The Trailer Park: The Shocking Reality

Yours Truly | September 19, 2003 | Yours Truly

[wimpycat]

Shoot, there's a golfing community on Hwy 17 between Jacksonville and Wilmington that is comprised of nothing but trailers. Double-wides, of course.

[Dec31,1999]

Yeah, it's harsh, but cable is required for being poor and trashy in America.

The poor can be without retirement plans, education, teeth, and health insurance, but they MUST have HBO's debauchery. It's scarey.

[A CA Guy]

They can own that compared to renting though.

[freedox]

The EBT cards that I have seen are designed like an American flag and are easily distinguished from other credit cards.

[Dec31,1999]

Not everyone who lives in trailer parks can be considered poor! For one, they're a lot easier to take care of. And a lot of folks live in them as an alternative to being poor. No tax deduction, though. At least on the rent.

[netmilsmom]

And she bought steak and Chicken Voila while I'm eating tuna and burger.

[steve86]

I walk out of the grocery store and see the woman getting into a brand new car...

I don't doubt that you saw that, but in my state they aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who fradulently apply for benefits (including not declaring income or assets). This includes stake-outs and neighbor interviews (the last part seems kind of over the top). I understand that these things vary alot from state to state. There will be abusers who get away with things in any state.

In my own city, a welfare office exists on a busy corner and I have observed the parking lot. I would not say it looks like a new car lot; more like the seediest used car lot in town. The employee cars, however, parked on one side are in noticeably better condition but still not extravagant.

The EBT cards were implemented to reduce fraud and improve accountbility. But with the assistance of a corrupt store employee various kinds of theft and kickbacks can be arranged (there was a thread on that earlier today). I don't know about the cell phone; a mobile phone is really a necessity nowadays with kids, etc. I am a cheapskate and pay only $8/month for service on my Tracfone mostly for emergencies. Now unlimited plans or digital cable are another thing.

[Gamecock]

Funny, I can't see any well nourished kids here...

[steve86]

Not everyone who lives in trailer parks can be considered poor!

Yes, people would be surprised at the net worth of some mobile home occupants, especially retired. The type of people with little or no debt and no desire to show off their wealth.

[yarddog]

First of all, I have absolutely no problem with the elderly or diabled using food stamps, in fact I am glad they have them.

What frosts me tho is seeing young very affluent ones using them. I will never forget the time I was in line behind a couple in Norfolk, VA. They were Black but just had the look of wealth. They bought over two hundred dollars worth of meat and paid for it with food stamps.

I followed them out and noticed they got into a new Alfa Romeo sports car.

[wimpycat]

The trailers they make these days are nice. But they'll still go up like dry grass if they catch fire. And they are tornado magnets. But other than that, they're OK. Some people live in them for decades and have beautiful yards.

[Dec31,1999]

But you will be rich one day and she will not. The poor waste their money, which is why they're poor! I can understand the resentment, though.

[yarddog]

Several years ago I saw an article in the Dothan Eagle newspaper about a trailer park in Daleville, Alabama.

It turned out that Dan Quayle, George Bush, and Al Gore had all lived in that park. I at first thought it was some kind of joke but it was true.

[wimpycat]

"A mobile home owner in the Camp Ocean Forest Park in Emerald Isle left a rundown of the Emerald Isle’s hurricane past before evacuating the town in advance of Hurricane Isabel." (From the Jacksonville Daily News)

[steve86]

people would be surprised at the net worth of some mobile home occupants, especially retired. The type of people with little or no debt and no desire to show off their wealth.

(replying to my own post) The only way you'd know with some of them is the expensive vacations they take. Spending more on the trip than the mobile home is worth. And second homes down south are not unusual.

[Dec31,1999]

When NYC began its "workfare" program, the welfare roles dropped about 50%! When people had to show up for work, they couldn't be in two places at once! Check out how Giuliani did it.

Then pressure your elected elite to implement the same strategies. Of course, you'll have to find someone who cares.... Good Luck. (Maybe YOU could run, if you don't have too many skeletons in your closet, or an especially thick skin...)

[PleaseNoMore]

LOL. I love their "humor". I wonder if the trailor made it through Isabel?

[annyokie]

The children are well fed and well clothed. They have a 5 year old car.

So what? Maybe their circumstances changed drastically in the last year. My kids are eligable for free lunches due to my changed economic circumstances.

[LaMudBug]

You usually do not see kids at all in an auto junk yard, in South Carolina or anywhere else. What message were you trying to convey with this posting?

Auto junk yards can be found in every county in the United States. Would be nice if they weren't there, but they are. Reality...

[PleaseNoMore]

Yes, they are tornado magnets. As soon as I found out I was pregnant we moved into my mom and dad's rental house until ours was built. I am really glad that I did considering the "old neighborhood" now.