Thread for obviously newsworthy stuff

[rah]

Thanks. Definitely shock reporting.

[Lorizael]

The study, for those interested:

https://www.urban.org/research/publi...-families-2017

...trouble paying for housing, utilities, food or health care...

means...

Housing: (1) The household did not pay the full amount of the rent or mortgage or was late with a payment because it could not afford to pay or (2) the respondent was forced to move by a landlord, bank or other financial institution, or the government.

Utilities: (3) The household was not able to pay the full amount of the gas, oil, or electricity bills or (4) the gas or electric company turned off service or the oil company could not deliver oil.

Food security: (5) The household was food insecure based on responses to the six-item short form of the US Department of Agriculture’s Household Food Security Survey Module (USDA 2012).

Health care: (6) The respondent had unmet needs for medical care because of costs or (7) the family had problems paying medical bills.

The food insecurity thing is:

HH3. I’m going to read you several statements that people have made about their food
situation. For these statements, please tell me whether the statement was often true,
sometimes true, or never true for (you/your household) in the last 12 months—that is,
since last (name of current month).

The first statement is, “The food that (I/we) bought just didn’t last, and (I/we) didn’t have
money to get more.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true for (you/your household)
in the last 12 months?
[ ] Often true
[ ] Sometimes true
[ ] Never true
[ ] DK or Refused

HH4. “(I/we) couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true
for (you/your household) in the last 12 months?
[ ] Often true
[ ] Sometimes true
[ ] Never true
[ ] DK or Refused

AD1. In the last 12 months, since last (name of current month), did (you/you or other adults in
your household) ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn't
enough money for food?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No (Skip AD1a)
[ ] DK (Skip AD1a)

AD1a. [IF YES ABOVE, ASK] How often did this happen—almost every month, some months
but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months?
[ ] Almost every month
[ ] Some months but not every month
[ ] Only 1 or 2 months
[ ] DK

AD2. In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn't
enough money for food?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[ ] DK

AD3. In the last 12 months, were you every hungry but didn't eat because there wasn't enough
money for food?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
[ ] DK

[Lorizael]

x-post making my post unnecessary

No, it really depends on the details of what "had trouble paying for ... health care" explicitly means.

[rah]

It all depends on how the question is worded. " least one type of material hardship in 2017" and equating that to can't pay for basic needs is fear mongering in my opinion.

[JohnT]

Lorizeal's position only makes sense in a world where health is redefined as not being as fundamental a need as food, air, water, etc.

I disagree, as does Mr Maslow:

[rah]

Yeah, have to agree there. This is the type of stuff that gives research people a bad reputation.

[Lorizael]

Really misleading headline.

...39.4 percent of adults between 18 and 64 years old said they experienced at least one type of material hardship in 2017, according to the study, which surveyed more than 7,500 adults about whether they had trouble paying for housing, utilities, food or health care.

This seems to indicate that anyone who had, say, an unforeseen medical expense counts as the 40% who can't meet their basic needs. Yeah, it sucks that not everyone's financial situation is totally comfortable and able to perfectly weather all problems, but that's a far cry from saying almost half of us can't meet our basic needs.

[JohnT]

Almost half of Americans can't pay for their basic needs

Four in 10 Americans are struggling to pay for their basic needs such as groceries or housing, a problem even middle-class households confront, according to a new study from the Urban Institute.

Despite the U.S. economy being near full employment, 39.4 percent of adults between 18 and 64 years old said they experienced at least one type of material hardship in 2017, according to the study, which surveyed more than 7,500 adults about whether they had trouble paying for housing, utilities, food or health care.

The findings surprised researchers at the Urban Institute, who had expected to find high levels of hardship among poor Americans but hadn't predicted so many middle-class families would also struggle to meet their basic needs. That may illustrate that a middle-class income "is no guarantee" of protection from hardship, said Michael Karpman, research associate at the Urban Institute's health Policy Center and a co-author of the report.

Against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's boasting about low unemployment and strong economic growth, the research adds nuance to the problems facing American families. Middle-class households tend to struggle with paying their health care bills rather than utilities, for instance. Health care costs have outpaced wages and inflation, pushing more Americans into high-deductible plans, which can backfire when serious health problems arise.

[JohnT]

When the shooter is white...

[Broken_Erika]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_...rade_Agreement



Anyone who is not a moron wanna tell us who was President on December 2nd, 1992?

Obama!

[Giancarlo]

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5b84aaf1e4b0cf7b002e5609

Slumlord Kushner was fined $210,000 for lying on city applications. This does not exclude any potential criminal prosecution.

[JohnT]

OK so Trump is better than Reagan.

[Giancarlo]

POTUS has negotiated a better deal with Mexico than Clinton NAFTA.

Hahahhaha giving Mexico 90% what it wants is not a better deal for the US.

This poor guy... He's like trump. Whenever he's moving his lips he is lying.

[Kidlicious]

OK so Trump is better than Reagan.

[JohnT]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_...rade_Agreement

The impetus for a North American free trade zone began with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who made the idea part of his campaign when he announced his candidacy for the presidency in November 1979.^[15]Canada and the United States signed the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement(FTA) in 1988, and shortly afterward Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari decided to approach US president George H. W. Bush to propose a similar agreement in an effort to bring in foreign investment following the Latin American debt crisis.^[15] As the two leaders began negotiating, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney feared that the advantages Canada had gained through the Canada–US FTA would be undermined by a US–Mexican bilateral agreement, and asked to become a party to the US–Mexican talks.^[16] Following diplomatic negotiations dating back to 1990 among the three nations, the three leaders signed the agreement in their respective capitals on December 17, 1992.^[17]

Anyone who is not a moron wanna tell us who was President on December 2nd, 1992?