In Defense of High Income Earners

I own a small business but it's not like I'm THAT important. I also do work with charities and so on - and I thought all members filled their profile out the same way I did -which was just put our corporate website on here and whatever. Turns out that's not the case. Which is why this place has more Constitutional Lawyers / Physicist / Purple Heart winners etc.... than most. Okey dokey.

So I joined this board and another to learn about the Tea Party (which I liked when they were about Taxed Enough Already but not anymore since they decided to become my social conscience). I'm one of those folks who might be paying more soon, if Obama gets his tax increase on families with our income approved. Whatever. I'm proud I've worked hard to get where I am.
And here is where the LibDems on the other board (and at least one here) REALLY (*)(*)(*)(*) ME OFF.
I worked hard. I took MY money and gambled on starting my own business. My name was on the office lease. I worked 16 hour days. And now?
I still work hard but I get to <<< Mod Edit: Profanity filter bypassed >>> around here, go play tennis with my daughter during the afternoon and then go back to work later if I want to. I get to travel, put money aside so I don't have to live on just SSI, save so my daughter can go to a really good school and I drive a great big gas guzzing politically incorrect Mercedes <<< Mod Edit: Bypassed the profanity filter >>> Benz S500 tyvm!
And guess what? Apparently, that makes me "greedy".
On my other board, I mentioned that my daughter wants to go to Stanford or UCLA and we're putting the estimated $500K aside for this. I got mass-blasted by the more extreme LibDems for being "a greedy SOB".
Same thing happened here a while back. A Liberal here (I'm pretty sure it was RightwingAFraud) went to my corporate site and saw that I pay $10,000 referral fees to folks who help us out. Apparently that makes me greedy (because you know, showing your appreciation instead of keeping every penny makes you greedy). Of course he didn't mention the fact that our firm also donates and additional $250 out of every transaction to charity. When I brought it up, he decided that's not enough. As if it's for him to decide. So we average around $8,000 a year and he gives how much to charity every year? Exactly.
So the guy on my other board saw that I volunteer training vets on resume writing / interviewing etc... about 10 hours every week. This is unsatisfactory. Why? Because it shouldn't be only vets. Well excuse TF outta me but I'm a vet and I'll GIVE my time where I want. You want to help everyone else? Good! I won't betch at you for it.
Then of course, other Extreme Libbies joined in to tell me I don't appreciate my workers enough. You know, those folks I'm taking to Maui (including their S.O.'s) because we're already above any year we've had since 2007? (yes folks, the economy IS getting better). The people who work three days in the office and two from home? Yeah. Those are the people the Libs just "know" are under-appreciated - without knowing me or them.
WTF?!?!?!?!?!

I get it. There are people who have inherited money, who are worthless pieces of shet (Paris Hilton comes to mind). But guess what? Some of us just plain worked harder than you did. We took gut wrenching risks that left our checking account down to $27 before we got that life-saving check from that first client. Now, we put you to work. If it wasn't for us, you would do what, exactly?
But you betch because we want to send our kids to college and when we retire, we want to live in a Dell Webb community (my mom lives in one - it's like Sandals resorts!)?
<<< Bypassed the profanity filter >>>

Okay sorry about that. I get attacked by Conservs all the time. I'm too Liberal on way too many (mostly social) issues for their liking. I can deal with that. But when did Americans become "the enemy" just because they achieved at least some level of the American Dream? Do Liberals believe the ONLY acceptable way to become successful, is by becoming a Journeyman union member at the National Society of Global Warming Prevention and Gun Control?

That's seriously <<< Mod Edit: Bypassed the profanity filter >>> up folks.

 

Good post.

You're the enemy to those who are the enemy of this country, and seek its destruction. There is no point in attempting any mollification. It is as though the Soviets from the Cold War Era are living amongst us, and we're supposed to find a way to co-exist.

Won't happen. Oil and Water. Successful - and not. Freedom loving - and not.

They do not want you to be successful without being able to take the credit.

The truly greedy are simply the truly jealous.

 

the wealthy are the enemy because they make too much money, small business owners aren't really going to be taxed more unless they make more than 250 thousand a year after all expenses

anyone making that much is the enemy if they do not want to pay more taxes and redstribute wealth to most of the country who does not earn that much.

