Pay rate considered below poverty level in NY state in 2007:
1 person family - $10/hour - full time.
2 person family - $13/hour - full time.
(As reported by my employer at the time)
Pay rate that I received
while working in NY state in 2007, supporting myself and my wife at the same time:
$10/hour - avg 38 hours/wk.
Net pay:$240/wk.
We were fine, we had TV, Internet, Cell phone, groceries, several game systems, 6 computers (1 was an IBM cancer research unit, so 5 Computers), and we both smoked about a pack a day, and not "cheap" cigarettes either. I smoked Winstons, she smoked Marlboros.
"They" call this living above our means... I call it living comfortably on less money than most other people. How did I do it? You'll figure it out
Through all that, we still managed to save about $1000 or so to move back to PA, and in NY state, I'd spent about 4 months on unemployment making $180/wk.
And - I use credit cards daily.. But I'm not in debt. It's called not buying things you can't afford RIGHT NOW. I use a credit card when it's convenient.. and I actually make more than it costs me. Pay off your credit card every month, with money that sits in a savings account accruing interest. On top of interest gained for 30 days of money you didn't have to touch, you get points on your credit card, which are worth something. All b/c you learned the "loophole" in the system. Responsibility has more to do with debt than "the machine"... at least lack thereof.
I don't attempt to disprove what you say here, I just add that it's not necessary to give up everything to be "free". Capitalism works for some, and not for others, obviously, but as long as it's here, we might as well do everything we can to make it work for us, and take advantage of what it offers.