On Becoming Part Of The 1%

[Erand7899]

What kind of luxuries do you mean? The overpriced gasoline needed to get to and from their shitty minimum-wage jobs that don't offer any health benefits? Electricity in their homes? Heating? Food? Or do you mean all the drugs and alcohol that poor people buy and that's why they're all poor?

Remember that right-wing psycho asshole Bill O'Reilly made a really stupid point about 97% of poor people having refrigerators as proof of how well-off poor people are in America. Is that your standard to go by? Whoever owns a tv shouldn't get government assistance because they can sell their tv to buy food, right? But billionaire banker pieces of shit get multi-billion dollar bonuses from public funds for nearly destroying the entire global economy through illegal and pseudo-legal means, and that's just okay with you.

Smart phones, Xboxes, DVD's, multiple televisions, computers, internet. etc
You asked...may not like the answers.

They can just accept some austerity, right? Sell off their possessions to pay for their bad decisions, right? Tighten up their belts and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, right? All of their failures are their own fault, right?

Now go tell that insipid shit to the handful of billionaire banker scumbags who tanked the world economy to get themselves ahead. How many of them had to sell off their yachts, private jets and summer homes?

Perhaps, you should remove your head from your ass, quit making excuses for failure and try a new approach. There is little doubt, that once one allows themselves to be trapped in poverty, it is very hard to break out. The trick is to avoid getting trapped, and that starts at childhood. Learn to read, write, do math, walk and talk properly, and you are halfway there. Ninety nine percent of children are perfectly capable of doing that.

Stay single and childless until you have the resouces to support a spouse and children. Not that hard to do. Start learning skills that lead to better incomes and job security. Go to night school and earn a degree. Put away a few dollars every week for a rainy day fund, and when it grows large enough, start looking for ways to invest it.

 

[Indeependent]

If it's so easy to become rich then why didn't any of you Conservatives bother to do it?

Or are we all to believe that you Republican Conservatives invested wisely and saved millions of dollars and now that your lives are fulfilled, you don't have anything else to do but sit around all day on a public internet messageboard?

No one ever said it was easy to become rich. However, it is very possible if one is hard working and reasonably smart with their money. I started late in life, never worked at it that hard, and never got rich, but I did raise four kids, and retired comfortably at 55, with no debts, and enough cash flow to cover all of my needs and most of my wants. If I can do it, just about anyone can do it.

As a young man, I spent about half my income on wine, women, and song, and wasted the rest. Then, I learned that money is nothing more than another product that can be bought, sold, and leveraged. I cashed in a life insurance policy for $1300 and began investing in real estate. Within two years, I had title to four homes (with mortgages) and was building equity. Maintaining those four homes, while working a full time job, meant that I was not watching much TV, but I was watching my capital grow.

If I had continued to work and invest for another ten years, I most certainly would have gotten rich, but I had other interests, and sufficient income to follow those interests. I made choices that fit me. Anyone can do the same.

Just out of curiosity, what exactly was it about those homes that took up so much of your day?
I know people who own 3-4 homes and they watch plenty of TV.

 

[Erand7899]

Let me simplify it for you:
The 1% are fucking you just like they're fucking all the poor people that you hate, and you are blaming poor people because your ass hurts.

Son, you must have me confused with someone else. My ass isn't hurting and no 1%er is fucking me over. I worked saved and invested....now living comfortably

As comfortable as you think that you are, you are entirely expendable to the upper class, just like every poor person that you despise. Since they see you as the same expendable shit as the rest of society, what is it that makes you defend the wealthy elite when they would never defend you? Your entire life savings, however much it is, is worth about as much as a pile of used toilet paper to the real owners of this country. They don't care about you. They're using you and people like you to protect themselves from the 99%, and as long as "you have yours", you're okay with that.

Likewise, the 1%ers are expendable to me. I don't give a damn whether they live, die, lose their wealth, or just disappear. However, I do know that if I allow people like you to take their wealth, you will be after mine next, and that would definitely bother me.

The idea that the 1%ers are sitting on your shoulders and holding you down is so sick as to be scary. You definitely have a problem and it has nothing to do with the 1%ers. They don't even know that you are alive. You are not competing with 1%ers, you are competing with millions of other people that are in the same financial stress, and your failures are your own, and no one else's.

