Class Envy

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

Do you have it?

I guess after hours of thought, much investigation....I came to the conclusion that some of the jobs that CEO's perform, are to a very large extent far outside the grasp of what abilitites a lot of folks have.

You look at a typical fortune 500 company, they are a small group compared to the mid sized and small businesses, so that means there is an even smaller group of fortune 500 CEO's out there drawing huge salaries. Now do I think I have a firm enough grasp of the way my industry works to do this job....Yes

Would I.....Not for any amount of money on the planet Here's why:

In a study done of some of the most successful CEO's in the industry, there were questions asked about the way they meter the lives they lead, how they measure success and how they balance business with personal life.

In almost every instance, it was discovered a profound off balance in regards to personal lives, it's not greed or power, it was the way they thought. They essentially had no other vision other than the company they represented getting to point B, that was it. They basically had little or no regard for personal lives, and basically lived to work.

I know in the instance of my CEO, he works feverishly, painstakingly planning every move to maneuver our company through continued troubled waters, and this comapny has done that for over 100 years.

So I guess my point is this...Why does it seem fair, or in style to shake fists at the wealthy rather than set out on a path to claim the same success ourselves?

Is it really fair to tax the wealthy more? The smallest percentage of the population (normally called the "wealthy 1%") pay in the area of 40% of the taxes....So it would appear to me the rich are already taxed heavily.

Most large corporations are taxed at a flat 40% or more on profits, and I have heard some economists claim that the large corporations seek other countries if for any other reason than the heavy taxation taking away from the ability to be flexible financially.

Thoughts anyone? I mean frankly it makes no sense to hate Bill Gates for his wealth, you don't have to buy his products, the truth is he stepped out on a limb and took the risk, we choose to buy his products.

Okay....Next contestant

 

[Veronica]

Personally i think everyone needs to be taxed the same.. However, I dont agree that they should make billion dollar salaries... I personally will probably never see a billion dollars in my life time (or a million for that matter) and its really ridiculous how much they make. I understand they are taxed more, but geez! Spread the love to the little people. lol

 

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

Personally i think everyone needs to be taxed the same.. However, I dont agree that they should make billion dollar salaries... I personally will probably never see a billion dollars in my life time (or a million for that matter) and its really ridiculous how much they make. I understand they are taxed more, but geez! Spread the love to the little people. lol

The truth is they made billions in personal fortunes by investing.

Look at a list of "billionaires" on the entire planet, you will find that it's a very small list..

Basically asking hem to give you some would be like me telling you to give a portion of your salary to someone who makes half what you do....Why would that be fair?

 

[dt3]

Sean Hannity, Great American, said it in a way that made the most sense to me: "I've never gotten a job from a poor person."


I think it's a very good point. If we tax the rich people into submission, just to be fair, then they can't afford to create new jobs which hurts the "little people".

Taxes were created to pay for the necessary expense of running a government, not to punish people or make the world "fair".

 

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

The World's Billionaires - Forbes.com




There, that's the up to date list of billionaires in the world

 

[dt3]

The World's Billionaires - Forbes.com




There, that's the up to date list of billionaires in the world

I randomly clicked on one's bio, it's impressive:




The World's Billionaires
#1062 Daniel Gilbert
Age: 46

Fortune: self made

Source: Quicken Loans

Net Worth: $1.0 bil

Country Of Citizenship: United States

Residence: Livonia, Michigan , United States, North America

Industry: Finance

Marital Status: married, 5 children

Education: Michigan State University
Wayne State University, LLB
Started small mortgage company in 1985 with $5,000 made delivering pizzas in college. Sold to Intuit for $532 million in 1999; bought it back 3 years later for $64 million. Early Internet embracer turned Quicken Loans into nation's largest online mortgage company. Closed $18 billion in loans in 2006. Sports fanatic: purchased NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers for $375 million; resigned star LeBron James to 3-year, $60 million contract. Plays pickup basketball, attempting to break Michigan's steroid-free bench-press weightlifting record. Recently bought $32 million stake in Eprize.com, which runs online promotions for clients like Coca-Cola and Disney.

 

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

That's my point, how many folks would take everything the own, and put it on the line to build a dream?

 

[Veronica]

Well, I will say there are a few YOUNG billionaires that i MUST look up!! haha

 

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

Well, I will say there are a few YOUNG billionaires that i MUST look up!! haha

See, there now that's the spirit...If you can't beat 'em.....Blow 'em:ninja

 

[Veronica]

exactly! hahaha

Actually I learned a long time ago, money wont make you happy. Im fine with the day by day bills.. As long as my normal bills are paid, I could care less.

