I dont buy the internet argument for a number of reasons. Pretty much every major big box store I go in has a computer kiosk in it near the customer service desk that says something like "career opportunities" or the like. Meaning that if you are looking for a job and cant fill it out online you can fill it out on the computer provided by the store for job ops.

Outside of that most fast food places still hand out and take paper applications.

Most small businesses dont post only online they post on radio stations and the sign in the front window.

When I hear people talk about wages and how they are too low I get a little frustrated. Labor is a product and the cost of a product is set by what the market will bear. If a wage is set too low a place will have difficulty filling the position(s). This is what kills me about people who protest against big box stores and how they take advantage of employees by paying low wages. If that job wont pay your bills you either need to review your bills OR not take the job. If you have no other job you should take it and continue looking for a better job while putting a few dollars in your pocket or paying down some of your debt.


The housing issue and rent vs. own: You pay higher or high rent for the advantage of mobility. At most it is a 12 month expense/investment whereas a house can be a 10-30 year expense/investment. Not everyone should be a homeowner. If you dont know if you will have a job in a year you shouldnt be buying a house unless you can pay cash and have a surplus.

I hear a lot of responses saying that poor people are not stupid or lazy. You can be smart and not know how to manage money, you can be motivated and make bad choices. Most people are a product of their environment. Either you are motivated to change because of your environment or you buy into the lifestyle that it is easier to get $X from the government check than it is to get $X+10% from a 30 hour/week job or that getting a job will cause you to have to pay more for rent so why bother or that $250 today is what I need and I will worry about the $300 I have to pay back next week/month then.

If it isn't by choice than what is it? If one person can make it out of poverty and another cant why is that?