Your annual income is a function of I.Q., motivation, luck, perseverance, parental guidance, luck, physical abilities, race, religion, opportunities presented, where you live, and a whole lot of luck. Add the fact that everyone prioritizes money and career versus family, religion, recreation, hobbies, and leisure differently than everyone else, and you've described how we all got where we are...

So, with all those variables, and with so many of those variables truly out of our control, we shouldn't use money to rate others nor to rate ourselves... but we do, don't we? And lately, we have a crowd that criticizes those that make very little money using a wide variety of derogatory terms and descriptions that I will not mention here.

Funny, though. It's the ones blaming the poor that are the disgrace.

The other funny thing? It's not the rich defending the rich. The REAL rich realize just how lucky they are and don't mind giving a fair share back to help out the country and people that helped them get what they have.

LMarcT

What LUCK are you talking about??? I made my money with hard work and INVESTMENTS in my Business and my RETIREMENT. I work 20 or so years at MINIMUM WAGE,or just above, yet saved $5-$10 per week for the tools to start my Business. Ran my Business for 28 years. Retired in 2010. Now I have an income of 63,000 per year. Most of it TAX FREE. Why TAX FREE?? I bought TAX FREE BONDS!!! Now who issues TAX FREE BONDS??? SCHOOL DISTRICTS,CITIES AND STATES!!! Do you want that INCOME for those entities to dry up???

SO MUCH FOR YOU "LUCK" STATEMENT!!!

I wouldn't speak like that if I were you. Everyone successful had some sort of LUCK at one point in their lives - it is a FACT

Do any of you understand what correlates to high income and high wealth.

High Income: College educated, dual income, works more than fifty hours per week.

High Wealth: Older, because they have spent their entire life saving, investing, paying off their houses.

Of course wealth is concentrated. Do you really think someone just out of college with student loan debt should have the same net worth as someone retiring at the end of their career. How ignorant and asinine.

Do you really believe that we should forcibly take the money from Oprah, Lebron James, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs? They are the tip top of the income and wealth pyramid. Did they not earn it? How about you spend less time worrying about a couple thousand people and focus on how do you earn a comfortable income and build up a couple million dollars of weath for yourself.

You can't get there by dropping out of high school. You can't get there by being the worst student in community college. You can't get there even by finding greater balance with you home life. For the vast majority of rich people, they have worked harder, smarter and longer than other people. Don't you remember the kids who skipped college and always had a new truck and a boat while you were suffering with a job and going to college. They peaked at 25 years old.

The OWS crowd are anarchists for big government who want the government to confiscate others labor so they don't have to work. They really think the protest is a big, stinky campout. So much fun! By and large, they are illiterate, ignorant, stinky dregs of unproductive and selfish children.

In other words, don't be a teacher, an artist, a policeman, a soldier, a minister, or a craftsman, and certainly don't waste your money on other people. Being a money-maker is the only goal worth while. And a money-maker is a taker, not giver. What a rotten prescription for a livable society!

I may be dim witted, but I have a hard time with "The OWS crowd are anarchists for big government..." I for one want a responsible government of Goldy Locks size, not to big and not to small, just right. As it stands right now the Republican-Tea-Party coalition are the ones striving for intentional anarchy by starving the government. It wouldn't be so bad if that policy was just dim witted, but it was intentional. And those that implemented it are in my eyes, saboteurs.

It is not about the rich in general. It is about those who have more money than they can spend in their lifetime yet want more anyway they can get it even if it means throwing families out in the street (Banks) who have, in some cases, lost their jobs due to circumstances beyond their control. It is about investment groups that bet on the failure of investments to make more money when the failure causes small investors to lose their life savings because they are not on the inside of trading. It is about corporations who are earning huge profits and want more to satisfy their shareholders even at the expensive of eliminating jobs which creates the above situation and a downward spiraling economy.

Regarding "Luck"...

I can only speak for myself, but denying that luck plays a part in one's success is overstating one's worth, in my opinion.

1) I was lucky enough to be born in the United States.

2) I was lucky enough to have parents that supported me in what I did and helped me get the education I needed.

3) I was lucky enough to be raised in a low crime middle class neighborhood.

4) I was lucky that peer pressure was just as high on being successful in school as it was to be tough and/or cool.

5) I was lucky enough to be born with a fairly high I.Q. and the ability to prosper in both technical and social atmospheres.

6) I screwed around and dropped out of my first year in college, but was lucky enough to find a good entry level job in a good manufacturing company with lots of opportunity.

and the list goes on and on and on...

