Hating on the wealthy... (insurance, borrow, buying, wage)

[MoNative34]

Originally Posted by rfr69

I don't consider myself to be rich, but I come from a family that is. Their crowd seems to have switched their Mercedes and Cadillacs for Toyotas and Chevys, their vacations are now to Colorado or California instead of Europe or Bali, even though they really aren't any poorer than they were back in the glory days of conspicuous consumption. They seem to try very hard to not stand out anymore.

So am I just imagining this? Is being rich bad for your health these days? It's just amazing to me that we went from "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" to the French Revolution mentality in only a couple of years... and the trend seems to show no signs of slowing. Maybe it isn't a bad thing, but then again, maybe it is... whatdayathink?

The fact that they decided to go down several notches in cars is a good thing. Since they go down in value quickly, it makes more since to own a 20K car than an expensive car. They probably invested the difference. They're smart and that's how they've managed to weather this recession by sitting down and looking at the numbers and seeing what works and what doesn't.

[OC Investor2]

Someone once told me about driving: "Everyone going slower then me is a moron, everyone going faster then me is is crazy" When it come to money I think the attitude is becoming " Everyone poorer then me is a loser, everyone richer is a crook".

Not a good outlook to have.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by 1208

That's not half you idiot. That's 400 people. If you wanna talk statistics, then we are all at the bottom. The top 1% now have more money than the bottom 95 percent combined. They have doubled their shares in the last 40 years, and have made out like bandits in the last several off taxpayer bailouts.

Shifting Fortunes

12 year old article, citing data 5 years old. Got anything newer?

[cee4]

Originally Posted by NinaN

Yep, work hard, pay taxes on your income and then pay taxes on it again when you pass it on. Double taxation, love that plan!

Pretty sure a teenager working at mcdonald does more hard work than a real estate agent on a daily basis.

If sitting at a desk, analyzing reports, moving money around, selling products for other people is hard work than I guess most of the Americans in this country are working extra extra extra hard

People in America forgot the definition of hard work. There is reason why very little is made in this country.

[Escort Rider]

Originally Posted by bobtn

Wall St has earned it, the culture at this stage destroys the ability of the moral from remaining employed within it. At the heart of the last few scandals, widespread, immoral actions which destroyed the lives of millions of citizens had their roots in WS actions. At some point, they will be far more heavily regulated, and they caused it. The broad brush is 100% deserved, and yes, at some point just as occured 100 years ago, the citizens will rise up against them.

Our nation matters far more than this group of thugs.

Yes, our nation does matter far more than any group. If, as you advocate, mob justice prevails, then our nation has ceased to exist. What makes you think the mob will know where to stop, or even where to start? Will the mob be so discerning as to single out the higher-ups in Wall Street? Once the burning and looting starts, it will be "monkey see, monkey do". You write as if you are concerned about justice, but you seem oblivious to the fact that mob justice is no justice at all. You are advocating worse thuggery than that perpetrated by Wall Street.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by Chango

if you are wealthy you are scorned and shamed and demonized and joked about like never before in this country.
whatdayathink?

I think the poor and those who have fallen on hard times are also being scorned and shamed and demonized and joked about like never before in this country.

[brava4]

Hating "on" the wealthy? I know the "on" is current lingo crap but boy when someone uses it, it sure is telling.

[1208]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

12 year old article, citing data 5 years old. Got anything newer?

yeah, i noticed that. I don't really care to look, but I assume things are a lot worse for us in the year 2011 than they were back in 99.


As far as rich people driving camry's and stuff...that's always how it's been. The real rich, the Rockefeller's and Vanderbilts, and those of that class are not showy with their money, they stay out of the pubic eye and generally drive older, practical cars because they don't care about perception. It's the 'new rich' that drive hummers and bugatti's and stuff like that, who are not in the top, super rich class. doesn't make them down to earth or humble, just because they drive old cars, instead I think they just percieve us all as tiny pissants who are not worth impressing. they still try to impress each other.

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by cee4

Pretty sure a teenager working at mcdonald does more hard work than a real estate agent on a daily basis.

If sitting at a desk, analyzing reports, moving money around, selling products for other people is hard work than I guess most of the Americans in this country are working extra extra extra hard

People in America forgot the definition of hard work. There is reason why very little is made in this country.

There are two types of work: physical and mental. Both can be either easy or hard. Neither has any correlation to how much one is paid.

Very little is made here not because we don't know what hard work is but because we don't want to do it. A smart worker doesn't work himself to death; he lets other poor bastards work themselves to death.

[bobtn]

Retroit, Wall St was 100% responsible for taking the subprime crisis and multiplying its effects 10 fold. Had DC not pushed it, as evidenced by Enron, Adelphia, Madoff, WS would have enriched itself via equally sleazy means.

Credit Default Swaps with bought off AAA credit ratings via WS, are no more ethical that what Enron did. WS' culture also led to one that permeated the Enron's, Adelphia's, etc, as WS operates a PONZI scheme, by and large. If one sells before the truth comes out, they are richer than had the stock or bond not imploded.

Bonny and Clyde, the average Wall St. employee = equally moral, equally ethical.

What I do see in the next few decades is WS will be regulated as to how many breathes they take per minute, just as ex sex-offenders wear monitors as they have lost societies trust, WS deserves the same. I would totally agree if all of their movements and conversations, emails, texts, were monitored for that sole reason. A anti-WS platform for political office will become the litmus test, that abortion rights are for each party now..due to public outrage.