How can they live in such Squalor yet have nice new cars...?

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fuzzybuddy said:
This is a third world part of the US. It's poverty. There are strict laws about the condition of vehicles on the road. If you're driving a broken-down car, you'll get pulled over by the cops, and your car will be towed to an impound yard. The fees to get the vehicle are way more than what the vehicle is worth. It's a way to get junk cars off the road.
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yes same here..our car laws are very strict we have to have our cars go through a very strict test annually, and if they fail even on the samllest thing like perished windscreen wiper, or a light bulb out...it doesn't pass and you cannot take it back on the road.. until it's all repaired and meets the government standards

... ... it makes no sense that people can afford 30 k... for a vehicle..or more.. or £1k a month lease, when they can't maintain their homes..

It's the same here in the UK... those who are in receipt of benefits seem to be able to ''afford'' the biggest most expensive cars
 
Lee said:
Guess I am the opposite, the truck in the driveway needs a sign that reads "honk if parts fall off" Hubby refuses to part with it till either the engine or tranny goes.

But the house looks nice, honest.

Wonder what the neighbors think of that????
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I think your hubs has priorities the right way round... home and family first...vehicle second..
 
hollydolly said:
yes .. and so if they are receiving welfare payments then that means they're living below the poverty line.. so that takes me back to the question... How can they afford new vehicles..
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Until a couple decades ago, to get welfare assistance you had to sell your car if it was worth over $1000, and you had to accept a lien on your property if you owned any. The Supreme Court decided that car bit was unconstitutional, but property liens were ok.

So now, not only is the car you already own safe, the pot-lots that oldman mentioned are prepared to cut a sweet deal for welfare recipients.
 
Lee said:
Holly, hubby had to have a loaner last month.....two neighbors were cheering, they know I hate that truck and thought hubby had given in to my nagging.
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helenbacque said:
Transportation can be a necessity but not TV. In the earliest days of satellite dishes, when they were huge and could only be used for watching television, the more squalid the neighborhood, the more dishes. I never understood.
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Same in the UK...
 
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Not really known if all the run down homes are occupied.
Didn't see any high end vehicles nor was I able to determine the age of the vehicles I did see.

Narrow not to well manitained roads where the video was taken. Didn't see any bus stops let alone a sheltered bus stop.

Then there is this.

How much are property taxes in Louisiana?
Overview of Louisiana Taxes

At just 0.53%, Louisiana has the fifth lowest effective property tax rate of any U.S. state. The median annual property tax payment in Louisiana is $919, though this can drop to around $200 in some counties. Nationwide, the median property tax payment is a significantly pricier $2,578.

Given the deterioration of the "homes" most likely they fit the drop to $200.00, that's less than $20.00 a month. Couldn't find a link to public transportation.

All in all while many of the properties videoed were run down, if any were occupied they might consider themselves fortunate not to be homeless. Transportation if running a plus.
 
hollydolly said:
yes .. and so if they are receiving welfare payments then that means they're living below the poverty line.. so that takes me back to the question... How can they afford new vehicles..

At one time during my daughters' childhood I worked 7 pat-time jobs to fit around her school hours, and I could barely afford the one gallon of petrol to put in my moped... a new car would not only have been a dream then.. but even now I would struggle to find the price of a new car, and I'm much better off today than way back then
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I don’t know if they are new vehicles, but some are certainly newer vehicles. It could be they are leased on a long term agreement, that maybe they pay such low house rent that they can use what would normally be rent money, but instead is used towards paying for their lease.

I know two guys from my local barber shop that will come in from time to time and brag about how great their business is. I seldom, if ever spoke to either one, but one day I was just in the mood to jump into the conversation by asking the one fellow just exactly what it is that he does. He told me him and his brother (I had no idea that the two guys were brothers, but later found out that they were step brothers by having the same mom, but different fathers) buy and sell cars. It just so happened that I was looking for a nice car for my youngest granddaughter and asked him what he had for a 16 year old girly-girl type. He ran a few names off and I told him that I would be stopping by.

After he had left the shop, the barber, who is also a friend to me told me to be careful if I buy from him. Of course, I asked why. The barber (Eddie) told me that they buy wrecked vehicles from insurance companies, rebuild them with used parts from different junkyards and then sell them. That was great information, which I was thankful for, but would have found it out later because cars that are bought and sold the way they do must title their vehicles with an ‘R’ title. The ‘R’ title means that the vehicle has been restored.

