In sociology, we talk about social capital; the benefits of a good education, a second language, of good contacts, family connections, etc. Being born into the benefits of wealth and higher education. We rarely talk about the social capital of being born into a struggling class because its unseen by those who generally write the books on what is and isn’t social capital. There is a book entitled Nickled and Dimed, many of the things I am going to talk about came to my mind and prompted me to write a paper on the social capital struggling families use to just get by. Nickled and Dimed is about a women who goes from city to city trying to live on low wage work. She struggles to purchase food, supply herself with housing, and generally finds it hard. What this book fails to address is the social capital that struggling class people possess. In general struggling individual do not pass down neighborhoods with good educations or great contacts for that amazing first job but they do pass down information on how to survive in a world that is often not only unfair but hostile. The struggling class knows about the food resources which include food banks and free scavenge (fruit trees or which farms allow 3rd pickings for free or which stores give day old bread out the back door). While food banks are always conducted (please change this) when people generally are at work 12-3; most likely you know someone who is going and can barter or ask for them to also collect your food box. These networks of communications are essential to living as part of the struggling class and this book ignores these highways because the writer has no personal knowledge of how this world works. A study recently came out that said that poor people are more generous and in my experience this is true. The reason is that those who have experienced poverty or are experiencing poverty understand the struggle and are more likely to offer a hand when they can (sometimes even when they can not). When Trump won the election I was inundated with of upper-middle-class friends who were suddenly terrified of losing their health care (what health care?), losing the ability for their children to be taught art (They still had art in their schools??), and the fear that their worlds would fundamentally shift. I was wading in a world that didn’t have health care, the school didn’t have a school nurse let alone an art teacher, and they were upset about joining the ranks of those they themselves employed (except with houses and still no real danger of not eating). One middle-class friend approached me complaining about the cost of his annual healthcare premium I informed him that was more than he paid the single mother working for him annually. He was shocked, apparently, the math on that had escaped him. How easily we say we want fair wages, healthcare, and everyone to get a fair shake... yet, on the other hand, watch us not practice exactly what we preach. (A few things to clear up - (1) I am not minimizing the struggles of the poor or struggling. I am saying shit is hard but if you are lucky you pull together and do what needs to get done together. I am not saying all poor people have this network (this is my experience and that of those I interviewed. This was NOT a comprehensive study of the country). (2) I am not saying people should not vote for whoever they desire; I AM saying if you say you are for fair wage and you own a business than pony up a fair wage. I am saying when you vote you cast your vote for ALL that person expresses and must own that decision (3) I am for fair wages, healthcare, and education. I think those last two things should be a given, yes free and you can disagree with me because this is America.)