 

[Erand7899]

If it's so easy to become rich then why didn't any of you Conservatives bother to do it?

Or are we all to believe that you Republican Conservatives invested wisely and saved millions of dollars and now that your lives are fulfilled, you don't have anything else to do but sit around all day on a public internet messageboard?

No one ever said it was easy to become rich. However, it is very possible if one is hard working and reasonably smart with their money. I started late in life, never worked at it that hard, and never got rich, but I did raise four kids, and retired comfortably at 55, with no debts, and enough cash flow to cover all of my needs and most of my wants. If I can do it, just about anyone can do it.

As a young man, I spent about half my income on wine, women, and song, and wasted the rest. Then, I learned that money is nothing more than another product that can be bought, sold, and leveraged. I cashed in a life insurance policy for $1300 and began investing in real estate. Within two years, I had title to four homes (with mortgages) and was building equity. Maintaining those four homes, while working a full time job, meant that I was not watching much TV, but I was watching my capital grow.

If I had continued to work and invest for another ten years, I most certainly would have gotten rich, but I had other interests, and sufficient income to follow those interests. I made choices that fit me. Anyone can do the same.

Just out of curiosity, what exactly was it about those homes that took up so much of your day?
I know people who own 3-4 homes and they watch plenty of TV.

Plumbing, painting, cleaning, air conditioners, furnaces, carpet, tiles, etc. These were all tract homes, built cheaply, for low income renters. They required a lot of maintainence to keep them suitable for rent. I was also raising four children at the time, and that meant baseball, softball, boy scouts, girl scouts, cub scouts, and school events.

 

[Erand7899]

You are still talking about minimum wage ... Which is the minimum ... Which is the bottom.
I didn't say Wal-Mart could or couldn't pay more ... I said you are doing people a disservice trying to express that minimum wage is a worthwhile endeavor.
It isn't a goal to shoot for ... And if people accept the minimum ... Well, that is what they get.

You aren't doing anyone any favors ... You are creating an endless cycle of failure.
The fact you included yourself in the minimum wage group (you did say "us") ... Explains a lot about your passion in the matter.
Wake up fool ... You have got to find something better if you ever want to succeed ... Period.

.

You have a better suggestion? Job creators have created all of the jobs in China. Where are people supposed to work? JPMorganChase? The NSA? Join the army and go fight some war somewhere for some reason that keeps changing? Where are people supposed to work?

And please answer this question honestly: what do you think would happen to the minimum wage workers in this country if there wasn't a minimum wage?

They can take out student loans at loan shark rates. After spending years at night school and being a couple hundred thousand in debt, they can hope the job they trained for isn't outsourced, insourced, offshored, or roboticized.

Life is not guaranteed, and that is what makes it exciting. Never, ever, leave your life to chance. You can look to the future and predict where the job markets will be, and make your choices accordingly. If you find that you have been wrong, shift gears and move in another direction.

My college major was accounting, but I have never worked in that field. I was trained as an aviation electrician in the Navy, but never worked in that field after I left the Navy. I took an available job as a supply clerk in an industrial facility, worked my way into quality control, and then into management. You have to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way, learn new skills, and improve your value to the employer.

 

[depotoo]

Son, you must have me confused with someone else. My ass isn't hurting and no 1%er is fucking me over. I worked saved and invested....now living comfortably

As comfortable as you think that you are, you are entirely expendable to the upper class, just like every poor person that you despise. Since they see you as the same expendable shit as the rest of society, what is it that makes you defend the wealthy elite when they would never defend you? Your entire life savings, however much it is, is worth about as much as a pile of used toilet paper to the real owners of this country. They don't care about you. They're using you and people like you to protect themselves from the 99%, and as long as "you have yours", you're okay with that.

Likewise, the 1%ers are expendable to me. I don't give a damn whether they live, die, lose their wealth, or just disappear. However, I do know that if I allow people like you to take their wealth, you will be after mine next, and that would definitely bother me.

