> Are you in the US? Especially since the story is from someone living in the US?

I live in France, where gaz is more expensive, and jobs are harder to get. I traveled to the US, I got american friends. I don't think my comparison in unfair.

> You get very few job interviews if you don't have a phone or internet connection (which your phone can help you with).

As I said before, you got your friends with phones and internet connection. You can get free internet connection in many places anyway, and use phone box. But you do realize people had job before we had cellphones and internet ?

Use your social skills. We are a human society, we are supposed to help each others. You are not alone.

> Yeah, why doesn't everyone just pack up and move to a strange city with no guarantee of a job

Yes you can. It's not the big deal everybody says it is. I changed countried. I changed language. Again, it beats staying in a place you can't afford. This idea you should die where you are born is not sane.

> if you can even find one with a better transit system (if you have money for that transit system in the first place) or a bike (if you have money for a bike)

You are talking extrem case. If you can afford 2 kids but not a $20 second hand bike (i Had many), you choose a very, very difficult life. The lady here has TWO kids. You can say she didn't choose the first one, but the second ?

> or walking (if your job prospects are good enough that you can walk to your job - _if_ you can walk in the first place).

Again, extrem case. Be honest, most people in debt are not legless.

> And no, accidental kids are not a good excuse when you got condom, pills, emergency pills and eventually abvortion. My GF had an abvortion once. It was terrible. Still better than having a family in distress.

> Ignoring what happens to people that had kids before they had any problems...

Again, you chose to have kids without creating any kind of buffer in case you have problems. It should not be done. People have kids like it's the "ok thing to do when you are in your 2O'". No, it's not. We are overpopulated, times are hard. Don't make kids until you are sure you can sustain them in the next 20 years, including if you have problems. Your society don't need more kids. Kids are a luxury. I understand you want to have them, but if you do, then get in trouble, you are responsible.

> Because we don't also have a reproductive health crisis with Republicans trying to do away with abortions and very, very expensive condoms, pills, and emergency pills?

Try is the proper word here. Cause last time I check, you can get condom for free very easily in any city.

> Do you know how much that costs? The time? The actual money? Plan B is around $50.

Yes, and it's not supposed to happens often. Twice in your life, $100. If more, again, you are responsible. I think $100 on 20 years is ok.

> Pills (if they even work for you, which they don't for many women) can skyrocket even with insurance - and often they require a doctor's visit too which costs even more.

Yes, that's expensive in the US and not in france. Goes for condom.

> Condoms? Free if you can find a place that has them for free, which is the difficult part.

Difficult ? Try most universities. Done.

> Abortion? Don't even get me started on the timing and money required for that.

It happens once in a while to one out 100 persons. Provided it happens to, and you already got not enough money to pay for it, and you have nothing you can save on in the 3 month you got to deal with it (it's starting to be some kind of bad luck, but let'ts play with the idea).You got 3 months to deal with it and find the money. You got help, programs, friends, associations. It's true it's harder, but you can do it. You are responsible for it.

And again, you are picking extrem case. When I had the abvortion with my GF, she was an illegal immigrant with no job nor money and I was a broke from the mali war. We dealt with it. Stop finding excuses for everything.

> Yes, people are responsible for their debts. That doesn't mean we treat them like shit,

I don't. Saying "you are responsible for that" is not treating them like shit. Not careing is not treating them like shit. I just speak my mind about what I think of this situation. I think it's a human thing to do.

> and that doesn't mean we can't have some kind of safety net/help for them.

Indeed. Society should be organised to prevent this to happend, then help when it failed. It's not incompatible with my personnal feeling about it as an individual.

> Everyone fucks up at some point or another, or shit happens. It's just easier for more privileged people to deal with that without losing everything they have.

I think all the poeple that downvoted my were more privileged that I was.

> This may be a very American problem, but hahahaha. Have you tried going without anything but the bare minimum to pay off $xx,xxx in medical bills - if you're lucky - after negotiating it down? One single relatively minor health problem/accident - or a major one with decent insurance - might be doable. Good luck with anything else though.

Man, I had malaria in Africa without health insurance. Don't even try, you can't compare.

> My middle class father is probably currently googling to figure out how to divorce my mother because his medical bills have risen in the past year despite being on Medicare+the best supplemental insurance on the market.

How did he get that medical bill ? Accident ? Disease ? How much responsible of his health is he ? If he is not, how statistically likely his situation can apply to people in general ?but

< Chew on that. What now, staying with his caring partner of decades and leaving her, me+my partner, and future grandkids an inheritance that isn't in the negatives is a privilege now? We as a society won't be better off continuing this kind of bullshit.

Quite the contrary. As long as people don't realize consomming, having kids and living the life we live is not a good bet on the future, society will be in trouble.

I'm not against helping people. I want people to take responsibility for their situtation. You are not a aids infected legless orphan in Senegal.