Do most of you not realize how out of touch and privileged you are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP, you don't even understand the problem well enough to complain about it. The issue isn't how we're taxed. Take, for instance, Germany. We can all agree that Germany has a lot more social safety nets than the US, including healthcare. Germans living outside of Germany don't pay ANY tax--only those that live in Germany. Unlike the US, which taxes all citizens regardless of where the live.
Income tax in Germany is progressive, starting at 1% and rising incrementally to 42% or for very high incomes, 45%. The tax rate of 42% applies to taxable income above €57,051 for 2020. The Federal Income Tax Brackets The U.S. currently has seven federal income tax brackets, with rates of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.

As you can see, Germans don't pay significantly higher taxes. The difference lies in what Germany does with the money it collects. Here's a hint: It does not pay for wars, weapons, or a massive military, nor do their soldiers retire with a full pension after 20 yrs, often below the age of 40 or 45. $740.5 billion goes to "national security". The US spends THREE TIMES as much on this as any other country. The next closest is China.

THere's your problem right there.

--retired military

I mean...they’re also not ALLOWED to spend their money on that as a result of treaties signed after the end of WWII and their attempt to dominate the world with Nazis. So yeah...thank GOD that we spend a considerable amount of resources on our military (you included—thank you for your service) lest we all be speaking German today....or Chinese if we fail to keep our military strong.

[Anonymous]

Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just dropping in here to say that this forum makes me want to vomit. Especially here.

All this talk of people in their 30s buying million + dollar homes, people who are 40 years old and already 401(k) millionaires, people who have funded their future kids' college education while talking down to those who struggle to pay back their student loans only hoping for a break someday, people here bemoaning the budget constraints of a HHI of "only" $200K, people with investment properties, people with investments, period. Do you not understand that the average American cannot withstand a $500 emergency? That there is an eviction crisis in this country? That medical debt makes people wonder if their life-saving medical treatments are even worth the "life" they get to live afterwards? How one economic downturn can render a hardworking family penniless and homeless? That the AVERAGE household income yes IN THE DC AREA is far, FAR below the individual salaries thrown about in these discussions and that yes, AVERAGE and, gasp, below average HHI families need a place to live too? Two hour commutes each way be damned, "go move somewhere you can afford!"

I completely understand why people made guillotine memes in response to the proposed $600 stimulus checks this winter. And guess what, $1400 is not enough either. I hope all of you out of touch privileged people are taxed so hard your eyes bleed. You people are the swamp everybody else loves to hate. We need to tax the rich into oblivion and collectivize their assets, I swear to god. Don't EVER try to justify your cushy job as having "Earned" your right to complain about property taxes on your second investment property when this country operates like the Third World when trying to meet other people's basic needs.

I am from a country that did just that - collectivized the assets (and killed a few rich people in the process). You know what happens next? You run out of rich people’s money and when the hunger games begin, your comrades devour you. Why you personally? Because if you don’t have what it takes to live a middle class life in US, you won’t survive socialism. Take it from someone who’s been there.

This times a ton. Many here have no idea of how brutal things are in so many countries. This is easy street comparatively.

I would say MOST do not.
They don’t teach this in school anymore because the idea of “American Exceptionalism” has been distorted as racist and “nationalism” seems to be a dirty word that is immediately distorted to mean “WHITE nationalism” when the point of exceptionalism is not to highlight that American *people* are better than other people in the world, but that the concept of AMERICA as a place to find freedom—life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness—is exceptional! People all over the world recognize our great country as this land of opportunity. Opportunity to build a better life for their children and grandchildren is literally why they come to the United States of America.
Are things perfect for all Americans? No, of course not. But we all need to check our American privilege because no matter what your situation is inside our borders, you are better off than 95% of the world’s population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

Americans in general are “out of touch” with the way the majority of the world suffers.

And first world countries are “out of touch” with the way people from developing countries struggle.

But it doesn’t mean people aren’t allowed to dismiss the challenges they face in their own loves with other people who have similar challenges. Or that they aren’t allowed to celebrate their successes with people who are striving for similar success. All human experiences are valid, so maybe just allow people space to have their own lived experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

Americans in general are “out of touch” with the way the majority of the world suffers.

And first world countries are “out of touch” with the way people from developing countries struggle.

But it doesn’t mean people aren’t allowed to dismiss the challenges they face in their own loves with other people who have similar challenges. Or that they aren’t allowed to celebrate their successes with people who are striving for similar success. All human experiences are valid, so maybe just allow people space to have their own lived experiences.

That’s “discuss” not dismiss. And “lives” not loves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

this is good

My wife, who is arguably much smarter and works harder than me, makes 4x less than I do and will be capped whereas my income could climb to 10x + hers. She could make more if she wanted but she loves what she does. She isn't dumb for not wanting to make 1m a year.

In no way shape or form do I work harder, I simply chose a career that is very lucrative. I also take a lot of financial risk by buying into my company and reinvesting hundreds of thousands a year back into my business. I am also lucky.

I fully understand this and wish more people did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

Americans in general are “out of touch” with the way the majority of the world suffers.

And first world countries are “out of touch” with the way people from developing countries struggle.

But it doesn’t mean people aren’t allowed to dismiss the challenges they face in their own loves with other people who have similar challenges. Or that they aren’t allowed to celebrate their successes with people who are striving for similar success. All human experiences are valid, so maybe just allow people space to have their own lived experiences.