The idea that the 1%ers are sitting on your shoulders and holding you down is so sick as to be scary. You definitely have a problem and it has nothing to do with the 1%ers. They don't even know that you are alive. You are not competing with 1%ers, you are competing with millions of other people that are in the same financial stress, and your failures are your own, and no one else's.

Sad thing is he is really just competing with himself and losing at that. Though maybe he enjoys wallowing in his own misery. That way he never has to be fully responsible to himself or to others. Hopefully before it is too late he will wake up and see the beauty of a sunrise.

 

[depotoo]

Smart phones, Xboxes, DVD's, multiple televisions, computers, internet. etc
You asked...may not like the answers.

They can just accept some austerity, right? Sell off their possessions to pay for their bad decisions, right? Tighten up their belts and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, right? All of their failures are their own fault, right?

Now go tell that insipid shit to the handful of billionaire banker scumbags who tanked the world economy to get themselves ahead. How many of them had to sell off their yachts, private jets and summer homes?

Perhaps, you should remove your head from your ass, quit making excuses for failure and try a new approach. There is little doubt, that once one allows themselves to be trapped in poverty, it is very hard to break out. The trick is to avoid getting trapped, and that starts at childhood. Learn to read, write, do math, walk and talk properly, and you are halfway there. Ninety nine percent of children are perfectly capable of doing that.

Stay single and childless until you have the resouces to support a spouse and children. Not that hard to do. Start learning skills that lead to better incomes and job security. Go to night school and earn a degree. Put away a few dollars every week for a rainy day fund, and when it grows large enough, start looking for ways to invest it.

I personally know of a gentleman that could not read or write, yet he built himself a large successful construction business within 5 years of going out on his own at age 30. He surrounded himself with those he could trust to handle his paper work and with his secret. He also married young and had 3 kids, yet still succeeded. At 45 he finally took the time to learn how to read and write. Turned out he was dyslexic. He was one that always saw the glass as half full despite the huge obstacles that could have held him back. And no, he did not have parents there backing him up.

 

[Spiderman]

The very idea that anyone can get really wealthy is retarded. Practically anyone can work themselves into an early grave to pay debts on houses and cars though, I think many conservatives equate borrowing power to wealth. What of those who do not like the idea of massive debt? In our society it seems an unwillingness to take on long-term debt is seen as laziness for some reason.

Define wealthy.

And I have never had a car loan, or carried credit card debt past one billing cycle.

Anyone can retire a millionaire it's quite simple.

Save 200 a month from age 18 to age 68 and earn a fairly conservative 8% and retire with 1.5 million. Now imagine what that would be if you saved the max allowable for a Roth IRA 458 a month for the same time at the same return (3.6 million)

Now safely invest that 1.5million (or 3.6 million) at 5% and withdraw 60K a year and you will never run out of money before you croak and have millions left over to leave to your family.

One person can create a legacy of wealth in his lifetime for his family for 200 a month.

A fairly conservative 8%? Where are you getting that amount from? A lot of people that had put money away in 401's were getting way less than 8% and still lost the bulk of their retirements. Then those that lost their jobs, had to withdraw what was left, paying the penalties of course if they were under 59 1/2, just to get by.

What has the market averaged over its existence?

10%

And you don't lose money in the market unless you sell at a loss. Anyone who saw portfolios take a hit in 2008 have recouped everything and then some if they didn't panic and sell.

If people were getting way less than 8% then they did not have the right mix of investments And if you lose your job you don't have to withdraw money from your 401K

Your problem is you can't think in a 50 year block of time all you see is the short term.

I'm talking about 200 a month that's it. Do you realize how many people spend 200 a month and have no idea what they spent it on?

 

[Geaux4it]

I keep reading about how there is this 1% and how much they have and how much more they are amassing and so on and so forth, but what is stopping anyone in America from joining them? Anyone can invest in the stock market or trade bonds, free education is available to every child and anyone can go to college thanks to student loans and scholarships. The sky is the limit here, so how much of the class divide is really class warfare and how much is people not using the opportunities they have or making poor choices?

Go ask Obama about the 1%. He knew them oh so well during campaign. Now he is paying them back at the expense of the middle class

What a guy....

-Geaux

No, he's not. Can't you Conservatives get your story straight? Obama's a Marxist Kenyan Muslim Socialist and he's destroying America for rich corporations, remember?

