Poor people should not have smartphones, according to....

[Arenis]

Meh, depends on your scope. From a barebones point of view, anything but simple food, water and a place to stay is 'luxury'.

Smartphones are incredibly useful to have though. Direct access to other people, the internet, encyclopedia, gadgets (calculators etc), travel. It's becoming near invaluable in todays' age. In the very black and white situation that you make your residents choose between a smartphone or health insurance, you kind of make them worse off (a trademark owned by quite some republicans I might add).

But yeah, they don't need a €1000 smartphone for that tbh.

[Kuntantee]

Poor people can not get smart phones in most parts of the world anyway. They should or not is irrelevant.

[primalmatter]

I make quite a bit of money and even I don't have a smart phone...

Who wants garbage data capped Internet for 80$a month?

[judgementofantonidas]

HOw much do you think a land line cost? Hint, its not free.

Interesting. I didn't know that my employer charged me every time I use the phones at work. Regardless, if you do not have a land line in your home then you have much bigger issues than what smart phone to buy. as stated.

[Anevers]

The whole thing is rather silly. If only you had to pay $700 a every two years or so for health care...that would be amazing. I am currently covered under the ACA, I rely on it currently to be alive at this point.

One of my medications is $10 a pill that I take daily. A month's supply is $300... Thankfully it is covered by my insurance which I get through the ACA and I don't have to bankrupt myself paying for my medication so I don't expire. Any long term health care fixes need to include lowering the costs of drugs and treatments, not chastise people for buying a phone which cost wise would amount to a drop in a bucket.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Just add another panel for 2017, "You can't be poor, you've got a smart phone!"

In before someone who doesn't get it comes in and goes "Well if you can afford all of that why aren't you buying food instead!"

We also have silly people on this forum who say that if you once had money but fell on hard times, you should sell off all of your belongings.

And for extra fun:







These comics are a bit inaccurate though (and there's much more of them, they're all comedy gold), it's not the rich who actually get upset at the poor getting by on government help, it's the conservatives who worship the rich who get mad on behalf of the rich. "WHY DO YOU WANNA STEAL THEIR MONEY THROUGH TAXES! OMG!"

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As an added thought, I remember years ago, not just on this forum but others, even 10+ years ago, people were bitching that people had flip phones. My how the times change, don't they? I guess it's okay to have a flip phone now, just not a smart phone.

[Sunseeker]

I always buy my phone upfront, then I have a 30$ a month plan. More money up front if I want the latest iPhone, but better in the long term.

I don't even buy "plans" anymore. My pay-as-you-go phone was $90 (it was the average middle-phone) and I pay $45/mo for unlimited talk, text and 2gb of data.

[Kujako]

I don't even buy "plans" anymore. My pay-as-you-go phone was $90 (it was the average middle-phone) and I pay $45/mo for unlimited talk, text and 2gb of data.

Yeah, not a plan. Just 30$ a month. No contract.

[Sunseeker]

Yeah, not a plan. Just 30$ a month. No contract.

Yep, I work collections and pretty much everyone I call I do so because they didn't read/understand their contract and fucked it up and now they owe big.

[Thage]

People don't spend hundreds of dollars on smart phones, I mean some do, but largely they just get a plan that comes with a smart phone.

Regardless the cost of a smart phone over two years still couldn't pay for insurance.

This. Also, pay-as-you-go phones are a thing, too. I have a guy who works in my kitchen who came into the job broke and using a $20 Tracfone smartphone he bought data and time cards for.

[Felya]

Yes, under the Obama administration the government made you make a choice between your bills and paying a fine for not having health insurance. Or bills and having health insurance.

That's not what Obama administration did, that was reality for a lot of people. The choice between healthcare and other bills is the problem. If you want to be pejorative about it, Obama removed the ability to hit emergency rooms without paying for it. Being a spin doctor is easy, but the fact and reality is the choice you mentioned.

Under the new plan, you have a choice to keep paying all your bills and no fine. Or prioritize bills and get health insurance.

No, you don't. You are just doubling down on those whose alternative is bankruptcy and emergency rooms without insurance is most likely. Obamacare had a cost cutting measure aimed at helping those who make the least, while Trump's explicitly increases assistance to those least likely to make that choice.

Healthcare is not a choice you can determine, because it's inevitable. Just like with public schooling under Devos, if you give people the choice of waylaying something that doesn't require immediate attention, people will not prioritize it. The impact of which is detrimental to the country as a whole...

The difference being, under the previous administrations plan the government MADE you get insurance. Which made insurance premiums skyrocket because insurance companies could charge whatever they wanted. And they did.

Bullshit! Premiums were skyrocketing already and the focus on elderly paying more, should highlight the reason. If insurance could charge you what ever they want, why did so many drop from the market place? I'm not going to play the feels game, so cut that shit out.

[Jeezy911]

This real issue is less about the smartphones, but the way people in America can be put into debt that ruins lives.

