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I found this mind blowing chart of American Wealth. It is 6 minute long video, you owe it to yourself to watch it.

It answers Dusty's question of who are the middle class.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/busine ... 6589884653

Very interesting presentation. I'll have to watch it a couple more times to get the real jest of what is being presented. However, before openly repeating any of what is presented there, it must be somehow validated.

It has not answered my question of who is the middle class? The rich and the the poor can usually be identified by where they live, how they dress, what they drive, where they work and where they play. The middle class is not so verifiable and is often infiltrated.

Example: I live in what I would call a middle class neighborhood but I have a neighbor who just doesn't fit.

He doesn't work, he and his wife vacation all over the world, he has two beautiful Harley trikes, a 42 foot fifth wheel, an F450, a large boat, he is digging out his swimming pool to put in a bigger one, is building a new block fence around all of his property, has just completed paving his gravel drive, had the brick walls of his home have just been replastered and he put on a new roof. Not typical middle class activity - not when simultaneously ongoing.

Charts - charts - charts - Phooey!:p

The "middle class" has it's name only in the vernacular of politicians and media pundents. The real reason that "Class" even exists is to avoid hurting the feelings of those that wouldn't fit it from the lower class - and to avoid calling those with plenty of money wealthy! It is to their advantage to not define the middle class.

It is perfectly normal for politicians and medial folks to not classify their audiences.

So -- wherever you think you fit -- you are one!;) Enjoy it!:D

I'll never forget the elderly lady who when told of the "poverty level" was astounded because she never knew she was poor. She wondered if she should drop out of her bridge club.

I hope you looked at the references at the end of that envy drivel.

I saw no 'answers'.

I saw interesting but essentially meaningless comparisons.

If accurate, it confirms my perception that the past half century has created the arrogant mindset of 'upper' management as to the 'value' of their 'work'.



I be curious how many of the '1%' reside in D.C. either now or previously.



Capitalism does have its negative attributes.


An even more interesting 'comparison' would be todays 'real' vs 1920's 'real'.

dusty wrote:Very interesting presentation. I'll have to watch it a couple more times to get the real jest of what is being presented. However, before openly repeating any of what is presented there, it must be somehow validated.

It has not answered my question of who is the middle class? The rich and the the poor can usually be identified by where they live, how they dress, what they drive, where they work and where they play. The middle class is not so verifiable and is often infiltrated.

Example: I live in what I would call a middle class neighborhood but I have a neighbor who just doesn't fit.

He doesn't work, he and his wife vacation all over the world, he has two beautiful Harley trikes, a 42 foot fifth wheel, an F450, a large boat, he is digging out his swimming pool to put in a bigger one, is building a new block fence around all of his property, has just completed paving his gravel drive, had the brick walls of his home have just been replastered and he put on a new roof. Not typical middle class activity - not when simultaneously ongoing.

Dusty,

He wouldn't happen to be a Mutual Fund Manager would he

I think this video makes me ask the question of why is the money seemingly so unbalanced.

I have always wondered why we pay people like we do. I see CEO's that risk very little in the way of personal safety getting huge salaries and I see line men going out in the middle of storms, climbing wet and often ice poles to reconnect wires and they seem to get paid little in comparison.

I see garbage collectors slinging 50# + garbage cans all day for a tiny bit of what a brokerage manager gets.

Then I learned last night that one broadway ticket was $200 and I thought who in their right mind would spend that much to see a broadway play, any broadway play?

Perhaps I like money too much but I won't pay a CEO a plug nickel, and I would pay a garbage collector, I would not pay a brokerage manager but I would pay electric company lineman climbing a pole in risk of life and lime a good sum. I would never pay $200 to see anything and I do mean anything that I can think of at the moment.

pennview wrote:I hope you looked at the references at the end of that envy drivel.

Was it envy drivel? Or was it a call to wake up and start demanding high standards of integrity and altering our view of success?

I see it all time, people are actually preyed upon and the person doing it doesn't view himself as a swine. They are actually willing to destroy a family and maybe a life to succeed as they understand success.

Where are the morals, the integrity, where is doing unto others as you would have them do unto you?

fredsheldon wrote:Dusty,

He wouldn't happen to be a Mutual Fund Manager would he

No, he is not or if he is it is a retirement job. He was an over the road trucker.

JPG40504 wrote:I saw no 'answers'.

I saw interesting but essentially meaningless comparisons.

If accurate, it confirms my perception that the past half century has created the arrogant mindset of 'upper' management as to the 'value' of their 'work'.



I be curious how many of the '1%' reside in D.C. either now or previously.



Capitalism does have its negative attributes.


An even more interesting 'comparison' would be todays 'real' vs 1920's 'real'.

I know one DC area resident who is not one of the 1% but she may be someday. My oldest grand daughter consults for a software firm and she is not in the DC area.

However, she expects her next assignment to be in Columbus, OH. She may experience some contrast when she makes that moves. I see that as similar to my transfer from LA to Dallas to Cedar Rapids, IA. That was a slippery down hill slope. I cannot complain though because it ended in full retirement (could have been a layoff).