Yes, I worked hard. Yes, I made my own luck sometimes. Yes, I drove my own success, so to speak.

But change where I was born, what neighborhood I grew up in, the peer pressure I had, my I.Q., and the parents and teachers I had... and who knows where I would be today?

Maybe not posting on Newsvine in my free time of retirement?

That's what I mean by luck.

Well Said LMarcT

@Mac Dimiceli, The rich are paranoid about losing their wealth and generally tend to hoard wealth at the expense of society at large. Its nothing new. Now the corporations that are represented by the rich are hoarding profits and playing Uncle Scrooge to the detriment of the US Economy. In the fight between Uncle Scrooge and Uncle Sam , thus far Uncle Scrooge is winning, usurping massive funds from Uncle Sam via bailouts. It is sounding more and more like the French revolution - " Let them eat cake" when the corporations are letting folks in the unemployment lines saying "Let the Government throw them crumbs!". Nothing short of a French type revolution is going to stop the Rich and their stooges - the politicians controlling people's lives and leading this country to ruin.

the rich gave up a lot in life to gain the wealth. who has a right to take it away. anybody has the opportunity to get rich. personally i chose to live within my means and spend as much time as possible doing what i like. i dont envy the rich. let them have it. they have missed out on a lot of enjoyment in life. as for OWS, they have dropped out of the work force to try and get tbig government to support them at the expense of the taxpayer. more taxesw means more for their welfare checks is how they see things. they should "take a bath and get a job" as was saifd in the past.

I'm assuming you've actually polled marchers in the OWS crowd to reach your conclusions? Or maybe you're just another spout-off of tea-party drivel. If you're so inexperienced and ignorant to believe that every un-employed American is a lazy lout needing a bath, I pity the poor souls who interact with you daily.

"The harder you work, the luckier you get".

Personally, I get a kick out the tea-bag v. flea-bag party debates. I partly agree with the OWS crowd, in that many of the Wall Street CEO made excessive incomes by "restructuring" and other stupid things that made short-term profits, verses creating new products and services that their customers wanted. Many get "golden parachutes" for failure. I am generally pro-business, but some of this nonsense needs to stop. Otherwise the liberals will attempt to fix the problems, and we all know how that will end, comrade.

I am more of the thought that these people aren't in the 1% because they have the time to be out protesting instead of working their asses off. Part of their thinking is flawed that everyone in this magical 1% is the cause of all the problems. That all of the 1% somehow got their wealth handed to them on a plates. What a farce! How about the those in the one percent that did with out, worked hard, stayed up nights, took out that second or third job to pay for college.

What a damn insult to their hard work, a slap in the face by that group of people protesting their hard work.Protest big business not the individual, remember the majority of the 1% came out of the 99%.

@Factofthematter: Who said they look any different than me? I might have tats all over and a pink mohawk of my own - but I'm smart enough to realize that this fact alone will limit my employment opportunities. As far as thinking differently, yeah, you might have me on that one. If you believe that defaulting on your student loan is OK and that they shouldn't garnish your wages to recover the money you borrowed, you definitely think differently than I do - and I definitely think that if you do think that way you definitely do not deserve to be paid $100,000 per year.

I 'get' where 'Fact of the matter' is coming from. The spelling and grammar on too many of the posts is abysmal. Since that is one of the points taken into consideration on reading a resume, or application. Many of them would be wise to take a remedial class in English. And many of those classes can be found free.

but I'm smart enough to realize that this fact alone will limit my employment opportunities.

*shrugs* I'll hire them if they can do the work and do it well, I could care a whole lot less about everything else.

The spelling and grammar on too many of the posts is abysmal.

That I can attest will probably make you the weakest link.

/am a liberal 1%

I have to disagree with saying that if you work your butt off you'll become a part of the 1%. If it were that easy it would be the 70% and not the 1%. We can't all be millionaires and that's just simple economics. Inflation would be incomprehensible if we were.

If you want to be in the "top 1%" it is going to take strong work ethic, sacrifice, and long hours. The observation was that many in this movement do not appear to have these characteristics. Instead of sleeping in a tent for months and holding a sign why not find a business owner and tell them they really want to work and learn from the owner and will take a lower salary initially to have the opportunity to prove to this owner they can actually help the business. I guess not. Easier to not work, not bathe, and defecate on a police car. Just doesn't seem to be the characteristics that a business owner is looking for - - - go figure.

BTW, here is the difference between a Republican and a Democrat. A Republican sees a person drive by in a Rolls Royce and says "if I work hard and sacrifice now maybe one day I will own one of those". A Democrat says "it is not fair that HE gets to own a Rolls Royce. We have to figure out a way to take it away from him".

