You don't know me or my situation so don't speak like you do. I bargained with collections to give me the time. I paid the electric bill with promises of “If you shut it off right now, I cannot earn the money to pay the bill, but if you keep the lights on I can work hard and pay in full (soon)”.

For months I had negative money in my bank account and a court order against me (collections for a credit card I had been buying groceries on and no longer had). So that means whenever I did make any money, the instant I put the cheque into my account to cash it - it was gone. I still couldn't buy groceries even if you put a cheque for $5000 in my hand at some points.

I got by and survived. Dropped 70 pounds from not eating right, but you're right, perhaps I wasn't poor as some folks you know, so therefore my experience hasn't been my experience.

My point isn't to invalidate your experience, but to invalidate your idea that since you worked hard and made it through everyone else is able to do the exact same thing.

Regardless of all the other points brought up, what if they just have a lower than average intellect? That'll stop them in their tracks too. Regardless of anything else, it requires at least an average intelligence to be able to learn things on your own/with marginal help.

Pretending that -anyone- can do what you did is a disservice to yourself(because you are marginalizing all the hard work you put in, I read your other comment) as well as people who for whatever reason are just not capable of doing the same thing.