The one car that I saw, I really liked. Of course he gave me the usual sales pitch of “you have a good idea for quality” and so on. This was in the year 2015. The car was a 2012 Acura TL w/AWD. It should have sold for about $20,000+ but he was asking $12,500 firm. I asked him what all was replaced and he told me that most of the front end parts were replaced and some steering components. I drove the car and thought it was really nice. While test driving the car, I stopped at a body shop where I know the owner and asked him what he thought. He gave it a good look over, told me that it was straight, meaning no frame damage, so, I bought it on the spot. My granddaughter was shocked when I handed her the keys. She drove that car all through college before trading it. So, yes, you can buy nice cars for cheap prices.

But, you are right. I also wonder at times how some people have what they do knowing that they have very low income. You’re going to love this story. You have to know my wife. She is a very social person that is definitely a girly-girl, although she does know how to use a screwdriver, adjustable wrench, pliers and a hammer. Two nights a week, she works in a bingo hall for a local fire company. Yeah, it’s laughable. Anyway, she tells me about some of the people that come in to play bingo, but have very little else. She tells me they drive really nice cars, shell out a lot of money to play the maximum number of cards, which costs $36 and also buy these tickets that are called “pull tabs.” They cost $1 each and some of these people will buy anywhere from 50-200 cards. She just told me that a few of these players will spend around $1000 on a given night. Now, you tell me where the money comes from. They live in the city in low income housing, dress like they are k-mart shoppers, yet drive a new or fairly new Lexus. What was the name of that movie something like, “It’s a Mad Mad World?”
 
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My first thought was to wonder why it was called "rural" when rural means the countryside and it was clearly a town. Next I wondered about all the debris and broken tree limbs at the side of the road which makes me think there had been a tornado as suggested.

As far as the nice cars, yes it's possible to buy a decent looking used car with very little down payment.

Houses are a different story, banks and credit unions wont make a mortgage loan unless the house is covered by insurance. Insurance companies wont insure a house that is valued at less than, at least, $50,000.

Then we need a good credit rating, and proof of holding a steady job for three years.

Sadly it's just hard to get out of poverty. I know if I had to live there I would need bingo and TV to keep the depression at bay.
 
I can relate.
My house:
Ruined Shed Ruined Shed dilapidated house stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

My car:
2023 rollsroyce phantom front threequarters
 
They could have gotten a BIG lump sum payment from SSDisability, and bought themselves a car with it.

They've probably never even had a car...till then.
And, if they have any money left over, they probably went out and bought an 80" big screen TV too.
 
Some of these people may be living in abject poverty. Some may not. My grandfather did not live in poverty, but he lived in a double-wide mobile home in rural NC. Neither he nor my step-grandmother had any desire to move because it was "home" to them. (And she didn't want to have to clean a larger house. :ROFLMAO: ) Yet, he frequently traded cars. He simply had his priorities in life. He had a budget and knew where he wanted to spend it.

With that said, I don't see any cars in the video that I would consider new or expensive.
 
dobielvr said:
They could have gotten a BIG lump sum payment from SSDisability, and bought themselves a car with it.

They've probably never even had a car...till then.
And, if they have any money left over, they probably went out and bought an 80" big screen TV too.
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what ?...all of the people in the video in run down area of the US ., and all of the people in the Uk who live in unmaintained properties with new or next to new cars ...had huge disability payments?... errrm..ok
 
I’ve seen this pattern and it’s variants repeated many times in my area; people who rent substandard housing while putting their money into a $50,000 pickup truck in the driveway.

It becomes a matter of priorities and projections. Kids, too, often tend to wear their self-concept on their feet. I’ve seen children from the poorest families who may not have lunch money, but wear $150+ “athletic shoes” endorsed by athletes and rap stars…
 
Fyrefox said:
I’ve seen this pattern and it’s variants repeated many times in my area; people who rent substandard housing while putting their money into a $50,000 pickup truck in the driveway.

It becomes a matter of priorities and projections. Kids, too, often tend to wear their self-concept on their feet. I’ve seen children from the poorest families who may not have lunch money, but wear $150+ “athletic shoes” endorsed by athletes and rap stars…
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Exactly... thankyou Fyrefox...this is precisely my point...Not aimed at the place in the OP in particular but everywhere similar to that...whether the USA or the UK
 
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