# Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Cannot Afford to Move to Washington **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263 "2018-11-09T21:47:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/301 "2018-11-14T21:21:27Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > That link seems like it requires reading. I’m only aware of things that vacuous blond women have read to me thru my TV. I get my news from un-sourced YouTube videos with titles that start with “Libs are destroyed by this argument!!!11!!” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/302 "2018-11-14T21:22:55Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’m baffled by AOC or the reasoning attributed to her. This is like someone who just won a lottery jackpot griping over how to make ends meet and pay the bills between now and the time the check actually is cashed. It’s an utterly tiny problem in the matter of things. > > Granted, $174k isn’t a hundred million bucks, but it makes the financial cost of the interim almost inconsequential. Just get a loan and pay it all off in a short time. Or, if the credit card limit is high enough, put all expenses on the credit card, then pay it all off in a few months, too. Is there some other interview where she breaks down crying over her poorness and lack of ability to get an apartment? Are we all reading the same interview? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/303 "2018-11-14T21:27:46Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Or, if the credit card limit is high enough, put all expenses on the credit card, then pay it all off in a few months, too. I’ve heard this “helpful suggestion” several times. Do you pay your rent by credit card, or do you know someone who does? I have had a mortgage for many years now, so I’m not aware if paying rent by MasterCard is now a “thing.” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/304 "2018-11-14T21:36:36Z")
I wish I could pay my mortgage by credit card, just to get the miles. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/305 "2018-11-14T21:37:00Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Just get a loan and pay it all off in a short time. Or, if the credit card limit is high enough, put all expenses on the credit card, then pay it all off in a few months, too. Not everyone can “just get a loan”, or even get a credit card. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/306 "2018-11-14T21:49:16Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’m baffled by AOC or the reasoning attributed to her. This is like someone who just won a lottery jackpot griping over how to make ends meet and pay the bills between now and the time the check actually is cashed. It’s an utterly tiny problem in the matter of things. > > Granted, $174k isn’t a hundred million bucks, but it makes the financial cost of the interim almost inconsequential. Just get a loan and pay it all off in a short time. Or, if the credit card limit is high enough, put all expenses on the credit card, then pay it all off in a few months, too. One sentence. One sentence in one interview. You people make it sound like it’s all she talks about. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/307 "2018-11-14T23:32:26Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Yes, what I said is quite different from what you posted. My posts have to do with the topic of the thread; yours are a _non sequitur_. There are not enough LOLs here. “What \* posted” was the entirety of the content on which this thread is based. Everyone who read the OP, clicked through, and read the interview knows this. Nobody can make you read about the topic before posting, but by all means keep calling a direct quote of the source material for the thread a _non sequitor_ if your goal is to make the socialists look like the clever ones here. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/308 "2018-11-14T23:44:39Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I’ve heard this “helpful suggestion” several times. Do you pay your rent by credit card, or do you know someone who does? I have had a mortgage for many years now, so I’m not aware if paying rent by MasterCard is now a “thing.” It’s possible at my apartment building, but they charge you extra for the credit card processing fees. I guess for some people, it’s worth it for the miles since rents here start at $1750. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/309 "2018-11-15T22:13:00Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > There’s been a discussion for years how the congressional salary means a very different thing to a politician from a low cost of living area compared to a politician from a high cost of living area. Your member of Congress could rent an average apartment in Bridgeport for $700, while the average apartment in San Francisco costs $3,600. Obviously a salary of $174,000 means very different things to those two politicians, right? > > Personally, I don’t think this issue makes that big a difference on whether a poor person runs for office or not. A poor person has basically next to zero chance of navigating our campaign finance system to make a successful run at office. Just because you see a small number of less well-off people somehow succeed in being elected, out of the many thousands who seek such office, doesn’t mean the campaign finance system isn’t strongly tilted towards the already powerful and already wealthy. > > So let’s say you get an offer for a lucrative job in Silicon Valley. But the employer states that you are expected to show up for a couple of unpaid training days in November, even though your job and your pay does not start until January. You consider it a smart financial move to borrow money to live in Silicon Valley for the months of November and December, because **even though there’s no reason for you to spend so much time there on an unpaid basis** , you just want to pay rent in an expensive area for no particular reason, and throw some interest charges on top of that just for kicks? This is your idea of financial common sense? > > Because the people who seem to be advocating most for this woman to spend savings or go into debt in November for no particular compelling reason, on the expectation that in January that she’ll make it all up, seem to correlate with those who think that tax cuts that raise the national debt is a good idea. I’m curious if my perception is correct: that in this case, people who are advocating terrible fiscal policies for the country are also likely to advocate an unwise household budget policy. 1. Of course $174k is different depending on where you live. You would live like a king on that salary in Bridgeport, WV, but not so much in Manhattan. However, that is still an objectively impressive salary, and it is a huge step up from $25k per year, even if one was moving from West Virginia to a higher cost of living area. If anything, this salary would dissuade rich people from running for office because they could make far more than that in business. Poor people would salivate for such a salary, even if they had to go two months without any pay. 1. The job in Silicon Valley. I’m sure that if we put pen to paper, or keystrokes to an Excel spreadsheet, we would see that it would make perfect financial sense to do that. Just so we are clear, Option 1 is to remain in West Virginia and continue to make $25k per year. Option 2 is to move to Silicon Valley and take a job making $174k per year with the stipulation that I must move there immediately, but not receive any pay for the next two months? I don’t see where that is even a choice. Of course I go with Option 2 (from a strict financial perspective). Even with the increased costs of housing and the two months without pay and borrowing money and paying it back with interest, I easily come out ahead, even in the first six months. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/310 "2018-11-16T00:24:24Z")
