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Subscribe to RSSIn the latest installment of the Emmy award-winning “America Now” series, Lester Holt takes a revealing and emotional look at suburban poverty in America. Dateline cameras roll as three formerly middle-class families confront poverty for the first time.
Lester Holt reports "American Now: Lost in Suburbia" at 8pm/7c on Sunday, June 24th.
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FINALLY! The economic crisis is hitting suburbia...maybe now those folks who HAD it so good will know what life has been like for the REST of us!
Sell your SUV! Then you could use that money to buy food. SELL your SUV!
HA! Great point!
I agree with you Suz. Diane, the blond woman with the SUV drove me crazy last night. Her SUV makes her feel important and successful, yet the car payments were dragging her family down. Her family is going to food banks, and society is paying her rent, but darn it, she won't sell that car.
And how about her refusal to look for any job than an executive HR position. Take any job lady. You need to feed your children. Oh no wait, society is feeding your kids. They should all live in that darn car!!!
Oh, and stop highlighting your hair! People feel so entitled!
Middle Americans learning to live like the rest of us!
I think that this show was a real eye opener for those in Suburbia as now they can see how the real world lives every day and well i kinda think that they should have to walk in our shoes and not think thaat oh what am i gonna do and i agree ssell the suv and get a cheaper car and who gets a 2000 dollar unemployment check? spoiled little rich people boo hoo
I can respect the tone of your argument to a point... But once you lower yourself to putting down her them or whom ever, then in that moment you have become the elitist minded thinker even though you are not,that got us all in this predicament in the 1st place.Nothing wrong with her wanting to hold on a little longer to some of what she had I'm sure with a little more struggle they will downsize the big SUV and she'll get that job if she can find 1 at all by then... WHITE PEOPLE listen up! Let me give you what you don't want to here. YOU have been a party to the destruction of the United States.With your blinders of inequality,separatism and bigotry.The lack of discipline that you have implemented into ever aspect of our lives through your wife's butting in to our homes,our sports and our school systems.All of that has produced generations of self rycious leaders who have been out sourcing shutting down unions, creating right to work states, the banking scandals the housing crisis and every @!$%#ed up thing that's going on in this country these are YOUR husbands,wife's, children and grand children FOR THE MOST PART bringing this country down.IT'S THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT FEEL IT ? FEEL IT ? And what do you do about it...nothing, you continue to put your heads in the sand and try to blame the 1 black man that's been trying to help as best he can.Well white people...white people don't care about YOU anymore so you better wake up wile you still have any power left and real in your dysfunctional relatives b4 we're all domed from there GREEEEED !
Phillip, after watching the Dateline episode I felt the reporters failed on one important issue ~ "Who did you vvote for in 2000, 2004 and 2008?" And just as importantly, "Who do you plan on voting for in 2012?".
My suspicion is that most of the people profiled voted for Bush and McCain, and plan on voting for Romney ~ true suburban Republicans. They all believe in the failed theory of trickle down economics which has only created greater disparity between the wealthy and the middle class. Why have we lost somany jobs and why have wages failed to go up? Simple answer is greed. The wealthiest people in America don't care about the rest of us. Instead of hiring people and paying people a living wage, they have hoarded the tax savings given to them by the Republicans.
And what are the Republicans selling us again ~ more of the same. Go ahead suburbanites ~ vote for Romney and just wait and see where this country ends up ~ the poor house!
I grew up poor and never wanted to be poor so I struggled working and going to school at the same time. I do not live in Suburbia. But worked hard through illnesses and other challenges not to be poor. Yes, I was a middle class citizen until I lost my job 3 years ago. I had to use all my savings and IRA money and now there is no public housing for single people living in the metropolitan NYC area. I'm in poor health so I need the Medicaid but Welfare only pays $215 of my rent per month. It is appalling that after paying city, state and federal taxes for over 30 years, single people like me will be tossed out in the street. We are living in th United States of America, supposedly the "best" country in the world but where is the government now to help me and all the other hard working individuals. American citizens should not be forced to live in the streets when they are close to retirement because most jobs have been outsourced to Asia. I do expect my country to work for me instead of against me for the simple fact that I PAID CITY, STATE AND FEDERAL TAXES FOR OVER 30 YEARS. I should not have to lose all that I have now because the best brains in the world cannot find the means to help its people. I am living in the United States of America.
