1587

That’s why I’d probably save that stimulus payment, instead of spending it.

1588

$400 per week is below the poverty level for a household of 3 people. Just sayin’.

1589

Good that you are able to do so. Not sure why you seem to think everyone else is in the same exact life situation that affords you the ability to save the stimulus payment and be dismissive of the notion that others cannot.

1590

Eh, I got a 3 bedroom house, and a car… My expenses aren’t THAT much lower.

Are folks really saying that they couldn’t survive on $1600 a month? I mean, that’s nearly $20k a year, with no taxes. Plus, that’s just the federal part of the unemployment, right? So you’re still getting a chunk from the state? At least that’s how it was working at the beginning of the Covid bullshit.

And if you’ve got two folks working, then it’s gonna be twice that.

I’m questioning the suggestion that folks are really unable to survive on the unemployment benefits. And I feel like this is a rational thing to ask, if we’re going to have a policy discussion.

1591

Again, that’s below the poverty level for almost any multi-person household. And state unemployment benefits have likely lapsed long ago, since they rarely last longer than a few months.

1592

Social security and Medicare taxes still apply. As do various state and local taxes.

People who did gig work for a living are often not eligible for unemployment.

And what do you mean here? Are you taking government assistance into account? It would be really hard to survive on $20k per year without any subsidies (rent and health insurance alone could easily gobble up $1600/month), particularly if you’re a parent of a pre school-age child.

1593

It feels like you’ve forgotten that America is a really big country with wildly different costs of living.

In the Bay Area, you’d be living in a shithole if your rent was less than $2500 a month.

But I guess someone has to argue that below-the-poverty-line living is a-ok. Now that we have a Democratic President you’re right that it’s time to start thinking about what stuff costs.

1594

Unemployment is taxable income. And $1600 a month wouldn’t cover my mortgage payment. I’m in suburban SLC, not exactly NYC or the Bay area or anything.

1595

Why don’t these people get much higher paying jobs and buy 3BR houses and a car so they don’t have to sponge off the government? It’s a simple solution.

1596

Or go back in time and not get married, have kids, and live in a house? If everyone stayed single and lived with their parents forever $1600/month would be plenty for everyone!

1597

I mean it’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost, ten dollars?

1598

Of the 50 largest cities in the country, Oklahoma City currently has the lowest average rent: about $720 for a 1BR apartment. Health insurance runs about $500/person/month minimum for anyone who doesn’t qualify for the catastrophic tier (i.e. is over 30.) That’s more than your $1600 right there for any family, and they better not like eating or putting gas in their car. $20k is too high an income to qualify for Oklahoma’s Medicaid plan.

1599

The average rent for an apartment in Seattle finally dipped beneath $2,000/mo at the end of 2020.

1600

Negative, unemployment benefits are not subject to social security and medicare taxes.

People who did gig work for a living are often not eligible for unemployment.

This would be a problem, although the CARES act from last year made gig workers eligible for unemployment.

And what do you mean here? Are you taking government assistance into account? It would be really hard to survive on $20k per year without any subsidies (rent and health insurance alone could easily gobble up $1600/month), particularly if you’re a parent of a pre school-age child.

Really? I mean, how much are these folks paying in rent a month? Seems like 1600 would cover rent pretty easily, unless you’re living in a very expensive area.

In terms of health insurance, the existing ACA system should cover your insurance costs if your income is that low.

And again, if you’ve got two folks working in the family, then you’re talking doubling those unemployment benefits.

Plus, the state benefits on top of that.

Really? That seems insane to me.

I mean, ya, my sister once lived in Mahattan, and her rent was insane… but I also don’t really feel like anyone else should be supplementing that insane rent for her, if she were having trouble paying it. She paid that insane rent, because she wanted the luxury of living in Manhattan.

I definitely understand the different costs of living, but I guess I gotta think that at some point… maybe folks should move away from places where it’s too expensive for them to live?

Not right now when everything is fucked up, sure. Maybe cover it… but this seems like a bigger problem. If you’re paying $2500 a month just to live in “not a shithole”, then maybe you should go live somewhere else?

1601

Just a data point, but the average cost of a 800 square foot apartment in Salt Lake City is $1200 a month.

1602

People do, which is why San Francisco is full of tech bros while all the people who teach their kids, police their streets, and fight their fires live an hour+ away.

Also, people can afford to live here if they have jobs. Which is kinda a problem right now. You realize the reason we’re talking about this right now is because we’re in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic, right?

1603

Go live somewhere else, like it’s that easy.

This discussion makes me laugh.

1604

You can spend a lot less time typing if you just type “fuck you I got mine” and move on. It’s well established that unemployment for a single person puts them a bit ahead of the national poverty level, and for families with children it’s hovering near the poverty level. This is not in any doubt.

1605

Not sure how much of a discussion this is. :)

One person lacking empathy for or understanding of situations people find themselves other than their own immediate experience and everyone else doing the message board equivalent of rolling their eyes and shaking their heads.

1606

The average rent for an apartment nationally as of Dec 2020 is $1,462.