It is very likely that yes, he would in fact be happier with an extra 20k a year.

You don't know he'd have a new mustang; that's just you projecting. He might put the extra 20k a year into savings for his kid's education - I know that feeling like I'm setting my kids up for future success makes me happy.

Supposedly, based on some studies.

Individual happiness and being a good parent (which contributes to breaking the cycle) don't necessarily intersect as much as you think, or at least it's based on the individual.

Some people's happiness is only marginally related to how well their kids are doing (as evident by rise in single-parent households), so the 20k may contribute essentially 0 to the long term solution.

> You don't know he'd have a new mustang; that's just you projecting.

If I don't know, then you don't know either. You're taking the other good extreme and presenting is at fact. The reality is somewhere in the middle.

Is that what you're saying?

Kill Alex's parents, and rape them as a child, addict them to meth, and 20k wont fix that.

This article and data is in desperate need of a Analysis of variance for the different factors.

Sometimes it is one beer and cigarette to the next, sometimes it's one sailboat and handbag to the next.

It's funny how Americans love to brag about how they have the freedom to do whatever and pay less tax, but then turn around and treat their poor like fools if they live in any way that doesn't resemble soviet-era russia.

This is the same thing boomers do when they tell millennials to stop eating avocado toast to pay their school loans.

Yes.

> It's funny how Americans love to brag about how they have the freedom to do whatever and pay less tax, but then turn around and treat their poor like fools if they live in any way that doesn't resemble soviet-era russia.

You have things quite backwards, the stereotype of USSR and it's successor is large amounts of vodka and mindlessly wrestling bears. The USA added an amendment to their constitution banning the sale of alcohol and took a while to get repealed.

> This is the same thing boomers do when they tell millennials to stop eating avocado toast to pay their school loans.

I think citing internet memes is not a good plan.

also lines for bread and austerity, that's what I mean

> I think citing internet memes is not a good plan.

while that example is memified, this is still a commonly held belief that I see reiterated almost daily (of course they're poor, they're buying iPhones! for example)

The companies are certainly happy to take your money, regardless of how hard it will be to pay back.