Obama: Wealthy aren't responsible for their own success

[DRKM]

Originally posted by chibwack


This. I can't remember the exact numbers as I read this about a year ago in Economist, but basically everybody's complaining that the richest 1% pays less tax than the 99%, but that in actual fact that richest 1% pays something to the extent of 40% of America's total tax income. Or in other words, they're not only creating and providing all the jobs to the general public, but they're providing all the social services that are completely unneeded by themselves. It's a society of entitlement, and I hate it. Just a bunch of shits crying that they aren't rich like the guys in the news.

A quick google search gave this:
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/05/top...-make-and-pay/

That the top 1% income earners in the USA (as of 2005) paid 18% of the total federal income tax. This actually increased in the Bush years as incomes rose faster then inflation. (For the top 1% of America)


It is important to mention that the top 10% of America owns over 50% of the wealth in the US. You can google this one as it is easy to find.

What aggravates me about these discussions is that for consumption to continue the middle+lower classes need money.

The more wealth that is located there (Middle class) the more money that will be made by the 1%. Research the issue yourself, don't just listen to punditry from the Right or Left.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by DRKM


A quick google search gave this:
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/05/top...-make-and-pay/

That the top 1% income earners in the USA (as of 2005) paid 18% of the total federal income tax. This actually increased in the Bush years as incomes rose faster then inflation. (For the top 1% of America)


It is important to mention that the top 10% of America owns over 50% of the wealth in the US. You can google this one as it is easy to find.

What aggravates me about these discussions is that for consumption to continue the middle+lower classes need money.

The more wealth that is located there (Middle class) the more money that will be made by the 1%. Research the issue yourself, don't just listen to punditry from the Right or Left.

You misquoted your own quote man.. :P

As for taxes, CBO calculates that the top 1 percent paid 27.6 percent of all federal taxes, including:

38.8 percent of federal individual income taxes
4.0 percent of federal social insurance taxes (Social Security and Medicare)
58.6 percent of corporate income taxes (indirectly, through stock ownership)
5.5 percent of federal excise taxes (on such things as gasoline, tobacco, alcoholic beverages and telephones.)

[DRKM]

Opps. Ment personal... :P

[Nitro5]

Originally posted by NuclearPizzaMan

Damn, that is pretty impressive. How did you build your business without the benefit of clean air, safe food, integrated communications, a body of professional/industrial standards, a network of roads/highways, an educated work force/consumer, local police and national defense forces... ?


It is amazing how many people take civilization for granted. Why should people who benefit the most from civilization not pay the most to maintain it? It isn't cheap.

Smells like entitlement.

I think this line of thinking is only valid if the successful business person had access to these services exclusively. Were they provided above and beyond what anyone else has access to? If these are universal benefits provided to the whole society then anyone can take advantage of them to make themselves successful.

[slinkie]

Originally posted by Type_S1


Maybe because the richest are smarter then the rest and know how to use their time wisely

+1

[LollerBrader]

This 2-percenter certainly couldn't have pulled himself up by his bootstraps if it wasn't for the support of our society, and many individuals.

At age 18, I found myself homeless, jobless, diplomaless, and clueless.

Worked joe jobs for a few years, bouncing off the bottom. Often panhandled to make up the difference.

Eventually suffered a workplace injury which cost me a job and required surgery. Subsequently needed to collect welfare while I awaited the compo red tape to sort out. Drew off the food bank a couple of times.

Somewhere around this time I met a brilliant fellow named Joel Klammer who became my friend, showed me that I too had a brain, and showed me how to use it.

Subsequently, a student loan to go to adult school eventually provided the way up from the bottom - And then a subsequent student loan got me to University.

University opened many doors for me. If it wasn't for student loans, I'd never have found a way out. Additionally, many people opened doors for me. The man who gave me my first job on campus. The man who gave me my first job once I graduated. The people who took me under their wing and mentored me.

I do not have sufficient vanity to suggest I'm such a superstar that these things were destined for me - In most cases, simple good fortune played a larger role than I did personally.


I see the poor fux who clean the bathrooms at my work. I see the poor fux that run themselves ragged to make and serve my lunch. On the bus I see the busted up construction workers that are in so much pain they're drunk as soon as their work day ends. I see the myriad minimum wage-poor fux that service my life, and feel bad for them. Not too much - For without them, I'd be cleaning my own bathrooms and making my own lunch, laundering my own clothes, etc.

They work hard.

I have known hard, thankless work, but have not had to do it in so many years.

White collar-hard and blue collar-hard are two entirely different critters.

Assholes that talk about how hard they've worked to get their success, are usually just that.

[DRKM]

Originally posted by LollerBrader
This 2-percenter certainly couldn't have pulled himself up by his bootstraps if it wasn't for the support of our society, and many individuals.

At age 18, I found myself homeless, jobless, diplomaless, and clueless.

Worked joe jobs for a few years, bouncing off the bottom. Often panhandled to make up the difference.

Eventually suffered a workplace injury which cost me a job and required surgery. Subsequently needed to collect welfare while I awaited the compo red tape to sort out. Drew off the food bank a couple of times.

Somewhere around this time I met a brilliant fellow named Joel Klammer who became my friend, showed me that I too had a brain, and showed me how to use it.

Subsequently, a student loan to go to adult school eventually provided the way up from the bottom - And then a subsequent student loan got me to University.

University opened many doors for me. If it wasn't for student loans, I'd never have found a way out. Additionally, many people opened doors for me. The man who gave me my first job on campus. The man who gave me my first job once I graduated. The people who took me under their wing and mentored me.

I do not have sufficient vanity to suggest I'm such a superstar that these things were destined for me - In most cases, simple good fortune played a larger role than I did personally.


I see the poor fux who clean the bathrooms at my work. I see the poor fux that run themselves ragged to make and serve my lunch. On the bus I see the busted up construction workers that are in so much pain they're drunk as soon as their work day ends. I see the myriad minimum wage-poor fux that service my life, and feel bad for them. Not too much - For without them, I'd be cleaning my own bathrooms and making my own lunch, laundering my own clothes, etc.

They work hard.

I have known hard, thankless work, but have not had to do it in so many years.

White collar-hard and blue collar-hard are two entirely different critters.

Assholes that talk about how hard they've worked to get their success, are usually just that.

Well said.