$40,000 membership fee and still no chair at the pool (homes, buy)

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Vaedrem

Maybe if you actually paid your taxes and stopped buying our elections, the real life problems that most people face would be lessened.

Any specifics on that allegation? Or, just jealousy?

[KaraBenNemsi]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Any specifics on that allegation? Or, just jealousy?

As an avid reader of the "Panama Papers" there's plenty of evidence of the 1%ers not paying their fair share of taxes. And American voters in general had it with their corrupt politicians by pushing for radical types a la Trump & Sanders.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by KaraBenNemsi

As an avid reader of the "Panama Papers" there's plenty of evidence of the 1%ers not paying their fair share of taxes.

Panama papers or not - the 1% pay nearly 50% of all federal income tax. A staggering figure when you think about it. You might not like the 1% - but they are the nearly the majority in funding federal income taxes.

The bottom 80% pay roughly 15% of the Federal income taxes collected.

Fair?

Another fun fact: Hawaii has the lowest difference between 1% earners and the other 99% within the state in the nation - roughly a 14.6 spread between the 1% and the rest (you need to earn about $770,000 per year to make the 1% in Hawaii). Connecticut has the largest spread where the 1% earn 51 times the other 99%.

[Vaedrem]

Rich Americans and the corporations they run have hidden many trillions of dollars in offshore tax havens and employ many other tricks to avoid paying that are out of reach for the rest of us. Progressive taxation is very fair, those who have more should pay more, and the taxation rates on the wealthy aren't high enough in the U.S, hence why we are the most impoverished, depressed wealthy industrialized country in the world. Since citizens united, it's a well-known fact that these same wealthy individuals and corporations are buying our elections wholesale, and choosing politicians that will preserve their wealth, privilege, and corruption. Google is your friend; use it.

[Buckeye77]

Speaking of the evil rich, here's an interesting article:


Are You in the Top One Percent of the World? | Investopedia


Here's the take-away - An American making $32,400 or so a year is in the top 1% globally. Hmmmm.

[KaraBenNemsi]

Originally Posted by Hoot N Annie

Here's the take-away - An American making $32,400 or so a year is in the top 1% globally. Hmmmm.

On a global scale nothing makes sense; i.e. Bill Gates doesn't reside, earns his money, or spends it in Bangladesh.

The denial that grossly unequal distributed money is counterproductive to democracy and capitalism is as wrong as the expectation that equal distribution of money would be guaranteeing prosperity and social justice.

But the quarrels of the 0.1% (better?) playing out at the pool over beach chairs on an impoverished island is a better visual than any political cartoon.

[Buckeye77]

Originally Posted by KaraBenNemsi

On a global scale nothing makes sense; i.e. Bill Gates doesn't reside, earns his money, or spends it in Bangladesh.

The denial that grossly unequal distributed money is counterproductive to democracy and capitalism is as wrong as the expectation that equal distribution of money would be guaranteeing prosperity and social justice.

But the quarrels of the 0.1% (better?) playing out at the pool over beach chairs on an impoverished island is a better visual than any political cartoon.

So global inequity is okay because you and I benefit from it but American inequity is bad because we don't? Got it. btw, I'd hardly consider this an "impoverished island". Go to Haiti. Go to Jamaica.


Mahalo

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by KaraBenNemsi

On a global scale nothing makes sense; i.e. Bill Gates doesn't reside, earns his money, or spends it in Bangladesh.

The Gates Foundation has spent millions in Bangladesh.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Hoot N Annie

So global inequity is okay because you and I benefit from it but American inequity is bad because we don't?..

Pretty sure that's not what she meant. Interesting figure for the top 1% globally.

[KauaiHiker]

Getting back to the topic, I think the moral of this story is clear: no matter the neighborhood, buying a home and renting it out really impacts the community. Just in this case, the community is private and so its owners can levy a direct tax on the short term renters to mitigate their impact.

Another clear similarity: real estate agents will always play up the income potential of a property, regardless of how untenable or rule-bending it might be, and never mention the potential limitations on that income.