[Felya]

This. Also, pay-as-you-go phones are a thing, too. I have a guy who works in my kitchen who came into the job broke and using a $20 Tracfone smartphone he bought data and time cards for.

The speaker in OP is out of touch with government programs. The poor have been getting discounts as part of lifeline program, aka Obamaphones, since 1985. The poor have this:

https://www.fcc.gov/general/lifeline...come-consumers

[Allybeboba]

That's not what Obama administration did, that was reality for a lot of people. The choice between healthcare and other bills is the problem. If you want to be pejorative about it, Obama removed the ability to hit emergency rooms without paying for it. Being a spin doctor is easy, but the fact and reality is the choice you mentioned.



No, you don't. You are just doubling down on those whose alternative is bankruptcy and emergency rooms without insurance is most likely. Obamacare had a cost cutting measure aimed at helping those who make the least, while Trump's explicitly increases assistance to those least likely to make that choice.

Healthcare is not a choice you can determine, because it's inevitable. Just like with public schooling under Devos, if you give people the choice of waylaying something that doesn't require immediate attention, people will not prioritize it. The impact of which is detrimental to the country as a whole...



Bullshit! Premiums were skyrocketing already and the focus on elderly paying more, should highlight the reason. If insurance could charge you what ever they want, why did so many drop from the market place? I'm not going to play the feels game, so cut that shit out.

That exactly what ACA did. Obama said it himself. He said people need to prioritize their bills. His quotes are a few pages back.

It is not that much different of a "choice" than people are all up in arms about now except the Republicans said smartphone instead of bills.

They dropped out because they were losing hundreds of millions of dollars. Now there is only a few left which means they practically own the all the business.

[Pickynerd]

Well he's entirely correct. An Iphone is a super expensive phone, a luxury good in other words.

I agree, sad to see people in all expensive clothing and the newest iphone, yet pay for food with ebt card.

[Allybeboba]

I agree, sad to see people in all expensive clothing and the newest iphone, yet pay for food with ebt card.

Almost like seeing that person begging on the corner and then seeing them get in a new car. Almost...

[Masark]

I agree, sad to see people in all expensive clothing and the newest iphone, yet pay for food with ebt card.

Yup, the instant one falls on hard times, they should sell everything at a loss and purchase cheap and inferior replacements that will cost them more money in the long run.

[Felya]

That exactly what ACA did. Obama said it himself. He said people need to prioritize their bills. His quotes are a few pages back.

You mean this:

“I guess what I would say is if you looked at that person’s budget and you looked at their cable bill, their telephone … cell phone bill, other things that they’re spending on, it may turn out that they just haven’t prioritized health care because right now everybody is healthy," he said.

“Nobody actually wants to spend money on health insurance until they get sick,” he added.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017...-argument.html

Did you watch the entire clip or just the Fox News quote that you posted before? Because Obama lists several programs to help the poor, prior to talking about just about exactly what I said in your quote. Those same programs that helped the poor and even the middle class afford insurance is getting stripped with Trumpcare. It's one thing to say, here are programs for those who cannot afford it versus cutting those programs, to then say even remotely the same thing.

It is not that much different of a "choice" than people are all up in arms about now except the Republicans said smartphone instead of bills.

You do know Obama said cell phones as well, in the above video? The issue is saying prioritize, when replacing a bill that strips cost cutting measures for those who need it, with an elevator deduction that benefits more to those that have the room to prioritize their healthcare.

They dropped out because they were losing hundreds of millions of dollars. Now there is only a few left which means they practically own the all the business.

Were they losing hundreds of dollars or charging what ever amount they wanted? Make up your mind in what bullshit you are spreading, can't spread both...

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I agree, sad to see people in all expensive clothing and the newest iphone, yet pay for food with ebt card.

Not as sad as using that to define the poor. At least have the dignity to stick to Reagan's welfare queen... that at least has an interesting story behind it...

[Moggie]

Alright, what about poor people buying high-end TVs and cars? Is that more appropriate? Because that's what a lot of poor people spend their money on.

Do link your source. It'll be amusing what use. But unless you're in a city with public transportation then a car is a necessity and I've not met one person who is struggling buy some luxury car. Usually they get some (approx) 10 yo beat up thing for about $2k, maybe $3k. I have heard of younger people who go out and get a 2016 $35k car when they cannot afford it but people with families and kids to feed, not so much.

Regardless, healthcare is a basic human right like majority of other first world countries realize. It should never be a decision between "do I pay this bill for that medication." Or "will I lose my job if...". There should never be that kind of unnecessary worry placed on people. They should just simply have healthcare available when/if they need it. Pretty simple concept that works for everybody. This country has possibly the most f'd up view of basic human services that it's quite embarrassing.

[Wyrt]

Republicans just need to grow their villain mustaches to twirl when speaking on TV. Everything would make more sense then.