More suburban, middle class slide into poverty

[harvey007]

Source: Chicago Sun Times

Fourteen months ago, Aurora resident Prentiss Bailey was going about happily living his life as usual.

He was employed at a printing company where he’d worked for 10 years—a job that paid $17 an hour and that with the consistent overtime and $4,000 and $5,000 annual Christmas bonuses he got, enabled him to take care of his family and enjoy what he considered a middle income life.

Today, he and his 10-year–old daughter live in a homeless shelter.


Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/news/8305452-418/more-suburban-middle-class-slide-into-poverty.html

[wakemewhenitsover]

1. But look at the up-side...

...the rich are getting richer!

:sarcasm:

K&R

[Kennah]

2. I'm one of the more fortunate

Bankruptcy and foreclosure in process, but I start a new job working for the state making the same money I was in the private sector--minus 40%.

[Quantess]

3. Ask yourself

Do you know anyone personally who has NOT been affected at all by the economic slide of the last 5 or so years? I personally can't think of one. Too bad I don't have any friends who are banksters or CEOs.

[reggie the dog]

4. I am from chicago and i have seen many interesting ways people

are coping

growing cannabis

selling cannabis

breeding bait worms in the crawlspace and selling them to bait stores

selling off the vacation house, the fishing boat, the snowmobiles

selling cocaine

just stop paying the mortgage and live in the house for a few years and save what would have been paid in mortgage in cash then file for bankrupcy

suicide

divorce

alcoholicism

drug abuse

spousal/ child abuse