Sorry, Pal, You're Rich

As a rich person, I am truly offended. I know for a fact, that $250,000 is not rich and does not buy much. One could not even purchase a decent yacht with that paultry sum. If ever someone needed to get a clue, it is those that chastise the middle class. These are the hard working people that help pay most of your taxes. I should know because I only pay around 3% a year in income taxes. Being wealthy, I can shelter my accounts in places like Monaco, Lichtenstein and the British Virgin Islands. The money I save in the US is not taxed at all because it is in a family trust or in tax free municiple bonds. But I digress. The issue is about more taxes and more social programs. Historically, they have been the downfall of all great civilizations. For those that follow this idea, you will be one of the downfalls to this great society. I hope all those who read this will educate themselves on how a Republic should be run. In conclusion, work hard because I will not. My drink is getting warm in this hot tropical sun. By the way, $250,000 is a very bad week.

I think some of you have it wrong. From what I hear the DEMS want to role back the Bush tax cuts for individuals making over 250K to what they were during the Clinto days. Spouting that the Dems will raise taxes is untrue. Last I remember, most people did pretty well during the Clinto years. The first thing most want to do is curb spending by cutting food programs to kids in pre-K, when they should be curbing spending on this ridiculus war we are fighting in Iraq. This from a well educated veteran who certainly understands world politics and National Security issues.

I don't understand people's whining on this board! If you earn a salary in the top percentage of Americans, then you qualify as being wealthy. You've worked hard and (in most cases) deserve to earn that high wage. But, don't complain about not being able to afford things! That is truly a choice. Don't live in Boston or NYC - move to the suburbs! Don't purchase an expensive new car - continue to drive your older one for a few more years! Accept that just as your choices have brought you the high wage you earn, it is also your choices that control how much of your salary you spend on a monthly basis and how much you save. Don't whine and say you aren't rich because you CHOOSE to live in an expensive home, drive a new car, purchase brand name clothing! Ridiculous!

Sorry pal - when you're making in the top 2 percentile of median household income and your expenses are running away, then YOU are doing something wrong. Try living that way on $75K or even $100K and THEN you'll know what it's like being middle class. Telling the kids to wear those pants for just one more year, or eating chicken or pasta every night. Its a pathetic state when the GAO reports 2/3 or corporations in the US paid no taxes last year (http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1249465620080812) something needs to be done to level the paying field.

Who is being denied chances? I'm a Mexican immigrant, who came to this country in 1974 at the age of 4, with parents that had to work blue-collar jobs to support five kids. Today, I make over $250k a year, as an attorney. I saw nothing but chances while in high school, college and law school. This country is full of these amazing opportunities to make a career conducive to reaching some level of financial security. So, again, who is being denied chances? Failing to recognize so many opportunities is a unique case indeed.

Being rich is not a hard number. It is how you are doing relative to other people in your society. I know people who have to live on three pakages of ramen noodles a day. If the rich can't spare a few extra tax dollars a day to help alleviate that, then they have sealed their own fate. Remember what happened to Marie Antoinette? "Let them eat cake"

Damn, I wish I made $250k/year.

If making $249k/year is considered middle class, I'd like to see the home you live in.

So Obama wants to raise taxes on those making >$250k/year so we can actually pay for stuff, like the war.

What's wrong w/that?

Where the hell is the sacrifice? Young men/women who make $25k/year gets their limbs blown off or dead, yet those making decent money don't want to pay for those young men/women's military salaries and/or education?

Greedy a-holes.

swmn99, why is it that we cannot save our money for later on in life? I am putting my money away for a rainy day. I do not make 250k but would like to. This is something I know I have to work and sacrifice. How much am I willing to give up to make the money:

Penelope Trunk, a newspaper columnist in Virginia, commented: ???If you???re poor and you abandon your kids, you???re a bad parent. But if you???re rich and abandon them to run a company, you???re profiled in Fortune magazine.???

Penelope is right on. Abandonment is abandonment and there should not be a double-standard. As All Pro Dads, let???s send the right message that men who are truly rich have their most important investment ??? their time ??? allocated as much to their family as possible.

For those of you in this discussion that think that $250,000 is rich and these people desirve to be taxed more because of their way of living-think about this. Some of you have mentioned that you make $30,000 a year. To some that is "rich"! What if the people making $10,000 a year started saying that you live better then them. You live in better neighborhoods, drive better cars, and wear nicer clothes and they think you should be taxed more. How would that make you feel? You would walk around at that moment mad because you have work hard to get that $30,000 a year and you'll be damed if someone is going to make you feel guilty about it and want you to pay more taxes from it. Not fair is it? What some of you sound like you are saying is it doesn't pay to be financially comfortable in the United States. We should all give up trying to better ourselves and our families and remain"poor" so noone will envy us. We want everything to be equal and fair. WAKE UP!!! We are not children anymore and this life is not fair or eqaul. You get what you make out of life. Stop being mad that other people are better off than you. Instead look at what you can do to make YOUR life better! One guy in here said that these people ($250K) choose to go to expensive collage and get a good paying job and that it was their own fault. What kind of stupid crap is that? Many of these people in this income bracket are small business owners. These people are helping there local economy by suppling job opportunities. Not only that but they do have the extra money to spend in the market, that helps the economy. What seems to be the big problem here?

You're obviously living in a fantasy world if you feel $250,000 is rich! I live in the Washington DC area and my family of four barely makes it on $250,000. Daycare for 2 children alone is $30,000 and my family doesn't qualify for the measly $3,000 tax credit on that. Give me a break -- we are not rich, we are very frugal (my husband's car is over 10 years old) and we still have a hard time saving a dime for retirement or college.