Where did I say otherwise? No one is saying well off people don't have challenges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I would say MOST do not.
They don’t teach this in school anymore because the idea of “American Exceptionalism” has been distorted as racist and “nationalism” seems to be a dirty word that is immediately distorted to mean “WHITE nationalism” when the point of exceptionalism is not to highlight that American *people* are better than other people in the world, but that the concept of AMERICA as a place to find freedom—life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness—is exceptional! People all over the world recognize our great country as this land of opportunity. Opportunity to build a better life for their children and grandchildren is literally why they come to the United States of America.
Are things perfect for all Americans? No, of course not. But we all need to check our American privilege because no matter what your situation is inside our borders, you are better off than 95% of the world’s population.

American Exceptionalism is a racist and a nationalist practice and still very much alive! You are embarrassingly uneducated. And just like so many stupid people you have no idea how stupid you really are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

Agreed. DCUM is purposefully missing the point, which is on trend.

I also think that the OP is narrowly focused on the DCUM folks which appear to have inherited wealth. It's those folks that are grossly out of touch and privileged. Think the Ivanka Trumps of the world who've never had to work, struggle or really understand what it means to make a buck. If you haven't ever struggled financially, empathy is usually wanting. Self awareness, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

You also realize there are a lot of brilliant people who don't get to realize any of these careers too, right? Everyone will tell you how hard they worked to get to the top, but they were born 80% of the way there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

Agreed. DCUM is purposefully missing the point, which is on trend.

I also think that the OP is narrowly focused on the DCUM folks which appear to have inherited wealth. It's those folks that are grossly out of touch and privileged. Think the Ivanka Trumps of the world who've never had to work, struggle or really understand what it means to make a buck. If you haven't ever struggled financially, empathy is usually wanting. Self awareness, too.

+1 ITA..

for those of us who came from nothing, like immigrants with no education and not able to speak English, we know we are lucky and privileged, but most of us also did earn it. We worked hard, sacrified a lot, and lived really frugally. That's not to say that everyone who does this will make it, but the majority of those who grew up poorer but made it did so by living this way. Of course there is some luck involved like timing or not falling seriously ill, but there is also a lot of hard work and sacrifices that went into getting to where we are.

Don't be dissmissive of that, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The level of ignorance here about the immigrant experience in America is astounding. OP you are way off base. You want to destroy the biggest wealth creator in human history, and replace it with China, where they are mass interning minorities and stealing their land and mineral wealth to fuel the CCP, or Cuba where people are in abject poverty? Europe has a nice lifestyle but is incredibly racist. I'm a minority and have been there and can attest.

Immigrants work their BUTTS off, and are super grateful to be here. That doesn't mean America doesn't have problems, but if we can come together as a country and cooperate at the local state and federal level, we will continue to make progress.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-10-06/hispanic-american-incomes-rising-faster-than-any-other-group-s?sref=sQS1Uxqt

https://www.newsweek.com/immigrant-founded-fortune-500-companies-us-gdp-1450498

I don't think anyone is arguing we should be more like China. I think they're arguing we should be more like Scandinavia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would say MOST do not.
They don’t teach this in school anymore because the idea of “American Exceptionalism” has been distorted as racist and “nationalism” seems to be a dirty word that is immediately distorted to mean “WHITE nationalism” when the point of exceptionalism is not to highlight that American *people* are better than other people in the world, but that the concept of AMERICA as a place to find freedom—life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness—is exceptional! People all over the world recognize our great country as this land of opportunity. Opportunity to build a better life for their children and grandchildren is literally why they come to the United States of America.
Are things perfect for all Americans? No, of course not. But we all need to check our American privilege because no matter what your situation is inside our borders, you are better off than 95% of the world’s population.

American Exceptionalism is a racist and a nationalist practice and still very much alive! You are embarrassingly uneducated. And just like so many stupid people you have no idea how stupid you really are.

Off to the re-education camps with them.

[Anonymous]

OP, you're projecting. Stop blaming the hardworking families who gasp... provide jobs for the working class. Get off your high horse and work harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone getting focussed on the taxing the rich to death bit...which I disagree with, but no one addressing the out of touch piece. DCUM folks are willfully out of touch about how the rest of society lives. And they fail to recognize that hard work in and of itself does not translate into making loads of money. Nor does it mean that you are smarter than people making less money than you do. Lots of brilliant physicians, scientists, professors making a whole lot less than Big Law and overpaid government contractors. Just acknowledge **that**. You picked a profitable career but it does not make you more hard working/smarter than others. I think some people just need to justify the obscene amount of money they make.

Agreed. DCUM is purposefully missing the point, which is on trend.

I also think that the OP is narrowly focused on the DCUM folks which appear to have inherited wealth. It's those folks that are grossly out of touch and privileged. Think the Ivanka Trumps of the world who've never had to work, struggle or really understand what it means to make a buck. If you haven't ever struggled financially, empathy is usually wanting. Self awareness, too.

+1 ITA..

for those of us who came from nothing, like immigrants with no education and not able to speak English, we know we are lucky and privileged, but most of us also did earn it. We worked hard, sacrified a lot, and lived really frugally. That's not to say that everyone who does this will make it, but the majority of those who grew up poorer but made it did so by living this way. Of course there is some luck involved like timing or not falling seriously ill, but there is also a lot of hard work and sacrifices that went into getting to where we are.

Don't be dissmissive of that, either.

this has been the story of the US from its founding. People escape the poverty and oppression of their origin, come here, and in 1 or 2 or 3 generations become successful beyond whatever they might achieve in their homelands. That might mean being a cop or a firefighter, or starting a company and becoming incredibly wealthy. Either way, to live in the US is have a level of freedom, wealth, and security unavailable to most of the rest of world. This what makes America exceptional.