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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

" 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 "

That me but I'm self-made. My parents came to the United States as immigrants with $5 in their pocket. I learned hard work from them and started working at very early age and continue to do so today at the age of 41. Nothing was handed to us, no inheritance, no nothing. A lot of folks don't understand what they have here in the United States. It truly is the land of opportunity. A lof of us were not born with a gold spoon and have actually worked really hard for where we are today!

[Anonymous]

I realize it.

I grew up below the poverty line with a single mother. We lived in apartments and I was the scholarship kid at Catholic school, camp, etc. I ate crap like baloney sandwiches on white bread and tv dinners. Most of my clothes were hand-me-downs from my cousins. Didn't own a car until college and bought it myself with cash from my PT job.

I'm now a 1%er because of the moves I made and who I married. I don't take it for granted and I do a lot myself - housework, cooking, cleaning, etc. I still buy a lot of my & kids' clothes second-hand and always look for a coupon before I go to a big box store. Old habits die hard.

[Anonymous]

It’s all relative, OP. Always has been and always will be. Get busy hustling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" 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 "

That me but I'm self-made. My parents came to the United States as immigrants with $5 in their pocket. I learned hard work from them and started working at very early age and continue to do so today at the age of 41. Nothing was handed to us, no inheritance, no nothing. A lot of folks don't understand what they have here in the United States. It truly is the land of opportunity. A lof of us were not born with a gold spoon and have actually worked really hard for where we are today!

Great. Awesome for you. None of what you said contradicts at all the reality that you are not struggling the way that millions of people in this country are struggling. The ideal that this is "the land of opportunities" is inaccurate. There are a lot of opportunities. There are also a lot of systems that trap people in poverty. I also didn't have any of the things that you didn't have when I was growing up. I worked for everything I have, starting when I was 15 years old. But I also understand that there are a lot of people who could work 20 hours a day and still not have a meaningfully different life than their parents or grandparents.

Your success does not mean that American meritocracy is real. Your success does not mean that this country does not have a moral wealth crisis.

[Anonymous]

I do because I grew up in a financially unstable and bankrupt household. I give back now, though I know you can never give back enough. But I don't feel the need to justify my privilege with each post in this forum, nor should that be the expectation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" 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 "

That me but I'm self-made. My parents came to the United States as immigrants with $5 in their pocket. I learned hard work from them and started working at very early age and continue to do so today at the age of 41. Nothing was handed to us, no inheritance, no nothing. A lot of folks don't understand what they have here in the United States. It truly is the land of opportunity. A lof of us were not born with a gold spoon and have actually worked really hard for where we are today!

Immigrant here and same. Millionaires on paper. Watched my parents do back-breaking work growing up. Literally cleaned toilets as a teenager. But yes, I realize I'm privileged for being born into a hard-working family and the opportunities THEY provided.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

Most of us worked hard in school, spend years in college and graduate school and put in long hours at work. It isn't that hard of a formula.

Also, your anger is directed at people who are WORKING for money. Maybe you should redirect it to people who either aren't working and living off the system or those not working and living off trust funds.

[Anonymous]

If I realized how out of touch I am, I wouldn't be out of touch! I am privileged, however, and realize it—but I also don't post my net worth or income on here, either.

But yeah, this forum is full of privilege, humble-bragging, and straight up bragging. Welcome to the anonymous forum that makes Lake Wobegone look like Dogpatch. And people here hate when you call them out on it. Cause if there's anything an out-of-touch privileged person can't stand, it's being told that they're out of touch and privileged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of us worked hard in school, spend years in college and graduate school and put in long hours at work. It isn't that hard of a formula.

Also, your anger is directed at people who are WORKING for money. Maybe you should redirect it to people who either aren't working and living off the system or those not working and living off trust funds.

I don't agree with OP, but that's your privilege showing.

[Anonymous]

Some of the answers (not all) are why the US is basically over as a country. No sense of identity in anything but money and work. They don’t call it the Almighty Dollar for nothing.

[Anonymous]

This is just going to turn into a humble bragging circle-jerk for defensive so-called “self made” users here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of us worked hard in school, spend years in college and graduate school and put in long hours at work. It isn't that hard of a formula.

Also, your anger is directed at people who are WORKING for money. Maybe you should redirect it to people who either aren't working and living off the system or those not working and living off trust funds.

I don't agree with OP, but that's your privilege showing.

What was my privilege? I'm a minority woman. I do have two married parents, so I guess that's my privilege?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is just going to turn into a humble bragging circle-jerk for defensive so-called “self made” users here.

Yep. Lots of people explaining why THEY are super-rich because of their own hard work and good choices, and THEY deserve their good fortune, but THEY are super down to earth or aware of their privileges, and also everyone could be successful if they just worked hard enough, because that's definitely how life works.