Comment by alnayyir | Hacker News Reader

Comment by alnayyir | Hacker News Reader

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Neither is personal finance, and this has more to do with that than policy.

The point that people should be taking away for their personal use is not to leap into home ownership without seriously considering their circumstances and rationale for doing so.

Saying anything about programming tends to cause more fractious conversations than musing on economics.

I care only what HN thinks about the subject in this case anyway. If an off-topic HN existed, I'd leap to it.

A lot of what this community is about is seeking an approach to managing their lives and goals in a way that may not be popular.

Like running their own business/startup.

This is just another side to the same coin, about reconsidering home ownership from a different point of view.

Both have an impact on your career and finances.

I chose to focus on poverty because I needed a way to drive the point home.

I'd be happy to accept editorial recommendations.

Edit: This highly political thread seems to be doing just fine. http://hackerne.ws/item?id=2039503

It's difficult for me to summarize all of my opinions into something more concise for this page.

Businesses tend to shun poor people, while businesses that cater to poor people are usually out to screw them as well. (payday lenders, banks that nickel and dime - especially if you are low on savings)

Some poor people could be in better positions if they had more time to pursue better opportunities, but they cannot, as they are working 2-3 jobs just to make ends meet (at least this is the case, one of my friends claims).. and I happen to know this person spends way too much on clothing - more than I do, not to mention my rent is 1/3rd of theirs.

I do fine, I live way below my means, I'm happy, I don't need fancy labels or a top neighborhood, which this person has all of.

I'm not saying all poor are the same in that regard. Some just really I don't know how they can escape their position.

Also I could easily own a home but I choose not to because I like my freedom. Right now I can move anywhere in the country, I can quit my job if I want to, etc.. I remember looking at homes this past spring and the idea of having a commitment or being in a vulnerable position (if I lose my job or get really sick I'm SCREWED) just did not appeal to me at ALL. How anyone does this is beyond me.

The last paragraph of what you said tells me you already figured out what I was expressing in the post.

There are myriad reasons people may be poor. Some are circumstantial and should be considered with compassion, some are banal and essentially due to character flaws (such as silly spending).

I too live below my means (my income to rent ratio is ~220x, per NYC-style measurement) and will be leaving the country for an extended trip come Jan 7. I can only do this because I was aggressively saving my money and have very low expenses.

What about Wal-Mart? It hires the poor and caters to them as well.

You escape poverty by working your ass off and being extremely smart with your money. This is why rags to riches stories are so endearing because they are so exceptional. The difficulty with escaping poverty is not going to mc donalds when you have a little extra and want to treat yourself. It's buying one thing in bulk instead of a variety of foods. Its saving all that money and then buying one really nice piece of clothing so that people think you have money.

Basically it's all the tricks you need to know in life. My advice, ask any Japanese American / Canadian who lived during ww2 who was stripped of their assets and interned and then built all that back in the next decade.

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