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You are so off. Why is it so difficult to understand that someone does not want to be rich, does not want the stuff others have. Is it brainwashing that makes you people so one-dimensional?
It is about being materialist, it is not about enjoying life. My brother for instance is not enjoying his life, he is wasting it on work. Actually, my mother, who is also very worried about him, has told me that he told her he envies me. But he has low self-esteem and money is how he tries to prove to others that he is somebody. I feel pity for him, not envy.
Go around the world the way I have done, including developing countries, and you will notice how generous even the poorest people are...
Link, please. You can't find one b/c it's a lie, I don't want anecdotes.
Nobody hates the rich b/c they think they're working too hard. They hate them b/c they have disposable income and they can buy whatever they like. They have nice clothes, take nice vacations, drive nice cars and live in nice homes. That is not materialistic to have those things, it makes your life easier and more fun. Hard work is rewarded.
Your brother will probably be rolling in it when he's older, laughing all the way to the bank. He probably does not envy you, he probably made that statement one night after a 16-hour day at work, that he envies that you can come home after 8 hours and put your feet up and not give a care about work anymore. But he will be the one better off 20 years down the road, when you are feeling sorry for yourself and wishing you had done things differently so you're not bagging groceries at 70 years old to make ends meet.
This is what's wrong with American today. Thanks for articulating it so well.
If you were a Buddhist, I'm surprised you believe that your brother is wasting his ONLY life. You can't pick and choose from religions, you either are Buddhist, or you're not. You can't say wealth is bad and a waste of time and then go on to say you only get one life. Your personal opinion (Buddhist views aside) is either that accumulating wealth is immoral b/c material things are bad (keep in mind that "rich" does not equal materialistic in all cases) or that working long hours to accumulate that wealth is immoral b/c it's wasting your life (keep in mind that those who work long hours younger in life usually get a nicer and longer retirement).
You can feel sorry for the rich all you want, they don't feel sorry for you due to a poor attitude. Heck, I'm middle class and I feel disgusted by your attitude. You represent everything I despise about how our country supports those who don't feel like doing for themselves. It's all fine and dandy if you only want to work the bare minimum but I sure as heck hope I am not paying for your food, housing, medical care or anything else now or in the future.
As I said I used to be Buddhist, I no longer am, one of the reasons being that I do not believe in reincarnation.
You are putting words in my mouth, which I don't like. I did not even mention the word immoral if I remember correctly.
Don't worry, I am European, you will never have to pay a dime for me But don't assume you will never pay for rich people. Rich people often fall very deep. Ask some of those formerly enjoying the financial bubble till it popped.
I can't imagine living better than I do. Myself to blame? Blame for what? Being content with what I have? Since when is that a bad thing? Where I come from modesty and humility are virtues.
My retirement will be humble as well, I am not one of those elderly who think they have a right to go on trips all the time and enjoy decades of pleasure till they finally die.
What the heck??? My grandparents go on cruises and scrimp on everything else (they paid cash for their home 15 years ago as well as their two vehicles...one of which is 15 years old and only has 40k miles on it) b/c they have made good decisions with their lives. It most certainly IS their right to go on trips all the time and enjoy a decade or two of pleasure before they die. What a load of crap. After working hard their whole lives, yes, they do deserve that. Seriously, you are just on a roll this morning.
You have yourself to blame for your entire life. If you are happy, fine, but don't stick your hand out at any point in time and expect me and the other taxpayers to put a roof over your head or food on your table. And don't thing you are better than the wealthy just b/c you're not working your life away. Those people have it way better than you ever will, sorry to say.
Hitting a Mega Millions lottery is lucky...having money out the gazoo means someone worked hard at sometime for the family to inheirit it ? Maybe a idea that was copyrighted like the paperclip and they became rich. If we allow the government to continue to grow with their unfair tax code and pork spending it will smother free and ingenious thought that drives invention.Why go to a school of higher learning,become super successsful to have the government at the end of the line with their hand in your pocket when you die thinking they are entitled to 35% of your Estate? If you are unhappy with your lives but you don't want to go to school or work because you are lazy.... poor me i'am poor boo-hoo... i suggest you play the lottery...