Which is it? Is Obama a Marxist who is taking from the rich and redistributing it to unwed illegal aliens and their anchor crack babies, or is Obama siding with the 1% over the dwindling middle class? Which is it? Do you even know?

He's siding with the 1% he convinced LIV's were evil. Now he is lining the pockets of these CEO's as payoff for being his whipping boys. The redistribution of wealth is coming out of the pockets of the middle class

-Geaux

 

[JoeB131]

I keep reading about how there is this 1% and how much they have and how much more they are amassing and so on and so forth, but what is stopping anyone in America from joining them? Anyone can invest in the stock market or trade bonds, free education is available to every child and anyone can go to college thanks to student loans and scholarships. The sky is the limit here, so how much of the class divide is really class warfare and how much is people not using the opportunities they have or making poor choices?

So do you go down to the Rape Crisis Center and hand out Strap ons and tell the ladies there that nothing is stopping them from joining their abusers?

REally? Really?

 

[Geaux4it]

I keep reading about how there is this 1% and how much they have and how much more they are amassing and so on and so forth, but what is stopping anyone in America from joining them? Anyone can invest in the stock market or trade bonds, free education is available to every child and anyone can go to college thanks to student loans and scholarships. The sky is the limit here, so how much of the class divide is really class warfare and how much is people not using the opportunities they have or making poor choices?

So do you go down to the Rape Crisis Center and hand out Strap ons and tell the ladies there that nothing is stopping them from joining their abusers?

REally? Really?

No, they are suppose to urinate on the attacker. Proven techniques that worked in field trials

-Geaux

 

[Mac1958]

I keep reading about how there is this 1% and how much they have and how much more they are amassing and so on and so forth, but what is stopping anyone in America from joining them? Anyone can invest in the stock market or trade bonds, free education is available to every child and anyone can go to college thanks to student loans and scholarships. The sky is the limit here, so how much of the class divide is really class warfare and how much is people not using the opportunities they have or making poor choices?

The problem is that the tide has turned and this is now cultural.

Look at how the Left communicates -- you never see them challenging people to raise their standards and expectations, it's always, always about how they have been cheated and victimized, and that the only reason they're not where they want to be is that someone else has done them wrong.

So now, anyone, anyone who has succeeded is looked at suspiciously by more and more people. It doesn't matter if that person has worked hard, played by the rules, got back up after failures, sacrificed and practiced self-discipline. In fact, those qualities are now mocked by the Left, as if they're some kind of joke.

If your skin color is this, if you're born into that situation, you're fucked. Just fucked. That's it, game over. What a horrible, horrible thing to do to a person.

We've passed the tipping point, so now we'll just have to live with the inevitable decline that is caused by the lowering of standards and expectations, and the perverted disdain that more and more people have for anyone with more than them.

It's taken a while, but here we are.

.

 

[JoeB131]

[
The problem is that the tide has turned and this is now cultural.

Look at how the Left communicates -- you never see them challenging people to raise their standards and expectations, it's always, always about how they have been cheated and victimized, and that the only reason they're not where they want to be is that someone else has done them wrong.

So now, anyone, anyone who has succeeded is looked at suspiciously by more and more people. It doesn't matter if that person has worked hard, played by the rules, got back up after failures, sacrificed and practiced self-discipline. In fact, those qualities are now mocked by the Left, as if they're some kind of joke.

If your skin color is this, if you're born into that situation, you're fucked. Just fucked. That's it, game over. What a horrible, horrible thing to do to a person.

We've passed the tipping point, so now we'll just have to live with the inevitable decline that is caused by the lowering of standards and expectations, and the perverted disdain that more and more people have for anyone with more than them.

It's taken a while, but here we are.

.

You see, guy, your view of history is skewed.

We actually did have a point where we lionized the victimizers and the Robber Barons and such, until people got fed up with little Molly getting sucked into a thresher so that Daddy Warbucks could buy another mansion. So we had a Labor Movement and a Civil Rights Movement and a New Deal and a Great Society, and guess what, for a while there, the people who did the work actually got their fair share, and the rich paid for their fair share. And BOTH political parties realized this was a good thing.

