Is 50 percent of America lazy?

Question

I keep hearing from conservatives that poor people are lazy and just "don't want to work"...

but most poor people clearly do work when we have such a low unemployment rate, yet so many are near poverty... the mean earnings a year is around $24,000 (according to the census last time I looked) and that's pretty much pay check to pay check... which is pretty much poor... and are pretty much one inccident away from poverty... that's 50 percent that earn at or less than $24,000...

shouldn't over 50 percent of America be making hundreds of thousands of dollars living the American dream? or are just that many lazy?

do we have a lazy majority?

Answer 1

Yeah, their against the minimum wage. Since some people bust their butt earning minimum wage, they are poor and lazy. I know what your saying.

Answer 2

Middle American does not seem to exist anymore, you are either making three figures, most politicians, Government, lawyers,
Doctors and "professional" people bringing in the big bucks, then we spend money to secure the safety of any politician and his or her family. Taxes pay for all this. We in the working force are
not lazy we are just not as well endowed as some. And I am sure that we have more than our fair share of the free-loading,
lazy. Each generation seems to get more from their parents and will work less for what they do get. We have a spoiled rotten society. But even having said all that this is still the best place in the world to live.

Answer 3

There is a difference between working hard and working smart. As a conservative I was taught to respect anyone who works for a living whether its the CEO or the janitor. Most peoples incomes, not all, but most are based on decisions they made when they were 13 & 14 years old. Those who chose to study hard, get good grades and obtain higher education went on to become successful, those who didn't found themselves working as you describe.

I happen to be both ends of that spectrum. I flunked (Drunked) out of college the first time. for 15 years I worked as a shoe salesman a convenience store clerk a waiter a car salesman a telemarketer a night auditor in hotels a cook for Pizza hut a construction worker. After fifteen years I went back to school and got my degree. Once I learned that low wage earners are not necessarily lazy, it is simply that they don't want to do the things it takes to succeed! PS I was married and had one child before I earned my degree and did it without student loans or government assistance. It can be done. It is based on the individual desire to do it.

Answer 4

No ! I think American people are in general workaholics. There are a lot of men and women that are lazy and do want to live off of the state but some of those people would do better if they were motivated. We as people have been taught to work for what you get, it just seems like we need to help those that are in a rut and can't see there way out . I don't mind helping a person to better there lives and get them to see with work you can have what you need. And some of those people were born to rich parents who never learned to work for what they need.

Answer 5

Most of them don't work, and the ones that do are lazy because they didn't go to college in order to get a proper job. A lot of them probably didn't even finish high school. If they had gone to college and gotten a degree, they could have gotten a higher paying job. Most of these people don't care though because they know the government will always be there to take care of them.

Answer 6

We have an entitled majority. Americans have lost their work ethic and expect the government to provide them what they want. In the free markets, someone earns things. In the world of government, those who earn it have it stolen from then and the government gives it to those who it sees fit.

I do not think all poor are lazy. I do see a lot of inner city people who are lazy and undisciplined and want something for nothing.

I see a lot of poor people who do not manage their money well. There are a lot of people who make $100K and are broke just as those who make $10 an hour.

Answer 7

it might not be the first generation that is the problem, if a person is lazy in school then they don't get a good job, then they have kids that are lazy and can't go to collage because of the financial situation at home. the kids don't know anything different. i think that definitely people are lazy but not intentionally.

Answer 8

I make below $24k and that i'm faraway from lazy. i'd like to carry close uncomplicated procedures to make the correlation between earning $24k or a lot less to being lazy. that's illogical at staggering. Many, many human beings artwork their tails off each and daily and yet do not make over $24,000 each year. Lazy? i imagine not.

Answer 9

Actually, the human being is inherently lazy. That is a part of our being to do as little work for the maximum amount of return as possible.

Answer 10

I'd actually work for living if getting a job wasnt so damned difficult. I'd actually work to advance myself if the cost of living was not so high and I was not working so many hours when I am working. Its difficult to get a degree when I am exausted.