To The WEALTHY Folk: THIS Is How To Live, WOO-HOO!!!!

reply to post by thewholepicture


Good post!

and FYI: My property tax went up by over $1,000 in Cook County, Illinois - this year from last year.

No, I don't have a fancy house, it's a raised ranch in a working middle class suburb.

That's another thread, the property taxes skyrocketing up forcing senior citizens on a fixed income to have to sell because they can't afford their property taxes going up leaps and bounds every year.

Thank you Senator Richard Durbin
Thank you Govenor Pat Quinn
Thank you Louis G. Apostol, JD, CAE - Executive Director - Property Tax Appeal Board
Thank you State Representative Fred Crespo

The thing that a lot of people forget is that poor or less fortunate people do pay taxes. Anything they purchase has sales tax added to it, if they are fortunate to own a vehicle, property tax is paid on said vehicle. I believe Warren Buffett figured out the percentage of their gross income several people in his office paid in overall taxes, and he was shocked to find that the lowest paid employee paid the highest percentage of their gross income in overall taxes.

If working for people that live in a parallel existence is so bad, why not create your own existence? Your own parallel slice of heaven.

Maybe a thread should be started. Highlite all the ways to reduce your cost of living.

I know this is not a perfect solution, but step one to changing the system:

Remove as much of the "hold" the rich/elite have over you.

What do they hold over us? Well they not only control the resources used to create and make money, they ccontrol the resources that are bought with money.

These can be added to the list above: (No particular order)

Generate your own hot water

Originally posted by WhatTheory
You act like most rich people just had the money handed to them on a silver platter. A lot of them were poor at one time and worked their ass off to get ahead whether by creating a business or moving up in a large corporation.

Also, don't you realize the rich already pay more than their fair share of taxes. The top 50% of wage earners pay about 97% of all federal income taxes. Do you want to take all their money.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c77d0ffe5424.gif[/atsimg]

It's funny how you can group 50% of the people together and show how unfairly they are being taxed. What your pretty little picture doesn't show is the fact that the top 1% control 43% of the financial wealth in this country and maintain 35% of it's net worth as of 2007.(1) They in turn paid 40.3% of the taxes collected in 2007.(2) Source1Source2 This would seem to indicate that they are paying "fair" right? However, when you take into consideration the gap that's left, the "middle class" are the ones taking the brunt of all taxes. The "working poor" don't pay any taxes because honestly, they don't have the income to do so. However, that top 1% that could easily make up for this doesn't, so who indeed does? Well that would be the middle class of course. Those of us who have a decent job and do ok for ourselves yet can't afford to put politicians in our back pockets to protect our interests are the ones left "holding the bag." So, all of you who want to parade out these pathetic numbers trying to paint a muddy picture to support people who have way more wealth than you can even conceive of, please spare us. What would be "fair" is if the top 5% who control roughly 70 -75% of the nations economic resources would actually pay the damn bills. The system we have now is equivalent to you asking your kids to pay the mortgage and utilities with their $5/week allowance.

Originally posted by jontap
I get the wonderful opportunity to work three jobs doing the duties of 5 employees at each job, to just BARELY squeak by with the BARE necessities in life, while sleeping only 4 hours a night, Never getting the chance to see my children grow up , but heck, as long as my wealthy bosses and other CEO's and millionaires everywhere can afford a brand new yacht, personal jet and exotic car every 6 months, heck, LIFE IS WONDERFUL.

That's interesting. I can get by with one job, and I don't mean "squeaking by." Sounds like you need to optimize your time. You're not telling the whole story... what kind of financial mess did you get your own self into? Please remember that "bare necessities" doesn't include a 5-bedroom house with a pool.

You come across as bitter and quick to blame others for your own problems. You're locus of control is way skewed, dude.

reply to post by dizziedame


And the non wealthy arent hardworking? Your forgetting without the little people to do your work you have nothing. Your acting as if the people couldnt just as easily take that money by force. Dont give yourself too much credit, your just a paycheck to them nothing more.

If the sytem fails, the power is out, And the grid is down what does all that money get you?......Killed

Originally posted by WhatTheory
You act like most rich people just had the money handed to them on a silver platter. A lot of them were poor at one time and worked their ass off to get ahead whether by creating a business or moving up in a large corporation.

Also, don't you realize the rich already pay more than their fair share of taxes. The top 50% of wage earners pay about 97% of all federal income taxes. Do you want to take all their money.

This is not true.

A lot of rich people control companies which take corporate welfare. The most successful industries such as the oil, wheat and sugar industries survive on handouts, lobbying and networking - not hard work.

Most federal funds come from corporate taxes. Filling out your 1040 doesn't pay for roads and schools.

The rich pay most of the pot, but the poor pay a larger portion of their paychecks.

Originally posted by dizziedame
If it were not for hard working wealthy people nobody would have a job.

Use your brain OP.

Way to go winning converts!

How many poor people hire folks to work? The answer is none.

The majority of businesses are not the Microsofts and Apples, but small businesses, and many of them struggle to make payroll. If they're not poor, they're certainly not rolling in dough.

I paid more taxes to support our sorry government than most people make in a lifetime.