And we never enjoyed greater prosperity.

but the Rich, being the Rich, that wasn't good enough. So they got a bunch of stupid people to vote against their own economic interests by playing on their racial, religious and sexual fears. And they got "Right to Work" and "Free Trade" and "At Will Employment". So they could screw w orking people with impunity again. And they could get big glossy spreads in "Forbes" and "Fortune" sniffing their own flatulence and talking about how wonderful they are.

And while Molly is no longer being sucked into a threshing machine, little Pradip is.

And when you have people who aren't living as well as their parents, but the 1% are getting richer and they are all working harder, you get a guy like Obama who can talk the Class Warfare stuff and get a response.

Here's a hint. 20 years ago, I'd have never voted for a clown like Obama.

 

[DiamondDave]

The very idea that anyone can get really wealthy is retarded. Practically anyone can work themselves into an early grave to pay debts on houses and cars though, I think many conservatives equate borrowing power to wealth. What of those who do not like the idea of massive debt? In our society it seems an unwillingness to take on long-term debt is seen as laziness for some reason.

Bill Gates, the college dropout, is the wealthiest person in the world.
Mark Zuckerburg, the college dropout, was the youngest person to become a billionaire.
Facts are against you.

Facts are always against that troll retard

 

[Mac1958]

[
The problem is that the tide has turned and this is now cultural.

Look at how the Left communicates -- you never see them challenging people to raise their standards and expectations, it's always, always about how they have been cheated and victimized, and that the only reason they're not where they want to be is that someone else has done them wrong.

So now, anyone, anyone who has succeeded is looked at suspiciously by more and more people. It doesn't matter if that person has worked hard, played by the rules, got back up after failures, sacrificed and practiced self-discipline. In fact, those qualities are now mocked by the Left, as if they're some kind of joke.

If your skin color is this, if you're born into that situation, you're fucked. Just fucked. That's it, game over. What a horrible, horrible thing to do to a person.

We've passed the tipping point, so now we'll just have to live with the inevitable decline that is caused by the lowering of standards and expectations, and the perverted disdain that more and more people have for anyone with more than them.

It's taken a while, but here we are.

.

You see, guy, your view of history is skewed.

We actually did have a point where we lionized the victimizers and the Robber Barons and such, until people got fed up with little Molly getting sucked into a thresher so that Daddy Warbucks could buy another mansion. So we had a Labor Movement and a Civil Rights Movement and a New Deal and a Great Society, and guess what, for a while there, the people who did the work actually got their fair share, and the rich paid for their fair share. And BOTH political parties realized this was a good thing.

And we never enjoyed greater prosperity.

but the Rich, being the Rich, that wasn't good enough. So they got a bunch of stupid people to vote against their own economic interests by playing on their racial, religious and sexual fears. And they got "Right to Work" and "Free Trade" and "At Will Employment". So they could screw w orking people with impunity again. And they could get big glossy spreads in "Forbes" and "Fortune" sniffing their own flatulence and talking about how wonderful they are.

And while Molly is no longer being sucked into a threshing machine, little Pradip is.

And when you have people who aren't living as well as their parents, but the 1% are getting richer and they are all working harder, you get a guy like Obama who can talk the Class Warfare stuff and get a response.

Here's a hint. 20 years ago, I'd have never voted for a clown like Obama.

.

And right on cue, the King himself chips in to show us how it's done.



.

 

[JoeB131]

You mean pointing out how your "Stockholm Syndrome" is a bit unseemly when the rich are abusing the rest of us?

Yup. That's how it's done, guy.

No one is buying the "I've got more money and I'm better than you."

They just have more money. A situation easily remedied with a sensible tax code.

 

[Spiderman]

I keep reading about how there is this 1% and how much they have and how much more they are amassing and so on and so forth, but what is stopping anyone in America from joining them? Anyone can invest in the stock market or trade bonds, free education is available to every child and anyone can go to college thanks to student loans and scholarships. The sky is the limit here, so how much of the class divide is really class warfare and how much is people not using the opportunities they have or making poor choices?

So do you go down to the Rape Crisis Center and hand out Strap ons and tell the ladies there that nothing is stopping them from joining their abusers?