ProBusiness

BTW, here is the difference between a Republican and a Democrat. A Republican sees a person drive by in a Rolls Royce and says "if I work hard and sacrifice now maybe one day I will own one of those". A Democrat says "it is not fair that HE gets to own a Rolls Royce. We have to figure out a way to take it away from him".

I see someone drive by in an expensive car, and I think "what a waste of money". What does that make me??? BTW, glad that you know what all Democrats and Republicans think, perhaps you should apply that unique knowledge to fortune telling or political punditry, where someone that spews a lot of BS with enough force is considered an expert.

Probusiness just proves what these people are complaining about. I could work my entire life and get every break and I will never be able to live debt free with money to spare. You act as if someone who got laid off in the last few years, working at a job that has nothing to do with Wallstreet, shouldn't be pissed that Wallstreet took the economy down the crapper with high complexity investment options and lossened rules on financial instruments. These people have plenty of reason to be pissed and I'm sorry but I don't think you have to be pro-business or anti-business to understand that something is F'd up in a country where so few own so much. And btw, i'm probably in the 1% who works more hours than most "small business owners".

Really so, 99% of the population has low work ethics and whatever put them there. You do realize that 1% is a very small number and its highly probable that many of them inherited their wealth.

So, how many of them wound up there because the system gives more value to paper shufflers on wall street than an researchers who toils away 20 years before discovering something that will better all our lives.

The problem is with the screwed up notion that gamblers on wall street are actually rich because they deserve it! They create no value. Eventually, computers will do whatever they do (and pretty soon) and they'll all be out of a job. The company that employed them will make even more money though. So, even less individuals will then be the rich: 0.1%. Then, those poor wall street traders will be in the street protesting too.

Hell. I'm so far down the pecking order I'm on the negative side. -99%.

Must be nice being perfect. The hard part comes when all of a sudden you wake up and realize you're not.

Lady Gaga makes a lot of money now doesn't she?

Generalizing a little about working hard and you get to the 1%. However these protests forget that some people got there by working hard. They are accusing everyone in the top 1% of being somehow undeserving. This is both unfair and a lie.

Also those moaning they are being crushed under a mountain of debt, well now that is a mountain you created.

People. We all make choices. If you really, really wanted to make a million bucks, you could do it. Most could. From what I've seen and heard, it's just not that hard to do. But, most of us - for whatever reason - choose to go a different road. So, why be envious of those who forego so much in life to focus on making money?

Sure, you need a certain amount of money to live. But, in most cases I'd be willing to say that a "lack of money" is really just a surplus of wants. And a conflict of personal priorities.

Right on, Miker. This is still (even with Bozobama in charge) the greatest, freest country on earth, where ANYTHING you want to do IS possible, IF you want to WORK FOR IT!!

Miker, I think you are missing a HUGE thing. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. Sometimes, no matter how hard they try, they can't get ahead. It seems like every time I get a little bit extra money and I think I'm going to be able to pay more on my loans, my car breaks down, or I sprain my ankle and cant work. Things sometimes happen TO people. They don't always make the choice.

Mandy: I actually considered that, and I get you. I do. By "making choices" I didn't mean to imply "bad choices." Not this time, anyway. I simply meant choices. I chose to quit law. I chose to enlist in the Army. I chose to go to college. And, honestly, just about every one of those choices cost me money. But, I wouldn't take a single one of them back. I could have taken my pilot's license and done about two jobs that would have allowed me to retire years ago. I didn't. I made other choices.

But, be honest. Do you really think people like you and me are the people on "We Are the 99%" complaining? I don't. Really. In fact, I've been on the down and out side. So recently that I save just about every penny in case I ever end up there again. And, I've known plenty of people who have had all those things and worse happen to them. Divorces. Child custody fights. Medical issues. Fires. Tornadoes. Name it. Usually, those people shrug their shoulders and keep on keeping on.

The ones who have time to march and whine are usually just POed that somebody else has "more" than they do. Whether they really need "more" or not.

Ahh I see, thank you for clarifying.

However, I disagree about the people who are marching now. I think this issue is a little bigger than "POed that others have more than they do"

I really think its more about the blatant corruption in the capitalist system. That combined with a corrupted government, which favors business corruption. People are mad that big business CEO's can make billions of dollars, and then because they have buddies in the government, they don't have to pay taxes on it.

People are mad because they HAVE played by the rules, worked hard, and they still cant get a loan to get a home. They STILL can't afford their healthcare.