 

No, just lucky. At least a little bit. No offense. It's just the reality -- you plant your fields, you tend your crops, and then there's the weather.

Some people aren't as lucky. They worked as hard, they were just as clever, they were good people, and then there's the weather.

It's not greedy for you to want to live your own life and on your own terms. I think it only becomes greedy if you can't give something to your community. In an ideal world, every person should choose their own method of contributing, but forget the moral question, we just aren't quite that organized yet.

 

But that's also not what anyone is complaining about. Nobody wants to take anything away from you. We just want the people in suits to stop profiting at our expense. They're making decisions that are making everyone else's life worse in order to improve their own, and that's just not acceptable and nobody has to put up with it and so I don't think we will for much longer. Nobody wants to eliminate your kids' ability to college -- we want more peoples' kids to be able to go to college, not fewer. We want more people to live the American dream, not just the privileged few chosen by other privileged few. We tried that world of letting the privileged few and their chosen successors be bosses of everyone for most of humanity's existence and then we invented America to put an end to that kind of thing.

 

That's like saying "We just want people who aren't rich to work harder and pull their fair share." Obviously not all people who aren't rich, don't fall into any particular category, do they?
So why posit a statement that implies such for anyone making a decent income?
I own an employment agency. I get people jobs. How is it exactly, that I make decisions that make everyone else's life worse? Exactly. I don't.
Obviously, you're not a whackjob like Rightwingfraud but your language is pretty close to that of a victim / blamer mentality.
Success is there for you too - if you want it and are willing to work to get it.

 

I design and build custom cabin style furniture. 80% of my business is generated from the Lake Tahoe of California/Nevada. My 'stuff' is very expensive. People that make under $500k per year seldom purchase custom designed and crafted furniture. I know 4 other people that do the same thing and there are a large number of people doing it that I don't know personally. All in all, I'd estimate, there about 25-30 small furniture makers that are being 'supported' almost exclusively from the 'wealthy' that have vacation homes and year around residences in the Lake Tahoe area alone. There are many areas like Tahoe around the country. I am just one facet of business being supported by the wealthy living at Lake Tahoe. I do quite well by the way and have for a number of years.
If I had to depend on selling my product to 'the working class' I would have shut down years ago, possibly I'd have never started in the first place. I'm certain that you have never considered having a custom Adirondack style bedroom suite designed and built...nor has your neighbor or friends.
Now, I in turn, have a very comfortable income. I spend money that I earn 'from the rich'. I buy a new car and truck every few years, I buy new equipment regularly. I eat out a few times a week, purchase materials, Keep up to date with design software and the latest computer hardware, and so on and so forth...In fact, I'd venture to say that most of what I earn, actually 'trickles down'. Just as the money that I 'earn' from my wealthy clients 'trickles down'.

 

Can anyone explain where the right exists for one person to "take" from another. Not a government tax, but actually believe you deserve a portion of the income or wealth of someone else. You may "fell" you deserve it, but it comes down to jealousy.

 

Congratulations on your success! It sounds like work you enjoy. I think there's something very artistic about well made furniture. My wife has the main living room done in French Provincial. It's beautiful! (But I'm not allowed in there most of the time because of a certain incident involving my toenails and the coffee table ONE TIME...).

 

Please define "much" in the bolded above.

Please define "that much" in the underlined above.

 

Just out of curiosity, how would you determine how much a laborer "deserves" from the business they worked for? A percentage of the companies income? A specific dollar amount? A percentage of the business owners net worth?

What are you proposing then?

If someone dies all of their money is given to the poor or the government instead of that persons family?

If you win the lottery you are only allowed to keep "enough" the rest is given to the poor/government?

You are only allowed to have "enough" invested at any one time, and any profits should be given to the poor/government?

 

that is the epitomy of what is wrong with this country, no doubt there is a small economy at the top that caters to the wealthy 1 percent building and washing their expensive yachts, furniture, cars but that is the extent of the trickle down economics.

most of this country is the 'working class' they don't feel anything 'trickling down' from those saturated evil doers at the top.

if we hike taxes on them and some small business like the one stated above has to shut down so the majority of this country can be helped then that is a good trade off for society.

 

Absolutely...take what you think you'd need (without being greedy), and leave some for others to help improve society.

