Quote:
Originally Posted by WarEagle07
I am wondering the exact same thing!! My husband and I are part of the demographic considered wealthy by Obama's standards but I can tell you that we are a far cry from wealthy. We live in that nasty income bracket where we get hit with the AMT every year so we can't maximize deductions, we don't qualify for financial aid so we pay out of pocket for kids colleges, we don't qualify for stimulus help, and we probably won't qualify for any of the amazing tax credits promised by either candidate. So once we pay our 'fair share' of taxes, pay tuition, pay medical bills, and dental etc there isn't a ton left over for us to be in any way considered wealthy. Yeah, we worked so hard and payed our way through college and worked long hours to get where we are at. It's like being penalized for achieving, in other words why is my hard work not valued as much as a middle class person's hard work by the government? Why is the upper-middle class now considered wealthy? If Obama wants to come see my 'truly wealthy' lifestyle, he can come cut coupons with me and I can drive him around in my car with 110,000 miles on and hoping that it will last another couple of years! On this point I believe that Obama is very much out of touch
|
I'm very sorry to have to tell you that you ARE wealthy. Really, I am sorry that someone has to tell you, convince you, of that. Just because your lifestyle eats up a lot of your income does not mean you're middle class. There are plenty of celebrities out there that blow millions on clothing, cars, bills, whatever...they're still rich if they had that money to begin with. Do you know what the median household income in the U.S. was last year? Just a little over $50,000. That's per household! You and your husband make FIVE TIMES as much. You may not be millionaires, or have money coming out your ears, but compared to the vast majority of Americans, you are wealthy. About 15% of the U.S. population lives below the poverty line, which is an unimaginable $24,800 for a family of five. I hope you thank God every day for how rich you are.
Here's something I think Americans are going to have to get used to: NOT paying for your kids' college education. So many adults in this country pay for their kids' education rather than their retirement. WarEagle, you and your husband have the luxury of having enough money to pay for your kids' education; most people in this country do not. It's wonderful that you're setting up your kids nicely so they come out of college with no debt, but that's a choice you're making; most kids take out loans. That's what I did. Just because you don't qualify for financial aid doesn't mean the kids can't pay for some of it - at least half. Trust me, they will appreciate it more.