I dont know how you feel, but I think this has gone beyond "complaining"

What astounds me is that all of these people posting things like "well if they have all this time, yadda yadda" assume that the people out protesting NEVER TRIED. I am certain most of the people there are in there mid 20's or later. Well you become a adult at 18 in this country. That is quite a few years they could have been trying to find work, or had been working until recently.

The truth is, you tell yourself these people have never tried to find a job in their life for your own sake. You do it to ease your own conscience since you are probably older, lucky enough to have a job and you probably know in the back of your mind that you are half the reason these kids don't have work.

Mandy: You're right - I really don't know any of those protesters personally. All I really know is what I saw posted on the 99% website. And, to be honest, I was generally unimpressed.

For one thing, as Cirnobyl points out, it seems like the vast majority of the OWS protesters are in their 20s. How much do they really expect to have or to earn at that age? I've been working for 30 years and I'm still in the 99%. . . Would I like to be in the 1%? Hell yeah! Do I occasionally wonder where I went wrong or why I'm NOT in the 1%? Absolutely. About once a week. Do I feel like I DESERVE to be in the 1%? No. Because I realize that I basically CHOSE not to be. I'm simply not willing to be or do what that would entail.

When I was in my 20s, I was busting my a55 for very little money - but I had virtually no experience. Should I have been hired as the CEO of my company? No. I made about what I was worth. Also, I drove an OLD car given to me by my parents. I lived in a modest, old house that I was refurbishing MYSELF (NOT paying to have remodeled by some designer) and I rented out two rooms to help make the mortgage payment. I didn't smoke. Didn't have $1000 to spend on tattoos. I ate Raman noodles on a regular basis. Etc.

Today I see high school kids riding around in brand new cars (I STILL don't drive a new or even new-ish car) and wearing clothes that I know retail for more than I spend on clothes in a year. I see 20-somethings on TV shows shopping for real estate that I STILL wouldn't dream of buying. Quite frankly, I think many of the OWS types are spoiled kids who are having trouble adjusting to providing for themselves in the real world. I could be wrong. But, that's the impression I get from MANY (not all) of them.

Please understand that I'm not dismissing those who have lost jobs unexpectedly or whose employers just aren't there any more. They've got legitimate concerns. But, even for them to suggest that everyone who makes over $500,000 in a year is somehow evil or corrupt is quite a stretch. If I were going to protest ill-gotten gains, I think I'd start with drug dealers - not stock brokers. But, that's just me.

spelling and grammar on too many of the posts is abysmal.

Sorry are you here to grade them? If they do a good job will you give them a degree? Their is far more to a resume then just grammar. I graduated high school with a third grade level of reading and spelling. I can now read very well Spelling and grammar is much more difficult. However this has not stopped me from getting my degree and from getting a job in the field I love (Auto technician). I can get a job any where and get 21-28 an hour with no problems (Some areas I can get even more). As a technician I can make 50-80 hours a week out of a 40 hour work week. I can actually get a job in just one hour of job hunting and in half a day I can get 6 offers.

@Auto 101: Auto technicians are not really in this conversation. Techs don't usually submit actual "resumes" for jobs; they submit applications. And, if you've got your SAE qual's, most shops are not going to be very concerned about your spelling ability or grammar. But, that's not true for more "white collar" type jobs.

You're right - there's a lot more to a resume than grammar, BUT regardless of the content of a resume you can almost guarantee that any typo, spelling error, or blatant grammatical mistake will move your resume to the bottom of the pile - or the trash can. These days, no employer ever makes it to the bottom of the pile. Even if someone is looking to hire a mechanic (sorry - I've worked as one and that's the term I prefer), if he's got a choice between two equally qualified SAE techs - one with a resume full of horrible spelling and bad grammar, and the other with a perfect resume, which one do you think will get the job?

Techs don't usually submit actual "resumes" for jobs;

The ones that are dealer techs use them a lot.

And, if you've got your SAE qual's,

Do you mean ASE? SAE is not a very common thing This is the first time I have heard of it. However Yes in many places ASE's and such BS certifications and a very strong foot in the door. Unless you work on Europe car line. They don't care if you are a master or have non. The ASE's don't have them in mind when they do the questions for the tests. In fact most places will hire you if you only have 4 years of experience on cars.

Miker, good points.

I definitely agree there are a lot of 20 somethings out there who are very spoiled. My friends and I enjoyed walking through the parking lots in college, pointing out cars that were known as "Mommy and Daddy Cars"

I consider myself in the fairly frugal area. I have two tattoos, but I saved for them, and I enjoy them a lot. (both were under $150) I shop at Aldi for groceries, my car is a 99, I don't pay more than $20 for a new pair of jeans, usually I get jeans at Goodwill. My Fiance just bought a new computer off 3 years of pocket change and on-the-side yard work.

