keith crime 8 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 ty like chris rock said - if you've made up your mind before you've heard the question you are an idiotlabels suck Link to post Share on other sites
mk 11 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 $300,000 might be pretty close (if we are talking about pure year-to-year income instead of assets). I looked at the IRS for data on individual returns, and while they dont explicitly say so, you can get a rough idea from looking at the data. But you would have to probably look at joint returns as well. I would say $500,000 would put you in. You would be suprised how much money that really is.Based on assets is a little harder to figure out.No. This is why so many people think they're in the top 1%. It's because they make $300k+ and think, "Well, I have to be in that group." They're not even close.A lot of the people in the top 1% don't earn salaries, they inherited their wealth. Also, most of the wealth of the top 1% is concentrated in the top 1% of that group as well. In 2005, there were 313 billionaires, so that should give you some idea how concentrated the money is at the top. Link to post Share on other sites
mk 11 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Meh. The gay marriage thing is a bit out of spite, I think. I'm a straight, right handed, WASP, male. No one's ever given me anything or gone out of their way to be a watchdog for me, so I get a bit annoyed at the calls for equality from people who haven't suffered, I suppose. Especially about things so trivial as a marriage certificate.As for Iraq, well, damned if you're an isolationist, damned if you're an imperialist. Might as well try and help someone as you go.The idea of liberalism and conservatism is a farce anymore. I'm an idealist, though.I guess I just don't understand how anyone could be opposed to gay marriage because it doesn't affect anyone except gay people. Not allowing it just hinders people's freedom, which is not what this country was supposed to be about. Increases in personal freedom that don't negatively affect others: good.On Iraq, I suppose we're trying to help. I also suppose we could try to help dozens of other countries with much worse problems. The problem with nation building is that it's expensive in too many ways to count. To the small portion of libertarian in me the utopian grandeur of the thing makes me nauseous. Link to post Share on other sites
princeof56k 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 No. This is why so many people think they're in the top 1%. It's because they make $300k+ and think, "Well, I have to be in that group." They're not even close.A lot of the people in the top 1% don't earn salaries, they inherited their wealth. Also, most of the wealth of the top 1% is concentrated in the top 1% of that group as well. In 2005, there were 313 billionaires, so that should give you some idea how concentrated the money is at the top.I know and I agree with you. I tried to cover that by saying I wasnt counting assets. While I didnt state it well, my point was that $300k is a lot of money when compared to the majority of America, and if you're making that, you're doing quite well. I should've specified that it was next to nothing compared to the real elite.And the same data I was looking at did include a bracket for people making $10 million or more (percentage wise it was less than 0.05%). There's not many people at the top but they make a bundle.BTW, I have seen the latest billionair stories. Cool stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
princeof56k 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 --------------------------------------I also wanted to add something that suprised me about the numbers posted by the original poster.From my own experience, I usually dont find people estimating that they are above where they really are (at least when it comes to paying taxes). It's usually the exact opposite. People making well above $100,000 putting themselves in the same category with those that work at Wal-Mart. If I tell them where they really are and that the statistics are out there, they flat out dont believe it. They say they dont make squat next to Bill Gates. Well who does?Now if you ever get into a salary measuring contest with someone, be prepared to be lied to. People to tend to inflate the number in this case just for bragging rights.I really cant figure people out. Link to post Share on other sites
chrozzo 19 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 i went to the store today, and i bought some twinkies*on a side note...these threads only piss a lot of ppl off, no one will win the argument, so what is the point, your post will not change anyones opinion**on another side note...crap, i couldnt think of a snappy line, oh well, im off to the tables, later guys! Link to post Share on other sites
72offsuitt 0 Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 i went to the store today, and i bought some twinkies*on a side note...these threads only piss a lot of ppl off, no one will win the argument, so what is the point, your post will not change anyones opinion**on another side note...crap, i couldnt think of a snappy line, oh well, im off to the tables, later guys!My goal wasn't to change people's minds but just to show people a statistic that I found amazing. Link to post Share on other sites
chrozzo 19 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 My goal wasn't to change people's minds but just to show people a statistic that I found amazing.i know, it was a pretty interesting stat, kinda sad in a way too Link to post Share on other sites
mrdannyg 274 Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Meh. The gay marriage thing is a bit out of spite, I think. I'm a straight, right handed, WASP, male. No one's ever given me anything or gone out of their way to be a watchdog for me, so I get a bit annoyed at the calls for equality from people who haven't suffered, I suppose. Especially about things so trivial as a marriage certificate.I don't understand - are you implying gay people haven't suffered?and to the OP, that 19% is a really amazing stat. i should point out that just because 19% think they are in it, and 20% think they will be does not add up to 40%. likely the way the questions were asked, a lot of people both think they are in it, and think they will be. so the total is less than 40. but more than about 4, which is amazing in itself.well even if it isn't the land of opportunity, no one can say America is not the land of hope. Link to post Share on other sites
