I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m probably not going to be a multimillionaire. Oh, I still hold out the hope that somehow I’ll figure out a way to get $10,000 for a dinner speech, or otherwise find my way to piles of money for just being myself.
But realistically, it wasn’t a big struggle for me, given the real riches I enjoy daily. I have a beautiful, healthy, and loving family. I have a rewarding career. I have (against all odds, I’d have said as recently as two years ago) a warm and fulfilling church home. God and I usually talk during my morning commute, and I thank Him for my success every day.
Yeah, yeah. Life is great, and all that. But “the rich,” as popularly discussed, are monetarily so. What about them? Dig:
By and large, “rich” people are not “fortunate,” nor have they (cringe) “won life’s lottery.” (Was it Gephardt who first brought us that gem?) Worst of all (in my view), if you’ve ever bemoaned that they “don’t pay their fair share,” you better hope you never get the “fairness” you say you want. If you do, they’ll pay considerably less, not more. People with high incomes pay a staggering amount of tax.
I’ve seen enough to be satisfied that most “rich” people work their asses off. Oh, sure, there’s the occasional jerkoff son running around in the Mercedes-Benz convertible who’s never done anything harder than pick out a shirt for the evening, and he’s certainly a convenient target—but is he a fair representative?
Really, what about those people who make more in a month than I do in a year? Well, they start businesses. They invest in funds and other vehicles—that start businesses. They donate buildings to universities. They endow humanitarian foundations.
They are engines for progress. Appreciate them.
Almost all rich people are also cheaper than George Costanza. That’s how they got that way. One of the smartest (and best-compensated) software geniuses I ever knew drove a 20-year-old beat-to-shit Toyota Corolla hatchback and ate PBJs at his desk every day. He was one of the most unassuming and down-to-earth fellows I’ve ever encountered, and was probably worth more by 40 than I’ll ever be worth.
Be careful what you wish for when you decide that socking it to “the rich” is a good idea. It is in no one’s best interest to punish achievement. And please try to stay away from “fortunate,” “won life’s lottery,” and similar expressions that imply that material wealth is serendipity. It’s almost never true.
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Well said Bo! Another thing that “rich” people often do is take incredible risks early in their careers. They’ll forego the regular paychecks and weekends off in exchange for 96-hour workweeks and no assurance they’ll be able to pay their rent at the beginning of the month. The reason some folks think it’s so easy is because they only hear about the folks who succeed. The ones who aren’t so successful and give up their dream for a job at Home Depot don’t talk about it so much.
I despise the way some political candidates attempt to use class envy to gain office.
Only one comment today? I guess all your libber pals don’t agree with you and don’t wanna comment. People don’t seem to understand that the top 5 percent of income earners pay 2/3 of all the taxes. I don’t think people really care, they just want them to pay more so they can get a free ride. Obama is great for class warfare and redistribution of income.
Lee: Thanks. I’m not a total fraidy-cat, but my tolerance for (real, life-changing) risk has never been particularly high. We all benefit from the fact that there are people for whom that isn’t true.
Pearl: Yes, I have friends and acquaintances all over the political spectrum, including “libbers.” I’d welcome discussion with anyone on what I’ve said.
Today’s the 5th anniversary of mine & Hubby’s first date. Thursday is the 4th anniversary of our wedding.
Are we rich? Hell, yeah!! In all the things that really matter.
I’ll never be rich either, Bo, but I don’t need much. Just being able to pay the mortgage without worry is OK for me. You know how low my expectations are. 🙂
As far as paying taxes, I think I pay my fair share. I don’t begrudge anyone the paycheck deductions, but I sure wish it was being used in an intellegent manner. The AMT is bullshit, as is the inheritance tax (double taxation). And I seriously doubt I will see much from my social security contributions.
The inheritance tax is what really gets my parents hot. They lived without for years, saved their money, and took a great risk taking on loans to build apartments 10 years before my dad quit teaching at the university. Now they’re loaded– and as it stands now money that they have already paid taxes on will be taxed again after they’re gone. Should they be resented for cleaning their own apartments for years when tenants moved out, or doing all the painting and mowing, and whatnot? They earned it.
Give us “liberals” a bit of a break. After all, it was our wonderful Republican prez who pushed the bailout. Just another way the federal government has intruded into places it doesn’t belong during his tenure. He’s also the one who told Americans to do their patriotic duty and go shopping. How about somebody in Washington do the responsible thing and tell people that the really patriotic thing is to live within their means and take care of themselves and their families?
It’s possible to hold liberal and conservative views. The world is many differnt shades of gray, not black and white.
Suzie: Congratulations!
Cheryl, I try to give everybody a bit of a break, and I certainly agree that it’s possible to hold liberal and conservative views. I walk around like that every day. 🙂