And quite honestly, most of my friends fit into that category. Its just that the ones that have a bunch of stuff are louder about it. I'm also from Iowa though, so there is a significantly smaller amount of "20 somethings with everything" than there is in like California or Florida or something.

Auto: Yes. ASE's. Sorry. I've been working on engineering stuff for the past few years - dealing more with Society of Automotive Engineer standards than the Automotive Service Excellence program! And, I agree that ASE creds are more of a money-making deal for ASE than anything else. My point was simply that even a service tech or mechanic should try to put their best foot forward when applying for any job.

Mandy: I think I like you! Then again, I'm from the midwest, too.

That would be just great with a lot of folks. These people don't accept anything that isn't me first, second and last, we don't need then. Thir problem is I can't think of any other country that would want them.

Jefferson: That would certainly make the point. Problem is it is already happening. We have had more companies relocate overseas in the last three years than any other three year period in history. Unfortunately that has already started. Of course the liberals won't realize it until its too late and there are not enough "wealthy" remaining they can confiscate money. So if not enough money at the top, and the bottom are told THEY don't have to pay taxes, the only thing left is collapse of our economic system. 10 years ago I would never have thought I would see the day when the U.S. would lose its standing as the most powerful and most prosperous country in the world. But it looks like that is actually in process right now. Sad. So sad.

Probusiness if you think American tax policy has anything to with the policies of companies leaving the US then you have your head up your ass. I work at the largest accounting firm in the world as a tax planner. We say all the time that the tail doesn't wag the dog. To be competitive with other countries for business we would either have to live like people in China ($10 a month) or offer something that is unique. Last I checked that is not happening almost anywhere. And to the point of the protesters, the tax scheme in the US is such that the highest taxpayers do not pay (including corporations) anywhere near the rates which they are expected.

Yeah. Let that 1% leave. Let someone else bust their butts to make these p.o.s their money. They sure as hell couldn't do it alone.

They don't want to move out of the country. Then they'd have to live with the people they hire in their businesses for a dollar an hour.

They just want to move their businesses and their money out of the country so they don't have to pay the taxes the 99% do.

Baseddrum: You could not be more wrong. Tax Policy IS the reason companies are leaving the U.S. Think about it this way - to compete in the world market a company MUST find a way to run their business with similar cost structures as other global companies or they can't compete. The U.S. has the SECOND highest corporate tax rate in the world (only behind Japan and we see how THEIR corporate tax rate is working for them). How can a U.S. company compete with, say, Singapore when Singapore has a flat 17% corporate tax rate. The U.S. tax rate is nearly double that. Add on top of that the added costs of regulations and a constant threat by this administration of even HIGHER taxes they are bolting to the nearest border to set up shop elsewhere. Until liberals get their head out of the sand and actually look around then we are destined for further economic decline, further unemployment, and continued decreases in the ability for our government to fix this economy.

The reason Companies are moving overseas (I manage a US company with an office in Delhi) is labor cost. Significantly lower.. This stuff about the tax code is a load of agricultural manure... LOL .. pure fabrication. Sure companies would like to pay less taxes.. What quarterly shareholders mtg have you EVER went to that mentioned taxes as part of the bottom line?......LOL Never happens. The GOP folks in the house use this as a reason to get money from corps., and keep their own tax rates down. I am in the top 10%, but I am DISGUSTED at the GOP right now DISGUSTED. Lindsay Graham came on TV saying that he wants to build Libya's infrastructure, and have them be a main suplier of oil to th US.. Right after he voted down the measure to build the US infrastructure.. Teachers and first responders in the US. So just to defeat Obama, he threw the US under the bus because he said it cost too much, and he wants to spend BILLIONS in Libya instead.. ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED. As a conservative Christian... For this reason alone, I am voting for re-election and trying to get the GOP out of the little control they have. The TEA party has kidnapped our Congress, and tied their hands with PLEDGES that subvert the US people.

Godisreal: You started out with a valid argument and debate (which I will address shortly) but then you lost all credibility with your rant about Republicans and Tea Party. You want to portray yourself as "knowledgeable" in a topic but then quickly confirmed you were not "knowledgeable" since your rant made little sense and lacked even less logic. However, here we go.

