[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Oh. I thought we were talking about "rich".
Your "customer A" is into the bank for loads and owns nothing.

Dead on. The guy's probably in debt so far over his head that he couldn't easily afford the $1500 notebook. Unless he put it on his already nearly-maxed-out Platinum Visa. You can recognize the type by how many credit cards are in their wallets. If there are more than three, guess what?

There are poor people with lots of stuff and poor people with very little stuff, they're both in the same boat... and it's sinking. (Of course, it sinks faster with all the extra things in it.)

[finboy]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I work very hard for my money, and to see some spoiled goddamn brat talk to us like we are dishonest shysters makes me want to show them the business end of my hammer.

Oh yeah, the inheritors. I've seen some real horror stories there, up close.

The Chinese fellow has it right though (and he's quoting Ayn Rand): if his children are smarter than him they won't need it, and if they aren't it will ruin them. That's not universally true, but it happens frequently: give someone something and they just don't take care of it. Wealth makes its own demands.

[hyteckit]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Which is why Gates and Buffet are giving all their money away? Neither was wealthy as a child and came into their money as adults.

Raised rich, you're likely to be a prat. Work hard and become rich, you're more likely to be better adjusted.

But Gates and Buffet are liberal tools who advocate for tax the rich.

Republicans hate those.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by hyteckit 

But Gates and Buffet are liberal tools who advocate for tax the rich.

Republicans hate those.

Bill? He's okay, the guy is actually trying to do something decent. I've reconsidered my opinion on Buffett, in light of the way he's doling out his "contributions". He's just grandstanding, which is a sad thing at his age.

[ebuddy]

I think some definition of "rich" is in order. There isn't a single one of us that did not inherit wealth greater than that of most others abroad. For some, rich is greater than $250k a year, for others rich is their supervisor or any management or position of authority or any person making more than they.

By the logic I'm seeing here - having overheard "entry-levelers" talking about how to claim bankruptcy to get what they want from new creditors; I could use this as the anecdote to support the view that people of lower incomes are milking others. The truth is, there are over-acheivers and under-acheivers of all walks of life and of all incomes. If you are an under-acheiver, you have attained wealth off the backs of someone else, period.

[Athens]

When you say inherit, what do you mean by that. I started out my adult life with absolutely nothing. Nothing inherited material wise, wealth wise.

[ironknee]

we're talking super-rich.

billionaires not mere millionaires.

they pay at a lower tax bracket than a regular joe the plumber

not too hard to understand

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by ironknee 

we're talking super-rich.

billionaires not mere millionaires.

they pay at a lower tax bracket than a regular joe the plumber

No. Let's have it framed properly:
Regular Joe the plumber pays at a higher rate than the billionaires.

Joe should have his tax slashed to match theirs, not theirs raised to match his.

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

No. Let's have it framed properly:
Regular Joe the plumber pays at a higher rate than the billionaires.

Joe should have his tax slashed to match theirs, not theirs raised to match his.

Yes, that'll help pay off that $115 Trillion in no time.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

Yes, that'll help pay off that $115 Trillion in no time.

but... but... [taken from a different thread] "the Debt is a red herring", "business is for profit, government is for the betterment of the country".

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

Yes, that'll help pay off that $115 Trillion in no time.

Default it back to $0 then don't run up a fecking debt in the first place.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by ironknee 

The rich are cheap. That's how they got rich.

I'm not cheap or Scrooge-like, methinks there are exceptions to your "rule".

[ebuddy]

Originally Posted by Athens 

When you say inherit, what do you mean by that. I started out my adult life with absolutely nothing. Nothing inherited material wise, wealth wise.

The inheritance occurs throughout your upbringing, into adulthood, and IMO cannot be separated from what you "started with" later on. For instance; you were born with resources available to you that are not available elsewhere. I too started my adult life with nothing, but I always held employment, always earned and bought, and do not recall having absolutely nothing to eat or way to get food. While I believe there is much more to define one's value than pocketbook or income, no one starts with absolutely nothing. Some start with more than others. I believe you and I are among those who started out with more even though there have been... turbulent times.