Post by Matilda on Nov 17, 2015 8:32:39 GMT 10
This Is What Poverty Looks Like In America
And it's not Detroit. From the state of Mississippi in the south to the state of New York in the north, there is a mountain range that runs the length of these states. The Appalachian Mountains. Some of the most beautiful countryside is found there. Since the coal mines have closed, poverty in some areas has reached 40%. Hillbilly heroin is rampant. Just 5% of the youth graduate and one third drop out before even graduating. Men lived an average of just 68.3 years in 2013, a little more than eight years short of the national average. Women lived 76.4 years on average, about five years short of national life expectancy. Half of the population live below the poverty line in some areas. Dozens of towns still do exist in these areas, but they are dying.
Sadly, what has already happened in Appalachia is slowly happening to the rest of the country as well. There is a chronic lack of good jobs, poverty is exploding, and more Americans than ever are experiencing recession/depression first hand although their government tells them otherwise.
As economic conditions continue to deteriorate, people are starting to become more desperate. In many large cities, crime rates are already up by double digit percentages in 2015, and the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted is beginning to disappear. For example, down in Tampa it is being reported that there is an epidemic of house squatting going on right now…
I'm beginning to wonder if we will not see an overnight crash but a slow slide into what the dozens of towns along these mountains are experiencing. The extinguishing of lives and livelihoods as poverty takes over. I pulled up the real estate in one of the towns experiencing all of the above. Anyone of us could be in this situation tomorrow. Sickness; death of a partner; unemployment; divorce; are just some of the things that can tip one over the edge. Even if you have hundreds of thousands in savings and you own your own home, if you don't prepare, any of us can be in the same situation. If the banks closed/crashed tonight how will you access money? What if martial law was declared and you could not get to your BOL? We have all gone thru a million scenarios but nothing can prepare us for the unknown and to me that is the hardest thing about prepping. But we are still prepping.
This Christmas - no, not just at Christmas, but every day give thanks for what you HAVE. Prepare for what you NEED and forget about what you WANT. Even a shed on a cheap piece of dirt fully owned is better than a $500,000 mortgage with all the bells and whistles. I read about the slowing economy every day but our government and 'money men gurus' are saying all is OK. Don't be fooled. My Dad always said. 'Always handle your own money - trust no one with it'. I'm listening Dad and thankyou for your advice. We cannot know the future, but we can plan for it.
www.homes.com/for-sale/beattyville-ky/
And it's not Detroit. From the state of Mississippi in the south to the state of New York in the north, there is a mountain range that runs the length of these states. The Appalachian Mountains. Some of the most beautiful countryside is found there. Since the coal mines have closed, poverty in some areas has reached 40%. Hillbilly heroin is rampant. Just 5% of the youth graduate and one third drop out before even graduating. Men lived an average of just 68.3 years in 2013, a little more than eight years short of the national average. Women lived 76.4 years on average, about five years short of national life expectancy. Half of the population live below the poverty line in some areas. Dozens of towns still do exist in these areas, but they are dying.
Sadly, what has already happened in Appalachia is slowly happening to the rest of the country as well. There is a chronic lack of good jobs, poverty is exploding, and more Americans than ever are experiencing recession/depression first hand although their government tells them otherwise.
As economic conditions continue to deteriorate, people are starting to become more desperate. In many large cities, crime rates are already up by double digit percentages in 2015, and the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted is beginning to disappear. For example, down in Tampa it is being reported that there is an epidemic of house squatting going on right now…
I'm beginning to wonder if we will not see an overnight crash but a slow slide into what the dozens of towns along these mountains are experiencing. The extinguishing of lives and livelihoods as poverty takes over. I pulled up the real estate in one of the towns experiencing all of the above. Anyone of us could be in this situation tomorrow. Sickness; death of a partner; unemployment; divorce; are just some of the things that can tip one over the edge. Even if you have hundreds of thousands in savings and you own your own home, if you don't prepare, any of us can be in the same situation. If the banks closed/crashed tonight how will you access money? What if martial law was declared and you could not get to your BOL? We have all gone thru a million scenarios but nothing can prepare us for the unknown and to me that is the hardest thing about prepping. But we are still prepping.
This Christmas - no, not just at Christmas, but every day give thanks for what you HAVE. Prepare for what you NEED and forget about what you WANT. Even a shed on a cheap piece of dirt fully owned is better than a $500,000 mortgage with all the bells and whistles. I read about the slowing economy every day but our government and 'money men gurus' are saying all is OK. Don't be fooled. My Dad always said. 'Always handle your own money - trust no one with it'. I'm listening Dad and thankyou for your advice. We cannot know the future, but we can plan for it.
www.homes.com/for-sale/beattyville-ky/