Labor certainly CAN play a part with the decision to move overseas but many companies are moving specifically due to the lower tax rates. Example, a company I consult is a U.S. company but most of their work is international. They finally made the decision to create a branch is Singapore and run ALL their international business through Singapore. Why? Because Singapore has a 17% corporate tax rate and the U.S. has a 35% tax rate. They saved over $1 million in taxes last year. And I know other companies in this same industry who have done the same thing. So SOME may go overseas for the labor costs but many are going just to raise their bottom line. But I would have enjoyed that debate with you until you confirmed the second part of your comments that you are not logical and unable to discuss and debate based on topics but rather "name calling" and not understanding how an economy actually works.

You state the Tea Party has "kidnapped" Congress - do you ACTUALLY think that makes you look intelligent with a condescending and irrational comment like that? It doesn't and actually confirm the opposite. So let me counsel you and enlighten you. Us Tea Party members simply want government to run as the Constitution states. Limited government with limited spending only on the TRUE functions of government. You talk about infrastructure? I agree with you. But the government spent money that SHOULD have gone to infrastructure but didn't. They spent it on Solyndra and car companies and payoffs to unions. If he doesn't have any money left that is HIS problem. That is like a person gambling the money intended for the mortgage and electric payments and losing it. Then this same person is asking everyone for money to cover the mortgage and electric payment telling people if he doesn't get the money he and his family will be thrown out in the street. Yes that might be the case but it is NOT because everyone else is "uncaring" - it is because he HAD the money and spent it where it was not beneficial. Obama spent TRILLIONS with total disregard to this country and NOW he doesn't have any money for "infrastructure, teachers, and policemen". That's not MY fault. Obama HAD the money but spent it on stupid stuff. So now if a teacher or policeman must be laid off it is OBAMA'S FAULT!! And if money is not going to infrastructure it is OBAMA'S FAULT!! That is why we need a new president because we need one that has some sense and spends our tax money intelligently.

Has anyone ever thought of government blowing taxpayer's dollars on 2 expensive but useless wars that is also contributing to the economic doldrums?

I manage on SS and a fixed amount from my savings each month. Do I count that as income??? I don't think so. That was already counted as income once. So, according to the calculator.............I am in the 28%. This calculator is skewed.

And the Lobbyists are powerful because??????????????????????????

Optomyst,

because all politicians accept hand outs. Unless you are suggesting we no longer have politician's just voting them out won't fix the problem.

If you have ants all over your house just killing the ants in your house is not going to stop more ants from coming in from the ant hill in your back yard. You have to lay poison out by the hill in order to solve the problem; that is the exact same principle here.

Politicians are the worker ants, the Queen is Wall Street.

Then we give the politicians two terms and vote them out. It takes them that long to find the men's room in the Capitol Building. The Queen is NOT Wall Street. Many tiny Americans are invested in Wall Street either through retirement plans, IRA's or itty-bitty stock portfolios. The Queen...........or in this case, the King of the entire debacle is our corrupt, mismanaged, controlled, egotistical government and it's never-ending feeding frenzy.

NO MORE CAREER POLITICIANS.

p.s. My remark in my previous post was sarcasm. I was not asking a question.

And yet you're being answered. The lobbyists are powerful because of the money the businesses and the bankers give them. The politicians take the money, and in return write legislation that is often word-for-word what the lobbyists give them. In return for passing the legislation, the lobbyists give them more money.

Got it now?

There would be no senders if their were no receivers. Get it now, Real Chris?

Optomyst,

There will always be receivers. There is no such thing as an ethical politician anymore. Anyone is up for sale at any time, the right price just has to be offered. Voting in new people will not solve the problem anymore when all past, present, and future politicians are already corrupted.

Also even if there were the "senders" would just give more money to the "receivers" that were left.

I do not see how you cannot understand that corruption does not trickle up, it trickles down. Remove the source of the corruption and the trickle stops. Money is the root of all corruption and the largest source of money going into the Government is from Wall Street.

Obama has a war chest of 1 billion for the reelection. No republican stands a chance of winning against that. How many $250 donations did he have to receive to get that in 4 years(4 million)? they say 90% is from individual donations of 250 or less.

ok optomyst, now i KNOW you are an idiot. as a municipal (elected) director of public welfare i have some actual knowledge on the subject of state and federal welfare payments. 1st of all you would have to have $0 in income and resources to qualify for general public assistance. in my state (which has one of the highest individual welfare payment rates) if you are at rock bottom you can receive a whopping $200 per month. that's not more than $2500 per year. now, that is just for a single person, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if someone qualifies and has a family to support, it still is going to be nowhere near enough to put a solid (as opposed to fabric, like in tent) roof over their heads. the reason the welfare payment is so high is because it is new england where we get lots and lots of cold and damp and snow for half the year. frankly, i have never met a single person who had reached this level who was not mortified and desperate for any job. the only exception would be the very mentally ill; the ones who, up until a few years ago, would have been in an institution and off the streets.

i invite your response!

