How do poor, unhealthy people live in the US?

[ROBOCRIPPLE]

We have no medical bills here in Canada. That is, it is paid for only by taxation, which is one of the reasons we pay higher taxes and higher prices for goods here than in the US. It is also the reason why lines are longer for emergency health care, and why we sometimes go down south of the border for special treatment.

But in the US, people have to pay medical bills to receive treatment. That makes me think that, to live in the US, you need to be either really healthy or really rich. A way of "natural selection", if you will.

Yet, I see poor people with unhealthy/unsanitary lifestyles in the US on reality TV and in the news. How do they live like that? I mean, poor people in the US including many illegal immigrants can only afford food that would only make them less healthy, and they can't afford to pay medical bills either. It's stupid. Unskilled labor is the backbone of any country's economy, so why not take better care of them in the US?

We have stricter food standards here in Canada because we don't want too many patients in our hospitals. That's one of the reasons why Canada is a better country for immigrants with poor backgrounds than the US.

 

[olbriar]

Don't speak your views to loudly or you'll be needing a copy of Trumps wall blueprints.

 

[lunatic59]

We are all just freedom fighting patriotic cowboys who drive Ford's and Chevy's while eating mom's apple pie.

Yeah, you really have to stop watching reality TV and "news" for your information, or all Canadians just toothless, beer-drinking hockey players who like moose just a little too much?

But in the US, people have to pay medical bills to receive treatment. That makes me think that, to live in the US, you need to be either really healthy or really rich. A way of "natural selection", if you will.

There are plenty of public assistance programs here that will help the poor with medical bills, and those that can pay, do pay. When you factor in median salaries and other various costs of living, it's not such a bad deal. And the quality of care must be pretty good if you're ready to jump a border when your services don't measure up.

Yet, I see poor people with unhealthy/unsanitary lifestyles in the US on reality TV and in the news. How do they live like that? I mean, poor people in the US including many illegal immigrants can only afford food that would only make them less healthy, and they can't afford to pay medical bills either. It's stupid. Unskilled labor is the backbone of any country's economy, so why not take better care of them in the US?

Plenty of good food is available for prices equal to or less than the junk, but the junk is just more convenient and, some would say, tastier. It's not a matter of cost or availability but of education. If an immigrant family comes with little or no education and show them all the bad food they couldn't get before, they're going to be drawn to it. As for the resident poor, we'll we're really letting them down, but not by making thing available but by not teaching them a better way.

We have stricter food standards here in Canada because we don't want too many patients in our hospitals. That's one of the reasons why Canada is a better country for immigrants with poor backgrounds than the US.

Well, we consider that a nanny state and it's not really what we're all about. I'd rather be free to make my own bad decisions than restricted to walk a narrow path imposed for my own good.

 

[Dannydet]

What lunatic59 said.....

 

[PitCarver]

What lunatic59 said.....

Yep.

 

[ROBOCRIPPLE]

Plenty of good food is available for prices equal to or less than the junk, but the junk is just more convenient and, some would say, tastier. It's not a matter of cost or availability but of education. If an immigrant family comes with little or no education and show them all the bad food they couldn't get before, they're going to be drawn to it. As for the resident poor, we'll we're really letting them down, but not by making thing available but by not teaching them a better way.

I thought there were discount grocery stores or cheaper, less healthy options in US grocery stores, like spices, vegetables and meat... I take it they're all the same...

 

[mikedt]

I heard that Canada doesn't have poor people, no peasantry, and everyone is rich.

 

[olbriar]

I thought there were discount grocery stores or cheaper, less healthy options in US grocery stores, like spices, vegetables and meat... I take it they're all the same...

