I guess "what is rich" is a bit subjective.
Of course.
One of my favorite stories on income & context was in the 1980s, Russia wanted to show that the East was better than the West. They did a PBS-style documentary about poor people in the US, and showed a poor family in Appalachia watching TV, as an example of how in a capitalist country poor people get left behind. They showed the documentary in Russia, and then Russian people were asked what they thought. Their reply: In America, even poor people own a TV. Most in Russia did not.
Not a shining moment for the communist movement.
As for me: I grew up bouncing between middle class & upper middle class as a kid. There were days when I lived in a 28 room house (Stepfathers money, not ours). There were days where my mom & I shared a 1 bedroom apartment. I remember my mom being (albeit temporarily) on food stamps. I also remember her owning a $ 5k fur coat. Shit was up & down, but mostly in the middle. I remember being 10 and getting $ 2 for lunch, and one day my mom gave me $ 3 by accident and (knowing money was tight), I was like 'Yo, I got extra money! I was conflicted about whether to give it back, or be a 10 year old kid & spend it. It was
one dollar. So, if calling me wealthy makes anyone feel better, okay, but, I'm sure there are a number of people on here who grew up in much more comfortable surroundings than I did. Not to mention the last 8 years I spent living in the Bronx, which, if I had a fortune & was wealthy, I would have given up for midtown.
Additionally, I'm not sure why you are trying to channel my 1040s, don't think I've ever posted my income, nor do I talk about, but anyway, my thoughts on people with more money paying more in taxes comes from knowing a co-worker who has a net worth of $ 300 million dollars, and another co-worker making due on $ 45k with 3 kids. I don't factor my personal income into "fairness", if it is fair for all Americans, I'll pay whatever is fair for me to pay. Romney is (among others) rich & trying to lower his taxes; I'm neither.
Also, a Gallup poll in 2011 suveyed American's on their opinions on how much they had to earn to be rich. American's said they'd need to earn $150K a year to consider themselves rich.
That's just dumb...do you know how much good Caviar costs nowadays?
(totally kidding).
I think you make a lot more than other's on this board and objectively, your point of view might be a little skewed. An American making $90K a year is not middle income. They are within the the top 5%-8% of top earners in the country, I don't think anyone believes that's middle income.
Trying working in Fairfield County, surrounded by co-workers in $ 750k houses. (I am not in one). That- if anything- is the skew, not my paycheck.
In 1st grade, I knew a kid whose family straight up lived in the Plaza hotel. In 5th grade, I knew another kid from Harlem who was borderline homeless. In NYC public schools, these are your classmates. I generally grew up in NYC. NYC's average salary nowadays is $ 80k. I think the national average is like $ 42k (see
http://www.ssa.gov/oact/COLA/AWI.html), so, clearly there's some regional variation there, but, again, I was speaking in pretty broad strokes there; the gap I left between $ 45k & $ 98k was more about not having 17 different levels than about me creating a new tax system based on those cut-offs.
Now I don't begrudge your fortune and wealth, I'm quite happy for you. I'm sure you've worked very hard for everything you have. And if you did get help or inherit your fortune I'm happy for you too.
I have neither fortune nor wealth, but thanks anyway. I'm not starving over here, clearly, but, I'm not Scrooge McDuck. I did not inherit anything, and since about 17 have given my mother quite a bit more than she's given me.
The only thing I would ask for you is.....a job! Just like Napolean Dynamite, I have skills.
If I could in anyway help you get a job, I would. I know companies that are hiring, feel free to pull me aside @ El Pastor (I'll buy YOU a beer). And, if you can code in Java or write mobile Apps in objective C, I'll buy you way more than 1 beer.
We can talk about %'s all day, but a tax on what you spend is on exactly that... what you spend.
If you prefer to save it, I'm of the belief you should be able to keep all of it.
If you want to spend it, well then you should be taxed on it.
My idea is more about necessity vs luxury.
I respect your opinion, but I disagree. You say 'prefer to save'...some people don't have a choice, bro. I know a guy who cashed out $ 60m or so in stock & retired at 45. He is someone with a choice whether to save or not, whether to spend or not. I know another person working past 65, who spent every penny she made and has $ 0 saved for retirement. She wasn't earning enough to choose to save, and removing the relative tax break she gets (under a progressive income tax) for making $ 50k a year only to tax her spending at the same rate you tax someone making $ 500k a year, would add to her taxes and therefore would lower her buying power.
If that is fair to you, you have a right to that opinion, but it does not seem fair to me. Just my opinion.