My doctor had me on meds that cost $390 a month. I did some research and found that there were generic equivalents on the Kroger formulary that would only cost me $16 a month. I had the doctor change my prescriptions. From the annual reports of the drug manufacturers, it would appear a lot of people are buying more expensive medications than they should. You have to be your own health care manager.

bought a house I could afford-now the $65,000 house is worth less than 15,000 (but I'm still paying for a $65,000 house)

You should have known that housing can go up and down.

Thank You Digital.....now would you please consider running for President????

Digital,

Really?! Are you going to decide who earned their wealth immorally or dishonestly? Hitler had a really good plan for financing world war 2, those immoral and dishonest Jews. I guess he is your model.

Americans that is not what it is about. It is about proportionate power distribution. When 15000 people dictate what the country does when they are not directly involved with Government there is a problem. No one group should have more power over another, that is the most basic premise of Democracy.

What we have not is a true and blue oligarchy where one segment of Americans control almost all of the power and wealth in the country. If you see nothing wrong with that you maybe in the wrong country.

Business men are free to make as much money as they want as long as they obey the laws and pay taxes. They also cannot use that money to influence politics.

If they do either of the above they should be punished.

Digital, so, what would you have as an option? The top 1% keep earning the wealth but instead of staying in their hands it goes to some kind of pool, administered by a committee of poor, who will then redistribute the earned wealth of a few out to the many who have less? Lol, what happens when the 1% decide to just walk away? Put them in jail, march them back to their offices, force them to produce for the many? Allow them only so much to live on according to how much the poor make do with? Sounds like a plan and one that many of those who hate the rich would welcome, especially if they could be on the committee, ensuring that they have all that they want, because, they'll deserve it since they'll be working "For the people."

That's exactly not taxing enough the richest is screwed up, the money they save IS NOT REINVESTED IN THE US. While some poor slob will probably have to spend his money in stores. The US in general has a low tax rate. If the US had a consuption tax (usually there are credits for the poorest) which hits those with money the most, its budget deficit would be resolved overnight.

I have lots of spare income---about an extra 35,000 per year that I can basically do what I want with. I drive a very inexpensive car (a VERY basic Toyota Corolla) and I would just invest any tax savings I got.

My consumption level relative to my income is very low. A consumption tax hits lower income families who need to spend most of what they make to live.

A consumption tax will let people like me off easy and hit middle class families hard.

The Wall street bailouts also bailed out those of you who have decent size nest eggs----it wasn't just the rich!

THis year they are only taking 4.2 % of up to 106,800 in earnings for an individual. That would mean the max for a married couple for FICA . Medicare taxes are 1.45 % on all earnings . If you two pay 49,000 you must be making over a million in income.

If they took away the corporate deduction for bringing profits back, would you keep more money in India ?

Cain's plan DOES NOT tax poor people at a higher rate than rich people. It taxes them at EXACTLY THE SAME RATE. Equality under law, what a novel concept.

So you were all for the bailouts of these Wall St. firms so that they could continue paying their CEO's big bonuses because they work so hard and deserve it? All the while, they were laying off workers, and saying "too bad" to investors that lost everything? Those are the type of people you are defending, because they are such hard workers and create so many jobs? I don't recall anyone bailing out Hollywood while they laid off workers and and said "too bad". Singers, athletes, actors, all work at the whim of the American consumer. Don't want them to make millions? Don't watch sports, buy sports gear, watch their movies or listen to their music. No ones going to bail them out with taxpayer money, then watch them collect big bonuses, thats for sure.

@lukewarm - The problem to your response here is that the companies are NOT driving jobs to Americans. They are pushing jobs overseas and in other cases they are not hiring to ensure they have higher profit margins so their stock prices can go up. They even cut benefits to do the same. The problem here is that if you give companies a pass in being responsible and accountable to investing in the community that ALLOWS them to exist, they will eventually use up all of the resources for the prime objective, profit, and move on to somewhere else. This is where we should provide guidance on how companies work in our society and how they SHOULD invest or give back. Otherwise, they don't actually owe you anything. But as we are all seeing...they are important to the future of our nation, so we should hold them accountable as such. The job market is separate from our economy. Our economy is great...our job market sucks because we don't hold our companies accountable.