Near as I know, the offerings are pretty much the same across most grocery stores. The US offers food stamp as well as wic programs to help the less privileged buy consumables. Only quality foods qualify. No junk food such as chips and candy... NO cigarettes or alcohol. There are also school food programs in place to insure young students of lesser means have a quality lunch. We have low cost or subsidized housing for the poor as well. I'm not saying that all of the poor are doing well in the US but there are programs in place to help them. There are many that will argue that it's so easy to survive well if you play the system that it removes the incentive to seek employment.

 

[mikedt]

We are all just freedom fighting patriotic cowboys who drive Ford's and Chevy's while eating mom's apple pie.

Yeah, you really have to stop watching reality TV and "news" for your information, or all Canadians just toothless, beer-drinking hockey players who like moose just a little too much?

...and there's a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the wall in every house?

 

[Member243850]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... .... I don't want to sound like a heartless bastard with no soul.... but...

You see I don't mean to sound rude like a jerk or anything.... but ....because I am a Qualified Mechanical Engineer that has gone into the QA / QC side of things with quite rare and desirable skills (depending on the size of the economy but yes generally quite rare)... I just wanted to say something....... to open your mind a bit.... and to warn you about the horrifying dangers of socialism and then leading to communism....

You have to be very careful when wanting to increase taxes for any nation and start creating a "nanny state" for a national health care system... when you start having socialist and communist tendencies / ideologies this is when the educated and skilled people want to start avoiding you like the bubonic plague due to disturbingly / worringly high levels of taxation and thus it creates a brain drain on your country / economy... I don't want to pay for someone else who doesn't want to work when I have worked extremely hard for everything I have already.... it's not my fault they are in the situation they are in....

You do realise that the UK benefited about 2.7 BILLION Dollars from South African immigrants (alone) getting away from this communist and socialist hell hole .... do you see where I am going with this?

Canada (you guys ) have also greatly benefited from our immigrants of skilled doctors, engineers ect... leaving this hell hole in the millions... not wanting to be a part of this insanity...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_capital_flight#South_Africa

Remember...... you need to be very careful increases taxes and creating a socialist country that has all kinds of inferior gubbermint infrastructure ... a lot of people who are rich didn't just get "given" it on a silver platter.... they earned it through extremely hard work and would hate to see their hard earned money stolen from them given to bumbs that don't want to work...

And before you start saying that "not all poor people are a bunch of lazy bastards" ....yes true.... but remember that my family had become extremely poor due to my father getting very ill.... it directly affected me by my family being too poor my father could not afford to send me to university I had to do it all on my own....

Nobody gave me a free ride...

I worked myself out of it.... I don't see why other people can't.... unless of course you are in a coma then ja sure... but even then people have come out of that too...

 

[PitCarver]

Perhaps the forum needs something a bit stronger than a simple "like" button.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I watch "Judge Judy" every day, and I've learned a lot about low income people as a result. For one thing, I've learned about section 8 housing, which gives people a place to live for little to no rent--and apparently quite a few of them have figured out how to [illegally] make money while receiving these benefits. What they do is [illegally] rent rooms to other people, for money. So let's say their rent, thanks to section 8, is $0 per month, and they have 4 tenants, each paying $700/month rent. They're making $2800/month free, clear, with no taxes being paid, and *I* [and other people who actually work/worked for a living] pay them to do this.

They also receive food stamps, which can be sold so they can buy things not on the allowed list.

They also receive free medical care--while I had to pay 20% of a *HUGE* hospitalization bill (I was hospitalized for six months; I'm on Medicare due to disability; Medicare only covers 80% of medical bills--the other 20% is on the patient; in my case this was in the tens of thousands of dollars).

Then there's free daycare...and each additional baby they pop out receives this plus all of the above taxpayer-provided benefits. So every time they have another baby, they essentially get a raise! They're not able to work, but they can procreate easily and often.

These "poor' people have their hair and nails professionally done, wear the niftiest, most fashionable clothes, own all the latest electronics and drive late-model vehicles. But they don't work. Must be nice!

NOTE that I am not referring to ALL poor people, just certain ones I've seen on Judge Judy and their ilk.