I would not have said I was prejudiced, certainly not against people who are poor. I’ve been poor myself, and I did not see my lack of resources as being indicative of shortcomings in my character. I would not have said my low net worth was reflective of my low worth as a person.
When my financial situation improved, I continued to believe that poor people, in general, were the products of a number of misfortunes — the lack of inherited wealth, certainly, but also the circumstances of their inherited social class, their upbringing, their culture, and untold other influences. I didn’t blame the poor for their poverty. At least, I did not believe I did.
Then, in 2019, I cut my costs and income with a specific goal in mind — to qualify for an Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidy for insurance coverage. My other options, going without insurance or buying a policy for $1,000 per month, weren’t acceptable to me so I came up with what I thought then and still think was a better plan.
For most of 2019, living on less in order to qualify for free healthcare insurance was my goal. By transferring most of our earned income…