Too bad your "taxes" went to the Federal Reserve.

The good people that were employed by me were very happy. They got above normal wages, paid vacation, Christmas bonus that was a weeks extra pay, sick day pay even if they stayed home and went fishing, paid time off to go to doctor or other necessary things and I treated them with the greatest respect because together we made each other a decent living.

Too bad you couldn't teach them how to fish.

Without the wealthy there would be no factories that have unions that demand outragious wages. Without the wealthy there would be no businesses that would hire people.

Without the wealthy, people would be better able to live off subsistence farming. It's a fact that the corporate fascist system is crowding residents into cities. They make the average Joe believe that he needs a "job" to support his family which is a bunch of garbage.

Robert Kiyosaki said it himself: the idea of getting a job to save for retirement worked after World War II, but does not work anymore now. Your minimum-wage job does not have enough of an effect on society, so "The Man" is not going to pay you much for it. That's how the economy works now. The bankers are getting paid because they are funding the US's supposed economic recovery (although, again, it's not really producing jobs).

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
Without the wealthy, people would be better able to live off subsistence farming. It's a fact that the corporate fascist system is crowding residents into cities. They make the average Joe believe that he needs a "job" to support his family which is a bunch of garbage.

Oh really.

You might want to source that statement.

When you are sourcing it, try to keep in mind that people have been congregating into city like settlements since long before the corporation was ever around. Something to do with increased survival, ease of resource management, etc.

Hint to OP...To reuse toilet paper you must use it at Kleenex or tissue paper fist, use it to blow your nose then let it dry a little, then you can reuse as toilet paper. You get 2 uses out of the same toilet paper plus you save money not having to purchase any boxes of tissue paper.

Another tip. Re use the milk bags as freezer bags.
Grocery bags as garbage bags.
If you live in a snowy area, collect snow, melt it and use as cooking water, you will save on your water bill.
If more than one person lives in the house, try re using bath water, you will save on your electricity and water bill.


OK NOW... I know....But that's what I had to live through to make it....now...I'm UPPER middle class and I ain't working my way down....Trust me......Been there, done that !

reply to post by jontap


I think American's idea of wealth is tremendously askew. I for one am the wealthiest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, I haven't got a lot of money, no, but I have a wealth of knowledge in my thiry eight years I probably know twice if not more than any rich, educated ellite will in their entire lifetime. I have a wealth of love from my family, my children were loved and mothered, not "Nannified" My children would never run up into their school with AK-47's and kill their peers and teachers, because they were taught by me, that respect for everything living and doing right will bring you great fortune, not taught by the school system and raised by television and video games. Don't get me wrong, they do watch TV and play the games, even as a family we played. Oh yeah they got that, too, my time and fun times it were. They also don't want for anything, we aren't the richest in money, but they are fed, clothed, and have a home (not a house, a home, there is a huge difference), and they have the love of both of their parents whom still are together without marriage for 17 years now. Their choices are respected, even though I may not agree with them (they rarely ever make a truly awful choice, because they know right from wrong). They may not get the iphones and ipod touches and PS3 and xboox 360 (they do have the older gaming systems), and no cell phones at all, but they get something way more valuable than that, the love and support of their parents. Sure sometimes it's a drag for them. But we can talk about it, unlike most of the HIGH CLASS, We aren't estranged from our children.
So if you ask me, I am the wealthiest, happiest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
I don't have to break my neck 12 hours daily and neglect my children all for the accumulation of some paper with numbers on it that are well, worthless IMHO, I will work (whenever I get my degree because there are no retail jobs that are hiring so I am advancing my knowledge well, anyway I am get the certification for it, my knowledge in what I am doing existed prior to attending, I just didn't have the "Formal" degree, but now the children are mostly raised two teens and one pre-teen,so), and always have worked when I could find it. But even when I get my degree, I am not going to waste my precious time, and my precious children's time working over 40 something hours a week and never having the time to slow down and enjoy life. No siree not me!!!!! Truth of the matte is, I do not need money to make me feel wealthy or worthy, the rest of the American public, does. Do I worry about retirement, no not really, you see my life has been full and fullfilling, so when that bridge comes, well I will just let go of the physical world. And I will be cremated so burial expenses are not even a factor.

reply to post by ldyserenity


Amen !!! Same here...Kids have more than they need but the work to earn it, I mean work as in baby sitting and cutting grass and snow shoveling for others, community services every month and donate all the time and extra moneys they have to the less fortunate.

We are no better than any other family out there, we just so happen to work for a good employer we teach our kids respect and the rest comes pretty much on its own.

Originally posted by Fox Molder
reply to post by ldyserenity

 

Amen !!! Same here...Kids have more than they need but the work to earn it, I mean work as in baby sitting and cutting grass and snow shoveling for others, community services every month and donate all the time and extra moneys they have to the less fortunate.

We are no better than any other family out there, we just so happen to work for a good employer we teach our kids respect and the rest comes pretty much on its own.

Good show. Leave the material wealth to the elitists I say, someday they'll destroy themselves, and no doubt take some innocence with them, however they are making their own beds, in time what goes around comes around!