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Paycheck to Paycheck: The Rich Don’t Buy Cornflakes
Welcome to another article in the Paycheck to Paycheck series.
Hard work used to mean you could afford to live. Now it means you qualify for a GoFundMe when your car breaks down.
This series isn’t about culture wars or who’s using what pronouns. It’s about why you can’t afford to live in your own damn country.
We’re following the money, from your wallet to the pockets of landlords, healthcare execs, and Wall Street suits. Snark included. Rage warranted.
Dad grew up in the Great Depression. For him, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes weren’t just breakfast, they were the entire food group. One day, tired and hungry, Dad walked home from school to see farmers drowning pigs in a local watering hole. The mental image gave me nightmares, but it made a lasting impression on my father, who became an economist and went on to become the senior vice president of economic research at the Federal Reserve in Richmond, Virginia.
We have not come a long way, baby.
Now we live in a country where nearly half the population can’t afford cornflakes. Let me say that again, slowly: in the largest consumer market in the wealthiest nation on Earth, cereal is becoming a luxury item.