To **UltraVires** : Is there anything at all to suggest Ocasio-Cortez will _not_ fill the seat for which she ran and was elected? Is there any evidence that she does _not_ have plans for financing her move to DC? Is there anything at all in what she has said about her anticipated move to DC that could reasonably be considered “wining”? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/311 "2018-11-16T00:55:00Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > 1. The job in Silicon Valley. I’m sure that if we put pen to paper, or keystrokes to an Excel spreadsheet, we would see that it would make perfect financial sense to do that. Just so we are clear, Option 1 is to remain in West Virginia and continue to make $25k per year. Option 2 is to move to Silicon Valley and take a job making $174k per year with the stipulation that I must move there immediately, but not receive any pay for the next two months? No, you are absolutely not clear. The options are: 1. Stay in West Virginia making whatever. 2. Move to California immediately, begin paying rent immediately, have a few days of unpaid orientation, do nothing in particular for a while, and start work (and receiving pay) in January. 3. Travel to California at your own expense only for those couple of days you are expected to be there, and plan your permanent move for closer to when you are expected to start work and drawing pay. Furthermore, you’d be totally within your rights to blow off the orientation days if you wished. The job would still be waiting for you because the job offer cannot be withdrawn. You’re making it out like every rational person would choose 2, and only an insanely stupid, reckless, and childish person would choose 3. Do you understand the actual scenario now? And would you continue to choose number 2? ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/312 "2018-11-16T05:07:10Z")
The real question is: Why is FOX spending so much time on a freshman member of congress? I don’t ever remember such attention being paid to a person that hasn’t even taken office yet. They must really be terrified of her. ---
**Author:** ![UnwittingAmericans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d9b06d/32.png) [@UnwittingAmericans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwittingAmericans)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/313 "2018-11-17T00:03:56Z")
I would like to see her stop complaining for ONE DAY. Complain, complain, complain. Victim, victim victim. Demanding apologies for tweets. She acts like Trump. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/314 "2018-11-17T00:08:40Z")
> [@UnwittingAmericans](#): > > I would like to see her stop complaining for ONE DAY. Complain, complain, complain. Victim, victim victim. Demanding apologies for tweets. She acts like Trump. Why don’t you wish Trump would stop acting that way? ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/315 "2018-11-17T03:46:18Z")
> [@UnwittingAmericans](#): > > I would like to see her stop complaining for ONE DAY. Complain, complain, complain. Victim, victim victim. Demanding apologies for tweets. She acts like Trump. Uh huh. What’s her complaint today? What was her complaint during the interview that started the OP? ---
**Author:** ![UnwittingAmericans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d9b06d/32.png) [@UnwittingAmericans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwittingAmericans)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/316 "2018-11-17T12:00:13Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Why don’t you wish Trump would stop acting that way? I wish Trump would get hit by a piece of space debris. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/317 "2018-11-17T12:35:24Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > No, you are absolutely not clear. The options are: > > 1. Stay in West Virginia making whatever. > 2. Move to California immediately, begin paying rent immediately, have a few days of unpaid orientation, do nothing in particular for a while, and start work (and receiving pay) in January. > 3. Travel to California at your own expense only for those couple of days you are expected to be there, and plan your permanent move for closer to when you are expected to start work and drawing pay. Furthermore, you’d be totally within your rights to blow off the orientation days if you wished. The job would still be waiting for you because the job offer cannot be withdrawn. > > You’re making it out like every rational person would choose 2, and only an insanely stupid, reckless, and childish person would choose 3. > > Do you understand the actual scenario now? > > And would you continue to choose number 2? Shocking. **UltraVires** hasn’t returned to the thread to answer a question that isn’t predicated on some straw man nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/318 "2018-11-17T12:46:09Z")
> [@UnwittingAmericans](#): > > I would like to see her stop complaining for ONE DAY. Complain, complain, complain. Victim, victim victim. Demanding apologies for tweets. She acts like Trump. Is she complaing for herself, or is she voicing the grievances of those she was electd to represent? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/319 "2018-11-18T02:49:07Z")
Today on Twitter she claimed that she was confused for a spouse of a House member instead of a congresswoman and sent to the spouse’s luncheon instead of the member’s luncheon, and that yesterday she was challenged by security because they thought she must be an intern or staffer. Then of course she suggested that it was because of racism and/or sexism, thereby throwing her own party under the bus. Because really, what bad things AREN’T the result of sexism and/or racism? Then she capped off her day by staging a sit-in protest in Nancy Pelosi’s office over climate change. I take back everything bad I said about her. She’s going to be hilarious. The House Democratic leadership have to be absolutely loving this… ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263/320 "2018-11-18T03:12:27Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Today on Twitter she claimed that she was confused for a spouse of a House member instead of a congresswoman and sent to the spouse’s luncheon instead of the member’s luncheon, and that yesterday she was challenged by security because they thought she must be an intern or staffer. > > Then of course she suggested that it was because of racism and/or sexism, thereby throwing her own party under the bus. Because really, what bad things AREN’T the result of sexism and/or racism? > > Then she capped off her day by staging a sit-in protest in Nancy Pelosi’s office over climate change. > > I take back everything bad I said about her. She’s going to be hilarious. The House Democratic leadership have to be absolutely loving this… …hey Sam, would you care to quote what Ocasio-Cortez actually said? Not that I don’t trust your paraphrase: but I actually follow Ocasio-Cortez on twitter, I think I read the tweet in question and what she said and what you claimed she said don’t seem to match. As for the protest: again, can you link? Because the way you characterize it (staged a sit-in) and what I recall actually happened (joined some of the protesters for an hour) don’t match up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cannot-afford-to-move-to-washington/824263.md?page=17)