SAM_Hard8 50 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Republicanism is great for rich people - unfortunately a majority are not rich so they have to convince some people that they are rich and then they tell the rest to hate gay people etc it's really quite cleverWhat is amazing is you saying republicans hate gay people while at the same time showing your own hatred for republicans. Kind of hypocritical don’t you think? Link to post Share on other sites
72offsuitt 0 Posted March 11, 2006 Author Share Posted March 11, 2006 I don't understand - are you implying gay people haven't suffered?and to the OP, that 19% is a really amazing stat. i should point out that just because 19% think they are in it, and 20% think they will be does not add up to 40%. likely the way the questions were asked, a lot of people both think they are in it, and think they will be. so the total is less than 40. but more than about 4, which is amazing in itself.well even if it isn't the land of opportunity, no one can say America is not the land of hope.The possible answers were1. I believe I am in the top 1%2. I believe someday in the future I will be in the top 1%3. I will never be in the top 1%4. I don't knowSo yes 39% of people do believe they are either or will be in the top 1%, of course there is a +/- of 3, so I guess 33-45% of America to be exact. Link to post Share on other sites
SAM_Hard8 50 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 These two are surprising coming from you because you seem to be intellectually honest.always condescending hey MK. Link to post Share on other sites
76clubs 0 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 What is amazing is you saying republicans hate gay people while at the same time showing your own hatred for republicans. Kind of hypocritical don’t you think?he didnt say republicans shouldnt be allowed to get married.... Link to post Share on other sites
mrdannyg 274 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 The possible answers were1. I believe I am in the top 1%2. I believe someday in the future I will be in the top 1%3. I will never be in the top 1%4. I don't knowSo yes 39% of people do believe they are either or will be in the top 1%, of course there is a +/- of 3, so I guess 33-45% of America to be exact.wowzers Link to post Share on other sites
loogie 115 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 What percentage of forum posters feel the need to sign their posts? Link to post Share on other sites
keith crime 8 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 What is amazing is you saying republicans hate gay people while at the same time showing your own hatred for republicans. Kind of hypocritical don’t you think?i dislike Repubs because of what they believe in we all have to make choices they hate people who do consensual things in their own homes I dislike people who hate people for reasons like thisyou can't love everyone although i'd like to try Link to post Share on other sites
Suited_Up 2 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Really gay marriage is a threat to the country. If everybody would take a same sex partner, then In 100 years there would be no more people in America. I think that is worse then a Nuke attack.Slow death, but America would not exist anymore.OMG... I really hope you aren't serious. Please tell me you left out the SW.And nobody on page one even replied to this... so maybe it IS a joke.God please tell me you are joking -- please tell me you are joking - please tell me you are jokingthe 90% of the world that is straight are rutting like bunnies I'm guessing we don't have to worry about keeping the world populatedi'm going to hope you are jokingif you are not - your inane stupidly is 100 times as threateningoh and drawing dead - i'm sure there are people that can make eloquent arguments in support of conservativism - sadly that doesn't include 99 % of the republican contituency Ann Coulter is entertaining in a sick way thoughOh thank god you saw this too!! Link to post Share on other sites
76clubs 0 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 OMG... I really hope you aren't serious. Please tell me you left out the SW.And nobody on page one even replied to this... so maybe it IS a joke.Oh thank god you saw this too!!lolhopefully he was kiddingi missed that one..... Link to post Share on other sites
MDXS 0 Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 lolhopefully he was kiddingi missed that one.....I assumed it was a joke, a troll, or an amusing display of latent homosexual urges. SAM said, "What is amazing is you saying republicans hate gay people while at the same time showing your own hatred for republicans. Kind of hypocritical don’t you think?"I don't think it is hatred for republicans. I don't hate someone because they are republican. More, it's a hatred of discrimination as in this specific case, or a hatred of ignorance in general, which in the last few years the Republican side has been more likely to exhibit. Not saying that the left is immune to ignorance, but the right seems to almost embrace it. The intelligent design vs. evolution debate is an example of what I mean. On topic, that is an amazing poll, and a great example of the overconfidence effect. Amazing....2 out of 5 people think they're in the top 1% or the heir to that type of money. I think DonkSlayer said that it's great to have such ambition, but there's a real difference between ambition and delusion/ignorance.I'd like to see a poll ask this question and have people locate Europe on a blank map. It would be interesting to see how the results match up... Link to post Share on other sites
