Is America a third world country?

[OldOld]

That's not true. My one SIL didn't have insurance or Medicaid & she spent 3 months in the hospital being treated for intestinal/stomach issues. Since her only income was SSI & she couldn't pay her bill, the hospital wrote it off.

The only people being cut from medicaid are the ones who shouldn't been on it in the first place. If you think about it, those who shouldn't have been on it have been taking money from those who need to be on it.

"Should" your SIL be on SSI? Is she disabled? Doesn't/didn't she work? Or does/did she intentionally make "cash" income to avoid traceable income?

 

[Paco Dennis]

.....So here we are, we have this ACA that uses tax payers money to fuel private insurance company without any price bargaining power
Medicare, on the other hand, is a totally different story. Many drugs and medical procedures are charged at different (lower) price when billed to Medicare, because Medicare has a bargaining power to keep the price in check.
Capitalism is great to create wealth for the society, but I believe there should also be a social system to be the foundation of wellbeing for the general public. Healthcare and education are parts of this foundation.

There is, it is called government! They are doing a horrible job, and we, the citizens, keep this foundation going by voting for it.

 

[OldOld]

 

[Murrmurr]

You are right there is a need for skilled trades. I looked for info on salary & most promising states to get a job.

10 Best States For Tradesmen In 2025 - Zippia

Could be hiring depends on level of skill. If employer is willing to train, if person is willing to relocate to get the kind of job in the trade he is interested in. A lot of variables.

From that web site I'll use California example.

1. California
Total tradesman jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $52,246
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
0.55
Tradesman jobs in California


In California, fast food workers at chains with at least 60 locations nationwide are now subject to a $20 per hour minimum wage, effective April 1, 2024. This increase was part of the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery (FAST) Act, also known as AB 1228, which also established a Fast Food Council to set future wage and working standards.
Google Search

$20.00 X 40 work week equals $800.00 or $41,600.00 annually.

Is it possible that rather than learn a skill, move to where that skill will be needed for the rest of their working years that opting for a no real skill needed basic job is preferred. And that as you posted generational dependence on welfare are also big factors.

Cool!

The problem with the increased minimum wage is that employers (focusing on Calif) are hiring fewer people, reducing the size of their work crews, and reducing worker's hours because they're required to give full benefits to employees who work 24 hours or more (used to be 40hrs or more). This is effecting the fast-food industry most. Probly because that's where most kids go for their first job.

Last year, my granddaughter (18) worked 26 to 32hrs/wk at a burger place. Loved her job and the manager seemed to love her, but after the min wage increase, her hours were reduced to 18-22/wk. Another worker's hours were reduced to 8, if you can believe that. His schedule was cut to only 1 day a week.

Olivia was hoping to get her own place and all that, and she had a car payment + auto insurance, so she hit the bricks and was fortunate to find a full-time job at a Pet Smart. It helped a lot that the burger place wrote a really positive letter of recommendation because over 100 people applied for that job. It's in a highly populated area, but still, that's a lot of people vying for a no-particular-skills type job.
(awesomely, she was recently promoted to crew-leader & customer assistant)

Parents and grandparents need to look into what skills colleges are in their area, how to qualify for a tuition grant or reduced tuition, and tell their kids to go for it. There are a lot of accredited skills college courses they can do online, too. Ones with a certification or license at the end. Some even have job-placement assistance. But a kid doesn't know if no one tells him/her.

 

[Murrmurr]

@Knight

My son got out of the unskilled labor pool and joined the iron-workers union right after he went to part-time with the navy (switched to the reserves). While the union trained him, he earned around $40K/yr. After 5 years, he was earning around $60K, but he kept signing up for their training courses, one after another, qualifying him for better, higher-paying jobs.

Today he earns over $150K/yr, has excellent benefits, and several weeks of vacation time annually. In addition, he's bring in his navy retirement, but the average American can live comfortably on what he earns from his "real" job. It took time to get to where he is, but it was all good from the get-go. And most young adults can do this.

 

[Murrmurr]

That's not true. My one SIL didn't have insurance or Medicaid & she spent 3 months in the hospital being treated for intestinal/stomach issues. Since her only income was SSI & she couldn't pay her bill, the hospital wrote it off.

The only people being cut from medicaid are the ones who shouldn't been on it in the first place. If you think about it, those who shouldn't have been on it have been taking money from those who need to be on it.

Lilac, you could also point out that all employers provide worker's compensation coverage, and federal labor law requires employers with (I think it's..) 50 or more employees to provide medical insurance. The coverage can be limited, like it doesn't have to include dental and vision or whatever, but it has to meet labor law requirements.

 

[oslooskar]

If I were an objective cosmic observer comparing downtown San Francisco with downtown Rayong, I’d immediately conclude that San Francisco looked third world. After all, Rayong has no visible homeless population, no panhandlers, no human waste on the streets or sidewalks, no lunatics running amok, and a far lower rate of violent crime.

 

[gruntlabor]

If I were an objective cosmic observer comparing downtown San Francisco with downtown Rayong, I’d immediately conclude that San Francisco looked third world. After all, Rayong has no visible homeless population, no panhandlers, no human waste on the streets or sidewalks, no lunatics running amok, and a far lower rate of violent crime.

Yes, first we must have order