Comments on: Ten Pieces of Inspiration #46

By: JuliB

JuliB — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:05:27 +0000

We do have invisible food lines – it’s called SNAP/EBT.

By: Evita

Evita — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Jessi’s pretty purple dress is a dead ringer for something that I wore in the eighties. Quite frankly, it does not incite me to shop in thrift stores. I want current clothes, not a dated look!

By: kc

kc — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:14:13 +0000

deRuiter,

My point is that not everyone in this country is “pretty well off.” If you don’t like the 46M figure, consider that 20M people in the U.S. live in “deep poverty” – their annual income ~$11K or less. I imagine they don’t feel they’re “pretty well off” – even if they are receiving welfare.

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:05:11 +0000

Looking at old photographs with kids and letting them formulate questions about the photos teaches them so much. I had to wonder if the photographer of the child with clams was along the same lines as Lewis Hines, who did so much to document the lives of working children. Clicking on the photo and doing some research on the photographer leads me to wonder if this was a promotional photo for the western coast.
After recently spending time with my daughter in a Goodwill store where I purchased several blouses that I would never have paid the bucks for when they were new and that have garnered me many compliments, I especially enjoyed Jessi Arrington’s presentation. I wish I had the guts to wear her clothing combinations, because they are definitely fun.
The lines at the soup kitchens these days are not so long because of the social programs that DeReuter decries. The growing numbers of children in poverty is rapidly growing and childhood obesity in this day and age is a symptom of that.

By: Kittie

Kittie — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:28:26 +0000

This series is one of my favorites. You always show me something moving and help me think out of the box. Thank you.

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:19:11 +0000

10. Jessi Arrington on buying pre owed was fabulous. She left out other benefits, 1. getting finer quality than buying cheap new stuff, 2. contributing to a better balance of trade for America by not sending money for cheap new goods to our Chinese enemies.

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:17:01 +0000

#2 KC, The figure 46 million is BEFORE figuring in the billions of welfare payments, section 8, WIC, Aid to dependent children, food stamps, and myriads of other ways our government redistributes money earned by workers. The figure of 46 million is used to justify taking more from the productive and giving more to the non productive. When the hoardes of giveaway government programs give all the aid to those in the poverty class, the figures are radically different, few live on the amount which denotes “poverty” when cushioned by government giveaways of taxpayer dollars. Also most American poor have cars, houses or apartments larger than the workers in Europe, washing machines, dryers, flatscreen color TVs, VCRs, Playstations, loads of toys. I see the Welfare mothers with their free cellphones plus their good cellphones, and their fancy salon done artificial finger nails with fancy paint jobs, and my heart DOESN’T bleed for America’s so called “poverty class.” America’s biggest problem isn’t hunger, look at Americans, the worst problem is most of America is overweight or obese.

By: David

David — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:21:09 +0000

He isn’t looking up anything. He has his eyes tightly closed in pain, because the man is standing on his tail.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:34:45 +0000

College towns can be great sources for thrift stores, Goodwill, & Salvation Army. I’ve noticed the larger the college (30,000) the better the selection. When my girls come home to visit, we never go shopping at the mall, we head to the thrift stores in the big college town.

By: chuck

chuck — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:17:35 +0000

whats that cat looking at. i got a much different reaction from that pic then you.

By: Elysian

Elysian — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:51:04 +0000

Even if you buy everything at thrift stores, buying a new clothes every week and donating them will get expensive. I get the point, but there’s something to be said for having a few good pieces that you wear out, too. Also, I would be fired if I wore that stuff to work.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:04:02 +0000

Why is Bobby the Cat looking up that woman’s skirt?

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Underfunded soup kitchens, at that.

By: Steven

Steven — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:06:25 +0000

Definitely wearing the rose-colored glasses on this post.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:42:48 +0000

Also, throughout the 2000′s, weren’t the experts going on about how it was OK that people didn’t have any money in the bank, because they had plenty of wealth in the form of their home equity? Those people had their life savings vanish too.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:38:11 +0000

I am pretty sure we still have soup kitchens today. Make of that what you will.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:33:34 +0000

I enjoyed the TED video, and appreciate the reminder that one should relax into being oneself and quit trying to fit in (if fitting in doesn’t match your personality). And I may just have to start searching for a pair of red pants!

If I lived in Palm Springs or another large city or area with a lot of wealthy people, I’d probably do most of my shopping at thrift stores too. However, our small town is located in the poorest county in the state, so thrift stores are rare, and the major ones (Salv. Army, Goodwill) are full of wellworn used clothes from big box stores. It takes a LOT of time to dig through to the few decent items, and virtually impossible to find any one specific kind of item one might need at the time. There are times I’m up to the treasure hunt, but more often, not, since I have enough of a wardrobe that I’m usually trying to fill a specific hole in it, not just add something interesting.

By: kc

kc — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:34:56 +0000

“We are all really pretty well off.”

That’s an awfully broad statement. According the U.S. Census Bureau, 46 million Americans are living in poverty (this per the report issued in September of this year).

By: NMPatricia

NMPatricia — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:34:08 +0000

When you talk about discussing either a picture or an idea, are you talking with just your kids, or how do you have this conversation with peers?