Income Distribution in USA - Chart and Graph

Originally posted by poet1b
reply to post by topdog30

 

Personally, I think your story sounds like pure BS. I don't buy it at all.

Even so, being in the top 1% does not make you rich, let alone wealthy, you are just a successful small business man. Congrats, if your story is true. Chances are that you pay more than your fair share of taxes, and contribute greatly to the economy.

If your business normally does not conduct business across state and federal borders, chances are that you are paying far more federal taxes than you are getting out of the system, and essentially supporting people like Gates and Murdoch. Maybe you don't realize this, because you have been programmed to believe your money goes to welfare cheat, but it is corporate welfare bums who take most of your money.

Then again if you hire numerous illegal aliens, then you are just another crook cheating the system. People like me are supporting your business through our Fed and State taxes.

So what? You work 12 to 15 hours a day, lots of people do that, and they aren't taking home half a mil a year.

You might think you are top dog, but chances are you are some bigger dog's bit#@. People who post with the the type of self entitlement you express here usually are.

I could care less if you don't buy my story, good for you!

You have no idea what my business or myself is worth. What do you think wealthy is? I think rich is one million a year and wealthy to be at least one million a month. I do pay my fair share in taxes.

I do conduct business across state and federal boarders. No, I don't have illegal aliens working for my company.

It is to bad that people work 12 to 15 hour days and don't make half a mil a year, I used to and it sucks!

Whos my bigger dog then??? I would know if someone else was above me in the company, but I guess you know everything.

Please show me where I posted my self entitlement.

reply to post by topdog30


In a word: transmaterialism mixed with selflessness.

Originally posted by ldyserenity
reply to post by topdog30

 

In a word: transmaterialism mixed with selflessness.

How so?

Please explain.

reply to post by topdog30


Wealthy would be having a gross net worth over half a billion. A net income of a mil a year should quality you as rich.

If you pay your fair share of taxes, then what are you complaining about?

If you conduct business across state and national borders, then you should pay for the government infrastructure that allows this to happen. Mainly we are talking about the huge military industrial complex that keeps places like Taiwan in business. Then there is all the interest on the huge debt created building that huge military machine.

Your name "topdog" says it all. It portrays you as someone who doesn't care about what you do to others to get what you want. IMO, you do not come off as someone with the intellect or emotional maturity to run a multi-million dollar international business, but maybe you got lucky and tapped into a sweet deal.

reply to post by topdog30

I really don't think someone in the top 1% would be on here. They would be in a secret meeting trying to plan on how to get more money out of the surfs. LOL.
The reason I am not wealthy is I don't want to be. What would be the point? I don't need millions of dollars to live on. People actually need a lot less money than they think. I live on a little over $1,000 a month very comfortably. This is not because the cost of living is not high here in the USA but because I have learned to live without certain things.
I do not have cable, put minutes as needed on my cell phone, I do not have credit cars, I do not buy anything unless I have the money in the bank. This means even if I need something simple like bath tissue of toothpaste I wait until I have the money. I shop at the dollar tree, dollar general, aldis and amazon.com.(they don't charge for shipping if you purchase over $25 and they don't charge tax if you buy directly from them.)
I think the most sucessful person is someone who learns how to live on what they have no matter how small. I still have about $50-$100 left over every month. $31,000 to me sounds like a lot; if I made that much I would have hunderds left over every month. I aspire to make about $30,000 per year which is obtainable once I start teaching online courses.
I would rather be poor and work only 20-30 hours per week than be rich and work 40-50+. I bet a person who is rich works constantly. How is that true freedom? A person who is rich also will not know to survive if suddenly he or she loses everything. I am glad that I learned how to be poor but I strive to be more middle class.
Actually in a perfect world there would be a classless system. All education levels would make the same and everyone who works would make more than enough to live on at 30 hours per week.

reply to post by poet1b




That’s a good point about being wealthy. I was told by someone else they thought a rich person would be Shaq and the wealthy person would be the guy who signs his check. I guess I think anyone with a net worth of $50 million+ is wealthy.

I’m not complaining. I just asked some questions and the wolves attacked.
My name says I believe I’m the best at what I do. I do care about others and I do get what I want, most of the time. Well it depends if the wife lets me.
One doesn’t need an Ivy League education to evaluate a good deal and run a business. I feel anyone on ATS could replicate what I do, its not rocket science. I do not have a college degree but have learned what I need to in order to be successful.

I don’t think you can determine my emotional maturity by what I write on a conspiracy website. I guess you feel one needs to be some stiff business man you see on fox. That’s not me.

Maybe I have had some luck happen to me along the way, but it happened because I took action and didn’t sit around complaining about how people don’t share their money with me.

reply to post by dreamseeker


So you think only the people that are not in the top 1% are into conspiracies? I’m a sucker for UFOs. It fascinates me. I wish I could build my own spaceship to travel the universe and re enact my favorite SG1 episodes.

Why would I need to have a secret meeting to make money?

I hate seeing the generalizations that come out about people who have financial success. Where do these originate?

Sounds like you live a great life and you’re happy, that’s great. I’m very frugal with my money as well and only buy things I need, unless it’s mine or my wife’s birthday.

I didn’t grow up with a lot of money and didn’t make a lot of money in the Air Force. I still lived a pretty good life.
What kind of course are you going to teach?

Your right about the time spent working to build wealth. I started this business to make money so I could buy time. Its just the opposite, at least at first, but once the system was is in place and running smooth I was able to distance myself a bit. But a lot of people who run a business or make a lot of money are doing something they’re passionate about. To them they would go crazy not being around it. It becomes an obsession to them.

I guess some of the rich will not be able to survive it they lost it all because that’s all they have known. I bet those people didn’t build their company from nothing or grew up with a workers mentality.

Good luck on reaching your desired class level.

reply to post by topdog30


Maybe I misjudged, this latest post on your part seems much more like the response I would expect from someone with the level of success you describe.

Your first post on the thread asked a very pointed question, but wasn't directed at anyone, except for perhaps the op, but the op doesn't say he is on the economic bottom. It sounded defensive, like something that might come from a teenager.

Another early poster mentioned eliminating the top 1% with force, but there will always be a top 1%. Some people work hard and do great things, and deserve their big houses and beautiful wives, and that is what they want. Others also do great things, but don't want big houses, and have different tastes.

The thing is that these absorbent lifestyles are creating a lot of very unnecessary problems on this planet, and current levels of wealth distribution are a big reason why things are going so wrong. As a species, we should be doing a lot better. I don't know if you see this. I don't see how any reasonable intelligent person doesn't see this.