That's the part that frustrates me when talking listening to people talking about taxing "the rich". They don't get it. They tax increases really only affect their neighbors. People they see on a daily basis, people who dwell in the cellar, people who work hard for a living... people who don't pay attorneys and accountants tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to take care of the issue. For every rich tax and redistribute plan created there is a new trust or entity created to beat that tax for the truly wealthy. The truly wealthy pay an astronomical sum in terms of dollars, but little in actual percentage because they have attorneys to take care of that. Bill down the street who busted his ass to build a successful small business and has finally cracked into six figures is the one who gets screwed so someone can feel good about taxing the rich.

"The Rich" includes anyone who makes more than me. Screw em.

I think "the rich" describes those who make more than $500,000 per year and "the wealthy" describes those who make more than 50 million per year. I loved it when Chris Rock described the difference between the rich and the wealthy. He said if Bill Gates woke up with Oprah Winfrey's money, he'd jump out the window of a tall skyscraper and slash his own throat on the way down.

What if they only make that amount one year? two?

Here here....

They could be wealthy now and rich later, or rich now and middle-class later. During the one or two years they are making that kind of money, they are rich or wealthy as the case may be. When they stop making that kind of money, they no longer qualify.

I'm pretty sure median income (per household) in the US hovers just under $50000/year. Anyone making six figures is fairly rich.

bullshit. $100,000 does NOT make one rich or even "fairly rich". It makes them someone who probably busts there ass to provide for their family just like you do. They've just chosen a field that pays better.

Anyone who makes more than twice what I make is rich. The exact dollar amount will change as my income changes.

Edit: I forgot this: ;)

fair enough. as long as i get to use the same measurement. ;)


seriously though, that is the problem with picking dollar amounts and attaching tags to them. it is completely subjective. When I was in the military the idea of making what a colonel does made my mouth water. Now I'd be scrambling trying to figure out how to stay afloat. Is someone earning a colonel's wage rich or poor? It all depends on where you are standing.

Well, I know from Mr. Carlin that anyone who drives slower than me is an idiot, but anyone who goes faster than me is a maniac.

Agreed. We don't make six figures, but if we did, we certainly wouldn't be swimming a la scrooge mcduck. We would probably get caught up on some of our bills, though.

UMMMMMMMmmmmmmm.....

Fucking A.

On the same note, so people who make early and calculated decisions about life goals and plans and then see them through to positive results should be penalized because we busted our asses and went to 3 or 4 or 10 years of school after a 4 year college degree should be paying for those who did not?

Yea, "Kiss my ass" floats to the top of that line of thinking rather quickly.

Bull shit.

Please to share what you have done to earn your $50000 a year.

And then explain to us why the rest of the world who makes more than you should pay for your happy ass to do anything? "I am all ears."

No, what they have is more disposable income than you and more likely than not, more bills, a higher standard of living, and the ability to have more choices in life. But yea, they are not rich.

Reminds me of a tree full of monkeys

Everyone at the top looks down at nothing but smiling faces of other monkeys.

Everyone at the bottom looks up and sees nothing but a bunch of assholes.

Sucks to be on the bottom. You get nothing but shit from the top. But hey, no one says you can't sacrifice, bite, scrape, and jockey for a better position in the tree. The only thing holding you back is yourself.

Rock on monkey.