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Anyone who would never have to work again and would still be able to live a middle class or higher lifestyle
I don't have to work anymore and would hardly be classified as rich. I'd have to sell my house, rent and budget painfully but I could. I'd still be considered middle class because of a spread sheet.
But, to be fair... did they have the same opportunities as you?
Were they as academically inclined? Were they mentally as fit? Were they free of addictions? Were they free of abusive/poorly-functioning families?
I was born and raised in the shadow of a 24/7/365 mill. I learned how to tell time by the trains running near our house. My opportunities started at 16 scrubbing pots in a hospital kitchen. I tried harder and made sacrifices. I earned two grad degrees in the evenings after working a full time job each day. Addictions are a combination of character flaws and bad choices, nothing else. And my family was as f’d up as they come, so I moved cross country to find better opportunities far from them.
If you want to earn more, make yourself worth more. Don’t depend on others to do it for you and you’re not entitled to the fruits of another mans labor.
Life’s not fair. Get used to it. And stop whining.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer
I don't have to work anymore and would hardly be classified as rich. I'd have to sell my house, rent and budget painfully but I could. I'd still be considered middle class because of a spread sheet.
You don't count, as you couldn't live a middle class lifestyle if you stopped working right now. The point being if you could still afford your car, your house, your groceries, your vacations, etc without earning another single dollar for the rest of your life. You don't fit that definition by your own admission
Some people are just plain greedy and too lazy to understand the fundamentals upon which are Country was founded. Your cousin should ask the wealthy whiners if they have ever read Thomas Paine. Bet they haven't even heard of Thomas Paine.
Just for example, take the case of a hard working entrepreneur who manages to pull off his very own rags to riches story. Good for him! Does he deserve all that extra money he earns? Sure he does! Should he pay higher taxes on his high income? You bet!
No man is an island. Our hypothetical entrepreneur benefits from one of the finest educational systems in the world. He learned his skills at publicly funded schools and colleges. If a working class person with big dreams had to pay private tuition to learn vital skills, it's much less likely that she'll pull that off. Same goes for the highly trained workforce that she needs to hire to run her electronic wizardry factory. Skilled workers trained in public schools and vo-tech programs are a wonderful resource for the companies who need employees with know-how. What about transporting those wizardry widgets from factory to market? Our entrepreneur benefits from the US tax payer funded Interstate system which extends to almost every town over a certain size in this country. If the widget factory had to pay to build its own private road system, its share holders would go through the roof. You can give many more examples, I'm sure.
The wealthy benefit from living in our democracy with all its benefits funded via our taxes. Why shouldn't those who have benefited the most pay a little more in taxes? That's only fair play.
I don't have to work anymore and would hardly be classified as rich. I'd have to sell my house, rent and budget painfully but I could. I'd still be considered middle class because of a spread sheet.
Well ... I would say on average ... that is a person or couple that have worked their arse off most if not all their entire life .... were frugal ... managed to pay off their mortgage and now live on a fixed income from social security with perhaps a monthly disbursement from their 401k.
Because they are paying taxes on SS, on their 401 withdrawals, property tax on their house and car ... and if you put more tax on them .... it does hurt. If they are lucky, they get to take a nice vacation every few years and generally enjoy retirement.
I'm not sure I would call them rich. Just halfway smart and retired.
No man is an island. Our hypothetical entrepreneur benefits from one of the finest educational systems in the world. He learned his skills at publicly funded schools and colleges.
...
The wealthy benefit from living in our democracy with all its benefits funded via our taxes. Why shouldn't those who have benefited the most pay a little more in taxes? That's only fair play.
This is our perspective as well. There’s a lot of waste in the government, but there are also a lot of taxpayer-funded services, programs and infrastructure that enable a lot of social mobility. The educational system, financial infrastructure, etc... altogether, it’s like a ladder. Some never get off the bottom rung, and those higher up often got there through hard work, self-discipline and sacrifice.
Still, even though we worked hard to get where we are, someone’s got to pay for that ladder. And having climbed more rungs than most, I think it’s fair that we pay more for that ladder than those closer to the ground.
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