Then I'm gonna go ahead and lump you in with the rest of the lazy slobs (i.e., 47% of Americans) who pay no taxes. I was a freelance writer for 2.5 years and I had to pay taxes on my earnings (yes, I also had to pay 15% for SS and Medicare, which is what you're referring to...it's only 7% more than you would pay in at a W4 position.
It's not a gov't thing to say they're not going to tax you out of your job so you don't become unemployed, that is your own doing. If you worked a little more and made more money, you would pay taxes.
You ARE a burden on society if you are not paying taxes.
Wow, just wow, you don't get it at all.
No, I am not a burden on society. Society gets more from me than it pays for me. Since I have my little job here, I pay food etc. and thus a lot of VAT. Not to mention SS (20%) and health insurance, without having made use of what I am entitled to a single time.
The only problem that there is no analogy here. I am not lazy, nor have I ever taken any help from government (even when I was entitled to). Next.
And therein lies the problem. You are not "entitled" to any kind of handout. That line of thinking is where you're going wrong. And yeah, if you're a freelancer of any kind and you pay no taxes, I would say you're probably lazy. You don't need to remind me of the deductions for working out of the home, mileage, mortgage interest, etc....I take them, too, and I still turn a profit even during years I don't make that much.
Well, like it or not, I support progressive taxation, including a threshold below which there is no taxation at all.
Since you mention those incentives for working to earn a large salary, why do people need an incentive for doing that if it were what they really wished to do? I mean, if someone wants to have a huge yacht, he won't care if he has to work 5 or 8 years for it. I guess those who need an incentive to work and thus earn a whole lot are those who deep inside know they don't really need that money to be happy, but somehow society makes them think they should be trying to make a lot of money.
The incentive is earning that money. I doubt anybody wants to work hard if they know it's not going to yield anything. It has nothing to do with society, it has to do with how you want your life to be. Why are you thumbing your nose at those who wants yachts? If they work and earn it, who cares? Why should that person be taxed to death just b/c he works hard?????? You still have not answered the question.
I've heard plenty of people scream about how they hate the rich, tax the rich, the rich are horrible people, the rich are materialistic...but I've never heard anybody with such hatred toward the wealthy b/c they think they're wasting their lives working and need money to be happy. You should be glad the rich are working as they are the ones who fund entitlement programs.
Link, please. You can't find one b/c it's a lie, I don't want anecdotes.
Nobody hates the rich b/c they think they're working too hard. They hate them b/c they have disposable income and they can buy whatever they like. They have nice clothes, take nice vacations, drive nice cars and live in nice homes. That is not materialistic to have those things, it makes your life easier and more fun. Hard work is rewarded.
Your brother will probably be rolling in it when he's older, laughing all the way to the bank. He probably does not envy you, he probably made that statement one night after a 16-hour day at work, that he envies that you can come home after 8 hours and put your feet up and not give a care about work anymore. But he will be the one better off 20 years down the road, when you are feeling sorry for yourself and wishing you had done things differently so you're not bagging groceries at 70 years old to make ends meet.
Are you crazy? How can I lie when I have experienced it myself? Is it my fault you have probably never gone to Africa etc. and been embarrassed and humbled by the generosity of people who have hardly anything?
Tell me the unit generosity is measured in and maybe I will find a source for you...
My brother will be dead and wasted when he gets into retirement age, if he ever does...
No, I am not a burden on society. Society gets more from me than it pays for me. Since I have my little job here, I pay food etc. and thus a lot of VAT. Not to mention SS (20%) and health insurance, without having made use of what I am entitled to a single time.
You're comparing apples and oranges now. The EU system is much different than the American one. Thus, talking to you about this is a waste of my time. Goodbye.
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But don't assume you will never pay for rich people. Rich people often fall very deep. Ask some of those formerly enjoying the financial bubble till it popped.
I doubt anybody wants to work hard if they know it's not going to yield anything. It has nothing to do with society, it has to do with how you want your life to be. Why are you thumbing your nose at those who wants yachts? If they work and earn it, who cares? Why should that person be taxed to death just b/c he works hard?????? You still have not answered the question.
