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Another thing to keep in mind is that a $1500 annual vacation is a drop in the bucket compared to other trappings of a middle class lifestyle. Consider $100K+ for each kid's university education, $100K+ for a down payment on a single family home in some areas, $40,000 for a couple of entry level cars...that $1500 annual vacation starts to seem like pennies in comparison.
"A billion here; a billion there -- pretty soon it adds up to real money." -- attributed to Sen. Everett Dirkson
It might help to reflect on the fact that most people who help you out while you're on vacation -- porters, drivers, bellhops, valets, cooks, servers, housekeeping folks, et cetera -- will never be able to afford to take a vacation similar to the one you are on.
I can only speak to the compensation of porters, drivers, bellhops, valets, cooks, servers & housekeeping folk here in Las Vegas (and dealers, pit bosses and more).
Valets at Las Vegas resorts can easily clear north of $60K in cash tips on top of the paycheck. Waiters/waitresses at mid-range Strip restaurants make 6 figures (mostly tips), as do the chefs. Cocktail waitresses in clubs can make $3K per night in clubs (mostly tips). High end restaurants with extensive wine lists - well, servers there are easily pulling down $150 - 175K (mostly tips). Waitresses at resort pool day clubs pull in fistloads of cash tips.
Spend way more than that on travel every year, but why the heck do you care anyway?
There is an element that needs freaks in a circus sideshow to look down on and ridicule in hopes of bucking up perceptions of their own often skimpy status. There is also an element that -- for pay -- will put just such a menagerie on display. By hook or by crook.
"A billion here; a billion there -- pretty soon it adds up to real money." -- attributed to Sen. Everett Dirkson
Dirksen has been dead for 45 years, but his name is still spelled with an "e". And as anyone familiar enough with the quote to use it should have known, there is little if any actual evidence that Dirksen ever said it. It is generally classified as a MIS-attribution.
I can only speak to the compensation of porters, drivers, bellhops, valets, cooks, servers & housekeeping folk here in Las Vegas (and dealers, pit bosses and more).
No, you can't. This is just another example of gross over-reach on your part, as usual committed in hopes of claiming utterly undeserved credence for the poorly manufactured piffle you are about to pour out. Do something useful for a change and go search for the missing $150 billion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SportyandMisty
Not everyone is struggling to get by.
That would amount to an argument from the outliers. Case dismissed. With prejudice.
So what. That's nothing compared to what Germans spend on vacation. Plus they have 30 days of paid vacation p.a. so they have much more time to spend too. It all depends on how much of the national income you allocate to the top 1% vs. the middle class. If you insist on the top 1% reaping >20% as it is here of course it might be a problem. However if you keep the middle-class share of national income big enough long family vacations for nearly anyone are not a problem at all. What are your priorities in this case?
Plus let's not forget our per-capita national income is much higher than in Germany. So if we allocate the same %age of our national income to the middle class as the Germans do, we could spend much longer and better vacations here for nearly everyone than they can. The question is why do we insist on allocating the income to the top 1% so much and sacrificing the chance for decent vacations for so many here? Why, oh why? Someone once said the needs for the many outweigh the needs for the few - and it was an American movie.
It's not that there is no money or resources in this country it's that they flow to the top earners so much.
Took you 48 hours to come up with a pointless personal attack? Nice work!
REMINDER: Most people who help you out while you're on vacation -- porters, drivers, bellhops, valets, cooks, servers, housekeeping folks, et cetera -- will never be able to afford to take a vacation similar to the one you are on.
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at the irony.