I am disappointed in Lester Holt's reporting in this instance. I am sure that there are a lot of people in this country that are in need but of the 3 families highlighted I only saw one lady who was actually willing and trying to overcome her financial problem. My wife and I have both suffered layoffs from management positions in the past but unlike two of the families in these stories we did what was necessary to overcome these situations. One woman said, "He needs to find a job!"; when I lost my job my wife went to work to help out. The other lady was not willing to accept a lesser paying position but blamed her husband for not making enough, at least he was working. Get a job, any job; I accepted a position at $40K less than my previous job but I too was working and ultimately regained the position and income I previously had. JUST GET TO WORK!
I was very disappointed with Lester Holts story. Two of the three people reported on primarily had self inflicted wounds. The one lady, as the counselor stated, was a snob not willing to take a job that she felt was beneath her. One of the other women said, "He needs to find a job!" when in fact she looked more than capable of working to help out. Neither of these ladies deserved the air time they were given. Sell the Armada, get off your butt and get a job, any job to start.
Mr. Crockett,
One should avoid accepting advice from someone like you, who, has truly lost his mind.
I live in suburbia and have enjoyed many of the comforts of that lifestyle i worked many years to attain. I understand and believe the problem is exactly what people will not deal with. i know many people that have lost jobs, used up savings and depleted retirment accounts. Only in the end to have to sell thier house, explain it to thier families and ruin thier future. For what!! because you didn't want the neighbors to know you couldn't make your mortgage payment? Who cares!! I know I argue with my wife all the time about making sure we have no debt and securing ourselves against me losing my job, which is our primary income. She still seems to think that she need a bigger car, we need to take another vacation, and credit card debt is something that just is. Americans don't have to live this way! You can have a smaller house, a cheaper car, and work for what someone is willing to pay you. There's no shame in working!! I wish my nieghbors and friend would wake up!
Stop blaming our Leaders for the decisions that you are too cowardly to make!! You are the idiot in charge of your own destiny!! If gas prices are up, trade in for smaller car. If home prices are crap then sell, and rent something cheaper. If you can't sell, rent what you own, and rent somewhere else. American's can figure it out, just stop telling yourself what you have to "have" to be happy. WAKE UP!!
You have no idea. It's not about not trying. It's not about overspending. It's not about not taking a job that you qualified for out of high school. It's not about being "cowardly," or not trying. You have no clue. This place has turned into something pretty ugly. Many folks would sell if they could, would rent if they could, have no credit left as it was taken through extended job loss, family illness, elder care, have small children, have sold their car and are driving around in a beater, the food pantries are empty. They put on a brave face and hope that the next interview, if they get one, will hold. They used up their 401K, they used up their retirement, they have no money left for their kids, they weren't spendthrifts, they weren't stupid, they aren't not trying. I can't even bear to read these anymore.
Yes, people who criticize others haven't experienced hardships. I was annoyed that the folks in the program complained they had to rely on foodstamps and medicaid, because I would have been grateful for medicaid in 2006/2007. Instead I had huge medical bills totallying over 50,000 and my business was going under. I couldn't get any charity at all because in 2005 I had made better money, but now I am back on my feet. The lady who had medicaid for her son just complained about it, but that insurance is not easy to get, and she should be grateful. I was fortunate enought to find a job, but had to sell my house at a loss and leave my home state. I did not have the luxury of a husband to support me or to yell at to get a job, wish I had someone to walk through those trying times with, but I was alone, trying to raise two kids. Still, people even in suburbia are struggling, trying to keep a roof over their heads, so I even though I was annoyed at the program, I still don't like to judge what others are going through.
There are some good points here, but wanting people to suffer poverty isn't one of them. Obviously everybody has their own ideas about where the economy went wrong. The only problem is, they just want to cast blame, not try and fix it. In the words of George Burns, "It's too bad that all the people who know how to run this country are too busy running taxi cabs and cutting hair."
I wished to slap some of those women while I was watching it.... disgusting for having to use food stamps but buying "sodas and pretzels" at Costco? Sounds like you still far way from REALITY.
The other one blaming on her husband lack of ambition while she became a professional job seeker... she want the ceo position as everyone else ... get something and keep pursuing your dream but while WORKING.