 

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

exactly! hahaha

Actually I learned a long time ago, money wont make you happy. Im fine with the day by day bills.. As long as my normal bills are paid, I could care less.

No...you're right it doesn't MAKE you happy....It buys it for you

Good point V:clap

 

[Tim]

You guys are so worried about how much taxes the rich pay... why? Do you really think they are unfairly taxed?

Warren Buffett, the famous investor known as the "Sage of Omaha", has complained that he pays a lower rate of tax than any of his staff - including his receptionist. Mr Buffett, who is worth an estimated $52bn (£25bn), said: "The taxation system has tilted towards the rich and away from the middle class in the last 10 years. It's dramatic; I don't think it's appreciated and I think it should be addressed."
During an interview with NBC television, Mr Buffett brandished an informal survey of 15 of his 18 office staff at his Berkshire Hathaway empire. The billionaire said he was paying 17.7% payroll and income tax, compared with an average in the office of 32.9%.

Here is the second richest man complaining that he pays too little. And he goes by the book. Can you imagine how much more he could benefit by playing the loop-hole game?

"There wasn't anyone in the office, from the receptionist up, who paid as low a tax rate and I have no tax planning; I don't have an accountant or use tax shelters. I just follow what the US Congress tells me to do," he said.

Do you think for one second that any of these mega rich are paying 40%? You have got to be kidding me if you think they are.

And as far as what Hannity says about only getting jobs from the rich. How do you think they got rich?

The division of classes is growing wider by leaps and bounds. The rich are getting profanely rich while the middle class keeps slipping further and further behind. Trickle down economics doesn't work. If it did, we wouldn't have any unemployment right now. The rich have been enriched to the point of being able to employ everyone of us... but that isn't the case. We keep seeing them get further and further ahead while the middle class slips behind.
Never at any point in history have their been so many mega rich, while their wealth is horded... Trickle down is a proven failure

 

[Veronica]

Money doesnt buy happiness either.. Joe and I had money and I was never happy.. I was miserable. Granted it wasnt a WHOLE lot.. But it was more than enough for bills.. If your not already happy in your life, money wont make you happy.

 

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

You guys are so worried about how much taxes the rich pay... why? Do you really think they are unfairly taxed?



Here is the second richest man complaining that he pays too little. And he goes by the book. Can you imagine how much more he could benefit by playing the loop-hole game?



Do you think for one second that any of these mega rich are paying 40%? You have got to be kidding me if you think they are.

And as far as what Hannity says about only getting jobs from the rich. How do you think they got rich?

The division of classes is growing wider by leaps and bounds. The rich are getting profanely rich while the middle class keeps slipping further and further behind. Trickle down economics doesn't work. If it did, we wouldn't have any unemployment right now. The rich have been enriched to the point of being able to employ everyone of us... but that isn't the case. We keep seeing them get further and further ahead while the middle class slips behind.
Never at any point in history have their been so many mega rich, while their wealth is horded... Trickle down is a proven failure

The middle class is slipping further and further behind?

That makes no sense Tim, I have seen the middle class do nothing but prosper, buying up new vehicles, large beautiful home in the suburbs, hell even homes they can't afford:dunno

They are essentially the backbone of our economy. Reason being....The wealthy don't typically borrow a lot, they spend a lot of what they already have..

 

[dt3]

Do you think for one second that any of these mega rich are paying 40%? You have got to be kidding me if you think they are.

That's a great pont Tim. If they're hiding their money now to avoid taxes, how is raising taxes going to get them to bring that money back into America? They'll just send more of it overseas to avoid the even higher taxes!

 

[Tim]

The middle class is slipping further and further behind?

Exactly

 

[BadBoy@TheWheel]

Exactly

What income range per household do you consider "middle class"

 

[Tim]

That's a great pont Tim. If they're hiding their money now to avoid taxes, how is raising taxes going to get them to bring that money back into America? They'll just send more of it overseas to avoid the even higher taxes!

I'm not talking about raising their taxes... I want the loop holes taken away. I want them to be paying at least what I pay. That would be a start.

 

[Tim]

And this is the difference after taxes... :eek

 

[dt3]

I'm not talking about raising their taxes... I want the loop holes taken away. I want them to be paying at least what I pay. That would be a start.

But how do you take away the biggest "loop hole", which is them simply sending money out of our country? You can't mandate what people do with their money. The only way I see to solve that is to lower the tax rate so that money comes back into America.