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Old 04-19-2012, 10:23 AM
 
17,386 posts, read 11,904,684 times
Reputation: 16131

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude View Post
Wow, the stupid fallacy of "there are good jobs for everyone just floating in the breeze, and everyone can work one if they just train harder". Get real. Over 90% of low and minimum wage workers are adults. These are not "stepping stone" or "teenager jobs", these are jobs people are depending on to feed themselves and their family. After 25 years, HALF of all people in low wage jobs will STILL be in a low wage job, and that is going to get nothing but worse.



While the poor are more likely to smoke, they are FAR less likely to own any of the new gadgets.

For instance, here is information on ownership of E-Readers.

http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files...der_Tablet.pdf

If you go to page 5, you will notice that someone making over 30k is at least over 3 times as likely to own an e-reader as someone making under 30k, and someone making over 75k is almost twice as likely to own one as the general population.

Here is one for computers

Desktop and laptop computers | Pew Internet & American Life Project

If you notice, all income levels over 30k have a computer ownership level at 84% or greater, but under 30k, is only 59%

Same with cell phones

Cell phones | Pew Internet & American Life Project

All income levels over 30k have a cell phone ownership rate of at least 90%, but under 30k, goes down to 75%

Just keep going through that report, in every single case, the biggest fall off in gadget ownership is from 30-49,999 and 30 or less.

It is an absolute myth that poor people are running around with the latest gadgets perpetuated by the right wing media, and excacerbated by the few empirical examples of some person paying with food stamps that happens to have a smart phone.



Yeah, like get one of those magical high paying jobs growing on trees
The stupidity is to continue to make excuses for adults that have CHOSEN to stay in those low paying jobs. Those people in those jobs after 25 years didn't do what it took to change that. Not my problem.

Those jobs don't magically appear - you have to WORK for them. But there is a rather large segment of this country that would rather NOT work hard, then hold their hand out for MY tax dollars, because they haven't made it. Not my problem.
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:25 AM
 
33,016 posts, read 27,330,181 times
Reputation: 9074
Quote:
Originally Posted by wjtwet View Post
Rent is not taxed

Oh yes it is. You can look it up.

Last edited by freemkt; 04-19-2012 at 10:36 AM..
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:27 AM
 
33,016 posts, read 27,330,181 times
Reputation: 9074
Quote:
Originally Posted by ringwise View Post
The stupidity is to continue to make excuses for adults that have CHOSEN to stay in those low paying jobs. Those people in those jobs after 25 years didn't do what it took to change that. Not my problem.

Those jobs don't magically appear - you have to WORK for them. But there is a rather large segment of this country that would rather NOT work hard, then hold their hand out for MY tax dollars, because they haven't made it. Not my problem.

I have no money and can't get the formal education or training many employers require. Knowing law or accounting (for example) won't get you a job without the right piece of paper employers (and sometimes also government) require.
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:31 AM
 
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
5,522 posts, read 10,169,194 times
Reputation: 2572
Quote:
Originally Posted by ringwise View Post
The stupidity is to continue to make excuses for adults that have CHOSEN to stay in those low paying jobs. Those people in those jobs after 25 years didn't do what it took to change that. Not my problem.

Those jobs don't magically appear - you have to WORK for them. But there is a rather large segment of this country that would rather NOT work hard, then hold their hand out for MY tax dollars, because they haven't made it. Not my problem.

Let me ask you one very simple question, try to answer it.

If 300 million people in the US right now, got a medical doctors degree, could all 300 million be doctors? Of course not, the DEMAND for doctors will not GO UP simply because the SUPPLY of doctors did. Its not really a hard concept.

The US already has an extreme problem with underemployment, which you seem to not be able to acknowledge.

By the way, for it not being your problem, thats exactly what Marie Anrtoinette said, only I think it was phrased more like "Let them eat cake".
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:35 AM
 
33,016 posts, read 27,330,181 times
Reputation: 9074
Quote:
Originally Posted by wjtwet View Post
Not bad for one cup of coffee a day/ A nest egg no, proof it can be started yes. Now how about saving a carton of cigarettes a week to add to your savings
Nest egg for retirement , no but lets add cutting the smart phone account to a basic phone,
Lets add eating at home not out
Lets add go to second hand clothing stores.
How about not needing the smart TV juts a regular one.
Cut cable bills by cutting out everything but basic packages.
I once went 2 years without eating out no cable no cell phone . So i could put money away.
Just saving simple daily items I have a roth with over 120000

This is ridiculous. I don't drink coffee ($600?/yr), don't smoke ($1500?/yr), don't eat out ($1000?/yr), already buy clothes secondhand ($500?/yr), no TV at all ($100?/yr), no cable at all ($1000?/yr), prepaid cell phone and no landline (costs me $120/yr instead of $300 for a landline).

Gee, according to you I should be socking away $5000 a year just by not spending money on those things.
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:37 AM
 
867 posts, read 495,594 times
Reputation: 169
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
Well, I am not sure about the details, I just think the system should be radically simplified and be made much more transparent. The tax code has grown like cancer over time.
There is no equal treatment under current law, either, otherwise someone would have taken the whole thing to the supreme court and won. So your problem seems to be what percentage is fair. That however is a rather subjective question.
Perhaps something like this

1. Reasonable Personal Exemption to shelter the first, say, $10,000 from income tax.

2. A Flat Rate of not more than 15%, and preferably 12% on all income.
or a two or three rate system starting at 10%, going to 15%. Highest rate would kick in at, say, $500,000

3. Phasing out deductions such as mortgage insurace so that people who paid inflated prices due to interest deductablity aren't hosed.

4. A mechanism for all the bleeding-heart liberals to put their money where their mouth is so they can pay add'l taxes.
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:38 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,892 posts, read 24,596,386 times
Reputation: 9709
Quote:
Originally Posted by freemkt View Post
I have no money and can't get the formal education or training many employers require. Knowing law or accounting (for example) won't get you a job without the right piece of paper employers (and sometimes also government) require.
Successful people tend to think people like you have no right to a decent life, no matter how much you work. You are not among the overachievers, gee, you are so un-American
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:47 AM
 
867 posts, read 495,594 times
Reputation: 169
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
Successful people tend to think people like you have no right to a decent life, no matter how much you work. You are not among the overachievers, gee, you are so un-American
There is no such thing as a "right to a decent life". You have the right to pursue it, but not right TO it. Getting it is up to you - period - unless you feel you are chattel to be adopted by your fellow Americans who have done a better job than you at meeting your responsibilities.
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:52 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,892 posts, read 24,596,386 times
Reputation: 9709
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beatles4evr View Post
There is no such thing as a "right to a decent life". You have the right to pursue it, but not right TO it. Getting it is up to you - period - unless you feel you are chattel to be adopted by your fellow Americans who have done a better job than you at meeting your responsibilities.
What's the point in working your ass off when you know that for one reason or another you won't get where you want to get, anyway? People would be stupid...
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Old 04-19-2012, 11:07 AM
 
33,016 posts, read 27,330,181 times
Reputation: 9074
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beatles4evr View Post
There is no such thing as a "right to a decent life". You have the right to pursue it, but not right TO it. Getting it is up to you - period - unless you feel you are chattel to be adopted by your fellow Americans who have done a better job than you at meeting your responsibilities.

Should Americans have the right to purchase real property in increments they can afford, or should that be up to government?
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