Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
By making it personal you lose the argument. It is inane to suggest that people just move out of the "high cost" areas. The are 19 million people in the NY area. Where do you suggest they go?
Anywhere they want to go so that they don't require $500k to live for a year. Really, it's all about choices.
You choose to live where you choose to live.
If it's a high cost area, don't go crying foul because you're being taxed at the same level as everyone else at your earning level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBest
The same can be said about your greed to choose to live in such a high-cost country when you can survive just fine in parts of the world on 10 cents/day.
You're just as greedy as me, based on your assessment.
Honestly, I don't see how you can come off as saying it's greedy. It's not like I go to the well with a bigger bucket than you and steal your share of the water. I work hard and earn my income. There's no greed involved. You're the first person that I have ever met that equates hard work to greed.
Please show me where I said that.
You're whining because you live in a high cost of living area.
You need more to keep up a lifestyle that you choose.
Are you saying that you work harder than others, that's just as absurd as what I've highlighted in red.
Please do tell me where I can live decently, not high on the hog, on 10 US cents per day.
I'd be very interested.
By taxing the rich a higher percentage, you're punishing them for working smart and hard. We're the greatest country with the greatest opportunity to build wealth, and it wouldn't make sense to punish the ones that make more with a higher tax percentage. I agree the rich should pay more taxes, but at a flat tax rate without any loopholes.
Again, you say your work smarter and harder than the schmoos who make less.
Horse pockey.
Talk to teachers and social service people, some of the lowest paid professionals in the US, I guess they're all slackers. Or dumb.
It's not inane to suggest the possibility of moving away from a high COL region in order to maximize financial resources. I did it, and I know lots of other people who've done it, too. Colorado, Arizona, and Texas are filled with people who've fled the west coast, and similarly, the southeast has it's fair share of NY/NJ refugees. There are lots of them working in RTP.
I must say it's pretty darn nice here in the heartland. Salaries aren't quite as high, but the money goes a lot further. There's a lot of America to love between the Appalachians and the Sierra.
On the other hand, it's also not inane to suggest that some of what you love about your high COL city is the result of tax-subsidies. Public universities, public transit, fine arts programs, parks, and healthcare programs all receive support from federal, state, and/or local tax monies.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 11-25-2010 at 09:50 AM..
It's not inane to suggest the possibility of moving away from a high COL region in order to maximize financial resources. I did it, and I know lots of other people who've done it, too. Colorado, Arizona, and Texas are filled with people who've fled the west coast. And, I must say it's pretty darn nice here in the heartland. Salaries aren't quite as high, but the money goes a lot further, and I was surprised myself to learn that it's not all cowtown and backwater in the center of the country. There's a lot of America to love between the Appalachians and the Sierras.
True. The best deals to be had in the heartland are university towns. You get a vibrant educated youthful populace and the entertainment scene they engender (sports, theater, restaurants) at a fraction of the cost of coastal big cities. College towns have stable economies, low unemployment, and solid real estate values.
You're whining because you live in a high cost of living area.
You need more to keep up a lifestyle that you choose.
Are you saying that you work harder than others, that's just as absurd as what I've highlighted in red.
Please do tell me where I can live decently, not high on the hog, on 10 US cents per day.
I'd be very interested.
Malaysia, India, Parts of Africa... you can have a home and eat.
I'm not saying that I work harder than you or anyone else. I works just as hard as most Americans and make an adequate level of income based on where I live.
YOU are assuming that because I live in a higher COL area, and have a higher income than you, that I live a lifestyle that is very different than yours. And that is where you are wrong. I live a very modest lifestyle just like you.
All I am saying is that higher income does not always equal a rich lifestyle. I honestly don't understand why you cannot grasp this simple concept.
It's not inane to suggest the possibility of moving away from a high COL region in order to maximize financial resources. I did it, and I know lots of other people who've done it, too. Colorado, Arizona, and Texas are filled with people who've fled the west coast, and similarly, the southeast has it's fair share of NY/NJ refugees. There are lots of them working in RTP.
I must say it's pretty darn nice here in the heartland. Salaries aren't quite as high, but the money goes a lot further. There's a lot of America to love between the Appalachians and the Sierras.
I live in NJ for a few reasons:
- It's where my family is.
- It's where I grew up.
- My business caters to Wall St, and there are only a handful of places that I can do this kind of work. I'd have to change from a profession that I love in order to make it work elsewhere.
- I can afford NJ.
Again, you say your work smarter and harder than the schmoos who make less.
Horse pockey.
Talk to teachers and social service people, some of the lowest paid professionals in the US, I guess they're all slackers. Or dumb.
You're putting words in my mouth. I'm not saying the general population are dumb by any means. You have some negative connotation with everything I said. Just like you don't punish the smart teachers for working hard, don't punish the rich for working hard. That's all.
I actually classify people differently than you think. Those who create jobs and those who take up jobs. Those who create jobs are surely more valuable to the US Economy than those who take up jobs. So why punish them by taxing them more?
As you see in my post, I am for a flat tax or VAT, which would end up in the rich paying MORE taxes. I'm pretty certain that you are in favor of the rich paying more taxes as well, so I don't see why you are making a big deal out of this. I am only against progressive taxes and loopholes.
I will be happy to pay more when I see the 47% who pay nothing - and even get money back - contribute something .... even a modest $10/person will do for me.
But you do, NJBest. If you can walk a few blocks and hop on a train that will take you into the city, you are living a very different lifestyle than someone who lives in the boondocks. The fact is that by living someplace like NJ and having access to those benefits, you are a partial owner of the systems and programs that those taxes provide, things that people in the heartland can only dream of possessing. If you choose to pay for a service that your taxes already provide, you have paid for it twice.
But you do, NJBest. If you can walk a few blocks and hop on a train that will take you into the city, you are living a very different lifestyle than someone who lives in the boondocks. The fact is that by living someplace like NJ and having access to those benefits, you are a partial owner of the systems and programs that those taxes provide, things that people in the heartland can only dream of possessing. If you choose to pay for a service that your taxes already provide, you have paid for it twice.
I happily pay for my usage of trains and such many ways. This argument is flawed because NJ specifically, received less funds and spending from the federal government than hat is collected from income taxes from NJ residents and businesses.
What I meant to say was that I don't have a Mercedes E Series, pets, an iPhone or a boat like one might expect a wealthier person to have. Heck, I never eat out unless it's related to work. I cannot afford those things... and it's not because I'm bad at managing money like some people are trying to say.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