"So you were all for the bailouts of these Wall St. firms so that they could continue paying their CEO's big bonuses because they work so hard and deserve it? "

Actually, the fed and FDIC intervention in the money market saved me a quarter of a million dollars and that was a significant portion of my retirement account net worth

It wasn't just "the rich".

DShot, lol, the 1% are the thieves and parasites? Listen to what the OWS is saying and demanding, then re-evaluate your statement because the 99% are the real thieves and parasites. What is destroying America now is the fact that a large majority of citizens have become social and economic predators, preying on those who have what they don't. Well, that isn't unusual in the history of Man, it's pretty commonplace. I suspect that when a caveman woke up one morning and it dawned on him that the guy in the neighboring cave had a better cave, better weapons, better most of everything the dissension started; "Why should he have it all, why should he have it and I don't? He's just lucky!" Today is no different, except for the insidious intellectual movement that claims "Money can't buy everything and it's 'More blessed to give than to receive.' " So, it's ok to confiscate, to demand social justice, lol, social justice of course being whatever it takes to be wealthy too, a sort of equality of effort.

Uh, if you use the calculator provided in the story, it shows that $510,000 is enough to get you in the top 1% of wage earners.

The flaw here is that they are talking about WAGE earners, not WEALTH holders. If you want to be in the upper crust, you have to have assets to provide income that is not taxed at regular rates. $510,000 is not much wealth; $50,000,000 is, at least for me it would be. The Koch brothers might disagree.

Things cost more each year, but not because things have increased in value. It is because the dollar is worth less. The dollar is worth less because the GOVERNMENT continues to print more and more fiat dollars to pay for things it cannot afford. In accord with Gresham's Law, all of that fiat money dilutes the value of our money so that a dollar buys less.

Today's dollar buys 1/10th what it did in 1967. That hidden TAX on our savings and our wealth is entirely the fault of a government which can't control its spending habits.

I fall in 28%. I own my own home, have no unpaid bills and live on my savings and SS. According to that dumb calculator, I should be poor and living on welfare. How come I'm not?

Maybe because all my working life I did not spend every cent I earned and didn't have to have all the gadgets and gegaws some people feel they cannot,live without?

Optomyst, if this were a discussion on personal finances (as in how people handle their money) you and I would finally agree on something. In fact, we do agree. The corporations and media run these ads and everyone all of a sudden thinks they need granite counter-tops or a 60" TV, whatever. Let me know when we get on a page discussing personal household finances.

However, if you are saying things worked out for you; therefore, they should work out for everyone, well, that we cannot agree on. I've actually known a couple people who never suffered any real tragedy in their lives, no kidding. One of those people was one of the most miserable people I've ever met. Most of us have our ups and downs and some people get hit particularly hard, through no fault of their own.

So, well, that's it.

Let me add to Imatthebeach's response. Depending upon your age, costs and life is different. Also depending upon where you live. To add, some people have other costs that you may not have ever come upon - medical for self, children, parents, etc. Or maybe someone else was layed off and just got back into the job market. You can't make a blanket statement that everyone's life is like yours.

This has been circulating for at least a year, but no one puts their money where their mouth is. Let's see if anyone ha the intestinal fortitude to vote all incumbents out next election.

I truly doubt it.

Your originality is surpassed only by your spelling and grammar.

Rock on, schooldog. :)

(Old Fool School dog) You need to move to one of the nations who are still fighting civil wars in the 21st century, like Ireland, Bosnia, Rwanda, South Africa. Libya, Syria, Egypt, Russia, or anywhere but here in the USA. You must be TEA/Republican with your Roman mentality. Why shut down, or destroy this country? to only try and rebuild the same thing you have now, or will have as your government changes over time.

You are thinking like the White Southerners who started a civil war, lost, and want to try it again in the future, to gain what??? Be for real! your hopeless mentality about this government is only because of your impotent bigoted fears, and your supremacist wish to control and rule over everything and everybody. Go ahead, arm yourself, take to the streets and start a civil war,

But I think you will find that the American government is not like the weak third world nations you see crumbling when fools like you try to bring it down. The Federal, State, or Local officials will kill you, or put you in a metal box some where. This is good because people like you will never let freedom rule your behavior, just more wars and blood letting of the innocent people by your Aryan Tea/Republican dreams.

If you don't like what this government is about, then vote, protest peacefully in the streets, but don't ever suggest that the people will be better off to take up arms against this government? This government has already paid for it's rights to freedom. But it will never satisfy people like you, and those people who feel their rights should be greater than those of the majority of the people voting in a free election.

""YOU DUMB ASS PILGRIM""WAR FIGHTER OUT""HOOAY""