COMMENTS:
Do all poor people watch cable TV, wearing Ralph Lauren, while smoking a cigarete and drinking a beer? :) I guess some do. I wonder if most do? Probably not. Maybe.
Voted : gambling
I used to cringe when I'd see a cable line going to the house of someone who could barely feed their kids until I grew up and realized that in dire circumstances, sometimes the most frivolous and unnecessary things go a long way to instill a little happiness, self esteem, and a sense of normality. Besides, the direct cost of things like alcohol, tobacco, cable, or junk food normally aren't going to be a major factor in raising someone above the poverty line. Quitting them will definitely help you save money, but it's not like you'll be put in different tax bracket as soon as you quit smoking.
Gambling however can put you in the red very quickly, rich or poor.
Voted : alcohol
When I was in graduate school, paying my own way through and living in a crime-ridden hellhole of a neighborhood, how many times have I been walking to work or school, just to pass the line of useless Morlocks standing waiting for the liquor store to open--at 9 or 10 A.M. It was at its worst at the beginning or ending of the montj--when the gub'mint checks arrived.
Correct misspelling as "month".
I begin to agree a bit with the Victorians--to some extent poverty may be a result of poor morals or poor planning. I'm not quite that harsh--personal misfortunes can be just as powerful a cause--but I do think, under normal economic conditions (not in a depression or bad recession, as now)--bad behavior is the cause at least half the time.
^ Agreed. Like I said, the direct cost of the alcohol shouldn't put you in the poor house. But the behavior associated with it's abuse can be a main contributing factor.
To either cut down the beer or the kids new gear.
It's a big decision in a town called Malice.
Voted : lotto
People who complain about being "poor" when they aren't, make my ass drag.
Felix, I couldn't have said it better!
And, cell phones should be at the top of this list.
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