is it true that MOST people could not come up with $ 1, 000 if they needed to? why? how, when people became so poor?

They can't come up with $1000 because they use all their income to pay for their home and their car.  It is often referred to as "living paycheck to paycheck".  All their money goes to pay all their bills and get groceries and they have very little to nothing left over.  ANYONE at ANY income level can end up being someone who lives "paycheck to paycheck" just because they take on too many high bills.  (this is one reason credit card debt is such a big issue - it is almost too easy to get a credit card - and then create a situation in which your outgoing bills use up much of your incoming money.)

Not being able to come up with $1000 has very little to do with not having a home and a car.  You can have these things and "be broke" because you are using all your income to pay for whatever it is that you have.

You can also be broke because you constantly spend any extra money you have on something else instead of saving it for emergencies.  I have a relative that has a shopping addiction and is constantly spending money on things she doesn't even need just because it was a "great sale".  (she once had 20 different comforter sets for her bed - all still in the original packaging - because she seen a really great sale and had to get them)

BTW - for some people - it might be medical expenses and medical issues that uses up all their extra income.  

under the age of 30, probably over 50% of people, Over the age of 55? not that high of a percentage, although  am sure they do exist.

Of all the years in schooling, how much time was actually provided to you by teachers, on budgeting and living within your means?

The answer for the vast majority of us is either very little or none.

This needs to be taught to us just like any other skill.

Educators say it's up to the parents to teach this, but if the parents don't budget properly, then this is exactly the type of bad habit and behaviour which is passed onto their children.

Think about how often people head off on the weekend to some location and blow 

50-80% of what they earned from the last paycheck. It's a regular occurrence and actually very sad to be so wasteful. It doesn't mean people have to become misers or boring, but personal finance should certainly be prioritised.

I have a college degree but suffered severe mental illness after a trauma. I had a good job and already had $15K in retirement after only a few years of working. I had paid off a good portion of my student debt and most of a medium amount of credit card debt (also from college). I was not married and did not have any children. 

Then I suffered from PTSD after being raped by a coworker. Because I had a relationship with that person (as a woman), I didn’t report the rape or complain to my employer, because it would have likely amounted to nothing. Not understanding my illness, I went into a downward spiral, getting fired before I could get help, then losing my insurance. I had no experience at all with getting public assistance, like counseling, so it was several years before I was finally able to do that. 

In the meantime, I lost several more jobs, having never struggled with employment in my life. By the time I got help, my mental health issues were complicated and chronic. I am no longer able to work, and my savings are long gone. Eventually, I had to default on remaining debts (still outstanding) to survive. I applied for disability but didn’t qualify. A state appointed psychologist agreed with my PTSD diagnosis, but the judge laughed at me when I recounted my rape in court. His decision read that my disorder was “not as serious as I thought it was”. 

Almost every day for 10 years, I have had intrusive suicidal thoughts. I’m lucky enough to have parents well off enough to provide extra support after state low income assistance, but that support is tentative. I dread going back to work as I know I will get fired. I am also lucky enough to get indigent health insurance through my county, because I am basically destitute. 

Even if I can hold a job, it will likely be far below my skill level and former income level. Being a woman also limits my earning power despite being unmarried and not having a second income. Thankfully, I don’t have children that would suffer secondarily because of my problems. 

Yes, I have the same car I drove when my life fell apart, because I bought a really good car and took great care of it. It’s been paid off for years, and frankly, I’d prefer it that way even if I had money. 

Many people would not be able to come up with that--but it doesn't mean they are poor. It means they have not budgeted their finances correctly to put anything in reserve. That's not necessarily poverty. 

A lot of people live on credit.  I wouldn't say it's MOST people--because I don't think it is--but it IS a lot. 

Many if not most spend more than they earn, so they borrow to get what they want right now, so same with cars they borrow to purchase or hire and same with where they live they have an expensive mortgage or pay over the top rent

Most people do not plan ahead and save.  That is called economic ignorance.

The middle class has been disappearing since the late 1990's.

Some people live beyond their means, some have low paying jobs

Because they prefer to look rich than actually be rich.