article mentions that after rent ($500, I certainly wouldn't expect
her to spend less than that, I was spending $300 for what was no doubt
much
worse) she's broke after "food, gas, and other expenses".

Cost of living varies by a lot from place to place. The fact
that you were able to even find a place for $300 a month
tells me you were living in a city with a lower cost of
living. The difference can easily be a factor of two.
Energy costs related to air conditioning or heating can be a
huge part of this.

In my experience, one of the biggest drags on a little old
lady's budget can be keeping a crummy car up and running.
It's a cliche that used car dealers and auto repair shops
are more likely to take advantage of little old ladies, of
course, but the cliche is true. This isn't a regular expense,
of course, but with a $300 repair here and a $500 repair
there, it can easily add up to an average of one or more
hundreds of dollar per month.

I know, you say "sell the car". But most little old ladies
I know aren't healthy and strong enough to walk
everywhere. An 85 year old? No. You're talking
about someone giving up their freedom and
independence at that point.

A smaller effect, but still significant since it all adds up,
is that things cost significantly more in the last five years.
At least here in Baton Rouge, it's rather noticeable across
the board.

What "other expenses", exactly? Well, medical care no doubt costs a *lot*
more than it does for a healthy 23-year-old, but on the other hand her
pension hopefully includes some form of insurance, and there's a lot of
government aid for older people's health care.

She's not on a pension, she's on social security. And
government aid doesn't pay for prescriptions.

But how much do you want to
bet that this number includes cable TV or other amenities?

I'd bet against it.

When we were economizing, the first thing to go was cable TV.
I find that people in older generations aren't as into cable TV,
except for Fox News addicts. Even then, it's just basic
cable plus whatever minimum package includes Fox News.

And then the word "gas" is a real head-scratcher. I'm assuming this refers
to the liquid stuff you buy at the station, not the gaseous stuff that
comes into the house by pipe. If you're so short on cash that you're
damaging your nutrition, *sell the car*. Those things eat money like
crazy.

So, you already have an excellent theory on where the
extra money is going, and you instead accuse her of
paying for luxuries? That's a real head-scratcher, to me.

(Yes, I do have one now, I'm not some sort of anti-car nut, I just
realize how much they cost.) Even if public transport isn't an option, how
often do you really have to go out if you're retired?

How can you even ask that?

I don't know any little old ladies who could feel any
semblance of freedom and independence without
a car (except for my relatives in Japan). Expensive
it may be, but the alternative is to be trapped and
depend on someone else to drive you around. Even
if some public transportation is available, it means
walking significant distances except in the most
densely populated cities (which is why I have an
exception for my relatives in Japan).

There are some things which the soul needs for
nourishment. Freedom and independence aren't
just luxuries, they are human necessities. People
can die from depression, brought on by a feeling
of helplessness and uselessness. Depression
affects the immune system, and the will to live.
I've seen people just give up, let go, and die.

Isaac Kuo

.

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