REally? Really?

COme up with a new lame line once n a while.

 

[Jarhead]

If it's so easy to become rich then why didn't any of you Conservatives bother to do it?

Or are we all to believe that you Republican Conservatives invested wisely and saved millions of dollars and now that your lives are fulfilled, you don't have anything else to do but sit around all day on a public internet messageboard?

No one ever said it was easy to become rich. However, it is very possible if one is hard working and reasonably smart with their money. I started late in life, never worked at it that hard, and never got rich, but I did raise four kids, and retired comfortably at 55, with no debts, and enough cash flow to cover all of my needs and most of my wants. If I can do it, just about anyone can do it.

As a young man, I spent about half my income on wine, women, and song, and wasted the rest. Then, I learned that money is nothing more than another product that can be bought, sold, and leveraged. I cashed in a life insurance policy for $1300 and began investing in real estate. Within two years, I had title to four homes (with mortgages) and was building equity. Maintaining those four homes, while working a full time job, meant that I was not watching much TV, but I was watching my capital grow.

If I had continued to work and invest for another ten years, I most certainly would have gotten rich, but I had other interests, and sufficient income to follow those interests. I made choices that fit me. Anyone can do the same.

Just out of curiosity, what exactly was it about those homes that took up so much of your day?
I know people who own 3-4 homes and they watch plenty of TV.

you need to understand the importance of having a differential. Sure, one can sit around all day and let those homes generate income for as long as they can. OR....one can put time and effort into ensuring that home ALWAYS has a differential in the marketplace so when the marketplace dries up, YOUR home(s) are the ones that rent.

Same holds true for those "dead end" jobs. Sure, you can arrive at 9 and leave at 5; use all of your sick days; use all of your personal days; call in when there are 3 inches of snow on the ground. OR.....you can get in early and prepare for your day while the higher ups see the effort; call in sick ONLY when you are sick so the higher ups see at the end of the year that you did NOT use all of your sick days; come in when there are 6 inches of snow on the ground so the higher ups can see that you care....

Those with a differential get noticed.

Just remember....

going through the motions while working 40 hours a week makes you a working American.

It DOES NOT make you a HARD working American.

 

[editec]

Good lord what tools some of you are.

We just saw the largest transfer of working people's wealth to the BANKSTERS that has ever occurred.

STill some of you are foolish enough to think socialism is the big threat to your lives.

Honestly citizens, wake up!

 

[ClosedCaption]

I keep reading about how there is this 1% and how much they have and how much more they are amassing and so on and so forth, but what is stopping anyone in America from joining them? Anyone can invest in the stock market or trade bonds, free education is available to every child and anyone can go to college thanks to student loans and scholarships. The sky is the limit here, so how much of the class divide is really class warfare and how much is people not using the opportunities they have or making poor choices?

The problem is that the tide has turned and this is now cultural.

Look at how the Left communicates -- you never see them challenging people to raise their standards and expectations, it's always, always about how they have been cheated and victimized, and that the only reason they're not where they want to be is that someone else has done them wrong.

You mean like raising the min wage, More Maternity leave, employee protections and other stuff the right tells us is a waste of time? Are those the standards that liberals dont raise? Last time I looked the right is the one saying the unions get paid too much, get too much time off and should be restricted to match the private sector.

I guessing thats a different situation tho...one where not raising the bar is now a virtue

So now, anyone, anyone who has succeeded is looked at suspiciously by more and more people. It doesn't matter if that person has worked hard, played by the rules, got back up after failures, sacrificed and practiced self-discipline. In fact, those qualities are now mocked by the Left, as if they're some kind of joke.

Examples of that include this strawman! and that strawman over there! No links tho...just bluster. In fact someone will quote me and now tell me why links are stupid and bluster is cool!

If your skin color is this, if you're born into that situation, you're fucked. Just fucked. That's it, game over. What a horrible, horrible thing to do to a person.

We've passed the tipping point, so now we'll just have to live with the inevitable decline that is caused by the lowering of standards and expectations, and the perverted disdain that more and more people have for anyone with more than them.

It's taken a while, but here we are.

.

Again what standards are liberal lowering and how do those standards affect pay or success?