Media so removed from the economic reality of most Americans

Today show is doing segment on saving money

One of the recommendations was to do your own housework and mow your own yard and drop the lawn service. And if you can't give up the maid, have her come in less often. :wtf:

I've also seen style segments when they are talking about the bargain pants at only $100 and blazer at $225 like it's such a great buy.

What world do these people inhabit? Do you make expenditures like these or am I just poorer than I thought?

On the plus side, they did recommend ditching the car and using public transportation. But, they forget the fact that it's not an option for many people because the government doesn't want to fund it and is actively sabatoging it as in the case of Amtrack.

for promoting what they promote in a world where children starve every damn day.

Look at what my city has become in my photo blog below.

I don't advocate violence or an eat-the-rich mentality.

My husband is from Springfield so I'm quite familiar with the area.

but having grown up poor, and currently living amidst so much poverty, I can see how massive inequality fosters violent attitudes among the poor.

And I can't afford a lawn service or a maid. They aren't just blowing off most Americans, but everybody but the genuinely wealthy! I think the problem with these plasticized commentators is once your salary exceeds a million a year, you lose all touch with reality.

With regard to auto vs public transit, even in areas with excellent transit and community/government support, you generally still need a car for erranding -- not all trips are to and from work, after all.

without which they would not have a job.

Every penny they make comes from corporate advertising. What would you expect?

Where everything is wonderful all the time:shrug:

I don't think that you, or I for that matter, are poorer than we think. My wife and I do all the household chores, always have. So does everybody that we know.

I have noticed a trend of middle and upper middle class folks retaining lawn serivices and maids, but around here I think this is the exception rather than the rule.

Yep, LaLa land.

But I've wondered if it isn't to make people fell like "losers", that way we're less likely to speak out OR 95% of all marketing goes out to 15% of population

Make people feel like losers, so they keep quiet and don't complain

And don't get me started at the number of homeless people or how many of my friends can't afford basic medical care :mad:

Our rent just got jacked up $300, and when we crunched the number we figured that it would actually be cheaper to buy than to keep renting. And while the DC real estate market hasn't really gone down the crapper, sellers are getting antsy to unload. We weren't planning on buying just now, but we've got the down payment money and got an approval letter, so we're on the hunt.

for the talking heads to read on the bushes news programs are rolling in money. One of the reasons the news industry is so pro-bush, because like the bushes, they have millions. So they make suggestions like do your own housework (well dah, I've been doing my own housework since I was 12). Buy a $120 jacket instead of a $300 jacket. I'm lucky to afford a $50 jacket. Eat local caviar instead of $300/lb foreign caviar. Caviar what's caviar? Go out to eat less often is my favorite most often quoted money saving tip. We go out to eat about twice a year, I guess we could reduce that to never.

...whether it's on lawn service or a pack of gum from the gas station. That's about all the report really needed to say.

on a given week without discussing how many are off it because their benefits ran out. As someone who's experienced that twice in a lifetime, nothing angers me more.

They should be required to state what percentage of that number are cutoff people.

They are definitely out of touch with the majority of Americans. I do know a few people who this segment would apply to. I know far more people who could only save money if they skipped a meal a day.

Notice the large houses that everyone has on TV... Their lives are not about how they are going to pay the bills, and the troubles of the common man..

:eyes:

No widespread conspiracy needed. They spend their waking days trying to guess and repeat exactly what the boss wants to hear.

Beautiful! Nice catch...

Don't seem to realize how most people live in this country. I remember seeing something like this several years ago. They were talking about someone making $50,000 a year. I was thinking "Wow, $50k is a lot of money," but the host/anchor was stunned that anyone actually lived on such a small amount.

I have a young co-worker who grew up with money and when I was sharing my younger days of poverty, she was simply stunned. It all sounded so foreign to her. Belt-tightening was skipping a long weekend in the Bahamas.

Then she told me about a woman who was ditched by her wealthy husband and left with two kids. So, she married even farther up the ladder, even though the guy was a cretin, just so she and her kids would have the good life to which she had grown accostommed. My co-worker didn't see a problem with that.

they need to do a segment on how two people can live on $14K/yr (like us).

It might be amusing. :sarcasm:

Let's see...
-how to find a food pantry
-how to prepare a nutritious meal using "free" gov. food give-aways
-where to find thrift shops
-what to look for when buying used clothing
-how to apply for assistance

What maid and gardener? That is what I do.

ed f/spelling, not enough coffee

about you and the rest of the "great unwashed". After all, you are here for their convenience, to be used when necessary and thrown away when they're finished with you.

BTW $14K p/year does make you really poor.

especially those where spouses both work full-time or are self-employed. Many of the cleaning companies or lawn companies are run by neighbors or friends in the community. Unlike the upper classes they seldom have live in help so it is not expensive.

Most lawn services cost about 70 bucks a month and house cleaning about 50 bucks a week.

Just my .02 cents.

Spending $270 a month on lawn and housecleaning is way out there, for me. I make $30,000, between two jobs, and live in a one-bedroom apartment. As I am single, I think that qualifies me as "middle-class" by government standards. Sure doesn't feel like it, though.

No 2 cents -- don't have it to spare.

nor lawn care assistance if you are living in a 1 bedroom apt.

What would be middle-class for people who would use these services?

it would depend how many live in a household, where in the US they reside, type of living arrangement, etc...

Urban living/economics are a lot different than suburban or rural living.