 

Classic Mob Rule... When someone not directly connected to a Business believes they deserve a portion of its work clearly shows either envy or the lack of appreciation/respect for someone's property.

I love your little attempt to link the Right to Germans... which you're pulling the Nazi card. They despise people who aren't working yet, expect the wealth of others that aren't directly connected to them to pay for their expenses.

Why not simply have a 100% Income Tax while we're at it?

Who makes the judgement call on what is considered being too greedy? The masses who can profit from the expense of others or out of touch Politicians looking to get reelected?

 

How did the American dream go from busting your ass so your kids could live a better life to

Bust your ass so other people that dont work hard benefit from your work?

Swear to god some of you want to go back to King and Serf days. One person to lead us and 99% serfs all being treated the same and "fair".

 

Because what lots of people crave is economic security at all costs. They see complete and total, cradle to grave economic security as a human right. Right up there with Free Speech and you should have it regardless of merit. Actually they see it as superior to all other rights because to a leftist. Unless one has complete and total economic security, one isn't truly "free". They will gladly and totally trade what they see as "trivial" liberties for that one overriding goal.

That is the problem. Fix that problem and the rest will go away.

 

I never have been called on to wash anything (?) I have been blessed with an ability which I can market, profitably. The 'working class' isn't that market. Hell, I'm not even that market.
With your way of thinking I can't help but envision assembly lines of nameless, faceless workers toiling away making their 'affordable' widgets for the common man. Each widget identical to the other widgets. Each worker supplying the demands of each other worker...nothing more, nothing less. The great machine of sameness and equality. I certainly pray that your 'workers utopia' dream fails to materialize. Meanwhile, I will continue to service the wealthy and place myself in a position where I can afford a better brand of widget...I wallow in the 'trickle'.

 

Wow you are truly clueless. The guy with the furniture store does something that Ford, GE, Big Oil and so on never do: He hires 100% American workers. Guess what else he does that they don't do? He pays his taxes 100% in America. No off-shoring funds to Ireland and so forth. Small businesses are better for the average American than any type. And guess what else? We small business owners have to do it without special tax breaks, subsidies etc...
And you want to shut down the small businesses. What an ignorant baffoon.

Why don't you go try out for the play at the high school. I hear the role of "Victim" is still open...

 

a collective benefits society the most, the biggest working class makes this country most productive

shining fancy widgets in ottomons for the wealthy to rest their feet on while they steal from the middle class does nothing for the country.

most small businesses don't benefit from trickle down economics

 

So let's see. He worked hard, started a business, takes care of his family's future and puts other people to work. And you do what exactly that lets you sit in judgment?

Yeah. Thought so.

 

It would seriously be <<< Mod Edit: Bypassed the profanity filter >>> up if it was the early 60's and they were taking over 70%. Now they're threatening to take half that. All said and done, how much more will it cost you? $5-$10 grand? You'll still have over $200k to be able to take the day off and play tennis.

 

Don't like what your corporate elitist society produces in its wake? Don't look. Stay in your bubble. That's how most of the right wing does it.

 

Hmmm. Oh my. Oh Danm. Well ya got me. Because small business owners who do fairly well for themselves aren't here. And we never get frustrated with the bullshet victim mentalities of those who haven't taken the risks we have to make something better for ourselves. We're not human and we have no emotions. We don't give money out of every transaction to charity. We don't spend hours every week giving our time to helping returning troops and vets who have a hard time. We don't pay $10,000 referral fees to those who help us (that's 10 - 20% of the average fee, btw). Nope. It's all too "convenient". And yeah, if you go on our "About Us" page, we're not tall, slim, reasonably attractive succesful men who just happen to have happy, healthy, succesful lives. Danm. Ya got me!

Except RightWingAFraud knows who I am. Has been to my corporate website. He's terribly pissed off about the referral fees I pay. And he doesn't think I give enough to charity. And I don't hide behind the anonymity of the net so waddya know? Hmmm. What's on my profile? Oh crap... This would be where you feel like a blithering idiot because your bullshet didn't walk, did it?

Well crap...

 

Yeah...me too..



Vote for PinkSlip Romney in 2012! (10K tax write-offs given to groups of 10 or more).