insano 0 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I would add 'evil' to that list. Otherwise, yes. The Republican party of 2006 is wrong on just about everything.Mk, come on man. Just because you don't agree with republicans, that makes them wrong? You must be drunk. Your better than that.i dislike Repubs because of what they believe in we all have to make choices they hate people who do consensual things in their own homes I dislike people who hate people for reasons like thisyou can't love everyone although i'd like to tryI consider myself a republican and just because I don't agree with gay marriage doesn't mean I hate gay people. That's an extremely close minded statement.You disagree with me on a lot of things, same as I disagree with you on a lot of things. That hardly means I dislike you. I can certainly get past political issues when dealing with someone. Link to post Share on other sites
Jordan 1 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 is jack bauer a republican or democrat?im still pissed they killed edgar.- Jordan Link to post Share on other sites
Allie 0 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 What a pile of pompous drivel. or as I like to say to republicans i meet - are you rich or retarded? Republicanism is great for rich people - unfortunately a majority are not rich so they have to convince some people that they are rich and then they tell the rest to hate gay people etc it's really quite clever ty like chris rock said - if you've made up your mind before you've heard the question you are an idiotlabels suck i dislike Repubs because of what they believe in we all have to make choices they hate people who do consensual things in their own homes I dislike people who hate people for reasons like thisyou can't love everyone although i'd like to try"You can't love everyone although i'd like to try" and "labels suck".....a lovely sentiment, although you seem to have a little trouble practising what you preach with "or as I like to say to republicans i meet - are you rich or retarded?"I am not a Republican, because I am not an American. But I am, in general, a "conservative" minded person. (Oh, and btw, I'm not the slightest bit religious).You say...."they hate people who do consensual things in their own homes". Who is "they"??? How dare you presume to know my mind. I don't hate gays, don't really care about gay marriage....and certainly don't give a fu.ck what people do in the privacy of their own homes. Yet I am part of the great unwashed "they". Here's what I believe in.Work for what you get. If you get rich doing it...kudos to you. You don't have to share it with your lazy fu.ck neighbour next door. The government doesn't "owe" me anything. If I'm lazy and sit on my ass, I will be poor. It's not the rich guys fault. It's not the government's fault. It's my fault. Be accountable for your own actions. Again....lazy=poor=my fault. If I go out and shoot somebody...it's not the governments fault. It's not the rich guys fault. It's not my parents fault. It's not my 3rd grade teacher's fault. It's my fault. If someone encounters genuine hardship in their life...i.e. injury, disease, etc...they deserve a helping hand. I'm all for that...meaning my tax dollars. I have no problem for social programs that help those in genuine need....up to a point! The majority of people that are down on their luck, should be able to get back on their feet, with education and some financial support, within a REASONABLE period of time. And guess what?? Generally, people with some motivation and purpose in their lives DO take the helping hand, get their act together, and move on. The blamers and the complainers and the "I'm owed something" people don't move on. Do you think that's right? The comments made by yourself, and 72offsuit...are condescending and patronizing. People are stupid, people don't understand the economy ("just shows how uneducated they are when it comes to the matter of money or the economy"), "they" hate gays, "they" tell everyone else to hate gays, if "they" are Republican then "they" are retarded. Apparently you're smarter and more tolerant that everybody else. Right? I think not. Link to post Share on other sites
InsanityCubed 0 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 What a pile of pompous drivel."You can't love everyone although i'd like to try" and "labels suck".....a lovely sentiment, although you seem to have a little trouble practising what you preach with "or as I like to say to republicans i meet - are you rich or retarded?"I am not a Republican, because I am not an American. But I am, in general, a "conservative" minded person. (Oh, and btw, I'm not the slightest bit religious).You say...."they hate people who do consensual things in their own homes". Who is "they"??? How dare you presume to know my mind. I don't hate gays, don't really care about gay marriage....and certainly don't give a fu.ck what people do in the privacy of their own homes. Yet I am part of the great unwashed "they". Here's what I believe in.Work for what you get. If you get rich doing it...kudos to you. You don't have to share it with your lazy fu.ck neighbour next door. The government doesn't "owe" me anything. If I'm lazy and sit on my ass, I will be poor. It's not the rich guys fault. It's not the government's fault. It's my fault. Be accountable for your own actions. Again....lazy=poor=my fault. If I go out and shoot somebody...it's not the governments fault. It's not the rich guys fault. It's not my parents fault. It's not my 3rd grade teacher's fault. It's my fault. If someone encounters genuine hardship in their life...i.e. injury, disease, etc...they deserve a helping hand. I'm all for that...meaning my tax dollars. I have no problem for social programs that help those in genuine need....up to a point! The majority of people that are down on their luck, should be able to get back on their feet, with education and some financial support, within a REASONABLE period of time. And guess what?? Generally, people with some motivation and purpose in their lives DO take the helping hand, get their act together, and move on. The blamers and the complainers and the "I'm owed something" people don't move on. Do you think that's right? The comments made by yourself, and 72offsuit...are condescending and patronizing. People are stupid, people don't understand the economy ("just shows how uneducated they are when it comes to the matter of money or the economy"), "they" hate gays, "they" tell everyone else to hate gays, if "they" are Republican then "they" are retarded. Apparently you're smarter and more tolerant that everybody else. Right? I think not.Edit: A little quick on the trigger fingerGood post, whether I agree or not. The whole "Us vs. Them" mentality is the biggest problem of all. Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal, all spending so much time concerned on beating their "opponents" that everyone forgets that they all have the same goal. The job of the government is to serve the people, and provide the framework so that all people are given a chance to lead a happy life, whatever that may be.I'm not saying we should all hold hands and sing, disagreement and discussion breeds informed people and positive change. Just don't forget that if the Democrats get into power next, they still have to serve all the people, not just the ones who voted for them. Link to post Share on other sites
mk 11 Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Mk, come on man. Just because you don't agree with republicans, that makes them wrong? You must be drunk. Your better than that.No, I wasn't drunk when I posted this. In fact, I don't think I've ever posted here drunk. I only binge drink, so I tend to pass out before I find my way to the computer.But anyway, what I was trying to say is that if you are a conservative or anywhere toward the middle of the political spectrum, you shouldn't be very happy with the GOP of 2006. It's almost as if GOP Congressmen are just starting to figure this out too. Gone is the post-9/11 Casesarism the American public had granted Bush. They can't ride his national security coattails any longer. It's almost as if these past couple miscues by the administration has lifted the fog from the public's consciousness and people are remembering just how unpopular most of the administration's positions are.In recent months, GOP lawmakers are polling behind Democrats on issues like health care, education, and the deficit. National security is pretty much their only strength--and now Bush has hurt them on that. A Rasmussen poll recently reported that 43 percent of those questioned trusted congressional Democrats to handle national security, versus 41 percent who trusted Bush.The GOP of 2006 claims to support limited government. But they believe the federal government can intervene in a state court's decisions in a single family's struggle over life and death. They believe in restraining government spending. But they have increased such spending by a mind-boggling 33 percent in a mere four years. They believe in self-reliance. But they have just passed the most expensive new entitlement since the heyday of Great Society liberalism: the Medicare prescription-drug benefit. They believe that foreign policy is about the pursuit of national interest and that the military should be used only to fight and win wars. Yet they have embarked on an extraordinarily ambitious program of military-led nation-building in the Middle East. They believe in states' rights, but they want to amend the Constitution to forbid any state from allowing civil marriage or equivalent civil unions for gay couples. They believe in free trade. But they have imposed tariffs on a number of industries, most famously steel. They believe in balanced budgets. But they have abandoned fiscal discipline and added a cool trillion dollars to the national debt in one presidential term.So yes, as someone who is socially liberal and fiscally conservative (positions which are the most common among college-educated people), I think they are wrong on literally, just about everything. Link to post Share on other sites
SAM_Hard8 50 Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 What a pile of pompous drivel."You can't love everyone although i'd like to try" and "labels suck".....a lovely sentiment, although you seem to have a little trouble practising what you preach with "or as I like to say to republicans i meet - are you rich or retarded?"I am not a Republican, because I am not an American. But I am, in general, a "conservative" minded person. (Oh, and btw, I'm not the slightest bit religious).You say...."they hate people who do consensual things in their own homes". Who is "they"??? How dare you presume to know my mind. I don't hate gays, don't really care about gay marriage....and certainly don't give a fu.ck what people do in the privacy of their own homes. Yet I am part of the great unwashed "they". Here's what I believe in.Work for what you get. If you get rich doing it...kudos to you. You don't have to share it with your lazy fu.ck neighbour next door. The government doesn't "owe" me anything. If I'm lazy and sit on my ass, I will be poor. It's not the rich guys fault. It's not the government's fault. It's my fault. Be accountable for your own actions. Again....lazy=poor=my fault. If I go out and shoot somebody...it's not the governments fault. It's not the rich guys fault. It's not my parents fault. It's not my 3rd grade teacher's fault. It's my fault. If someone encounters genuine hardship in their life...i.e. injury, disease, etc...they deserve a helping hand. I'm all for that...meaning my tax dollars. I have no problem for social programs that help those in genuine need....up to a point! The majority of people that are down on their luck, should be able to get back on their feet, with education and some financial support, within a REASONABLE period of time. And guess what?? Generally, people with some motivation and purpose in their lives DO take the helping hand, get their act together, and move on. The blamers and the complainers and the "I'm owed something" people don't move on. Do you think that's right? The comments made by yourself, and 72offsuit...are condescending and patronizing. People are stupid, people don't understand the economy ("just shows how uneducated they are when it comes to the matter of money or the economy"), "they" hate gays, "they" tell everyone else to hate gays, if "they" are Republican then "they" are retarded. Apparently you're smarter and more tolerant that everybody else. Right? I think not.I :icon_suit_heart: Allie! Link to post Share on other sites
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