Who are the Rich?

[Triumph36]

You realize you're setting yourself up for a haughty 'our family qualified for reduced-price lunches but didn't get them' post, right?

[cardcounter0]

Sure, but the OP is soooooo misguided.
First, he tries to judge wealth based on annual income.
Then, his income scale tops out at 110k.

Instead of proclaiming himself a conservative, he should buy a clue.

Im lower-middle class and Im very conservative. Im working my way though college on loans. I just dont want the government giving me free shizzit that they confiscated from my fellow countrymen, unless Im on the verge of starving and cannot feed myself.

In my mind, the real poverty is living on $1 a day, being on the brink of starvation/disease, having no water, etc.

In America, the difference between poor and rich comes down to bigger house, bigger car, hotter wife, since here even the totally destitute arent starving to death or freezing to death in droves like they do in countries that face real poverty.

[tylerdurden]

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So, at what household income would you define as "rich"?

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Income is not nearly as important as net worth when trying to classify "the rich".

[John Cole]

I'll avoid the Conservative or Liberal label and simply look at Republicans and Democrats. A major shift has occured in the past twenty-five or so years. The strongholds of the Democratic base have shifted from more rural areas into the larger cities, once the stongholds of the Republican party. Part of this change has been the result of the growing influence of the born again Christian movement and the direct appeal to this demographic on the part of the Republicans. In other words, a town of 30K in TN would certainly be part of that Republican stronghold (not surprising that Gore could not carry hus home state, then).

[CCass]

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I'll avoid the Conservative or Liberal label and simply look at Republicans and Democrats. A major shift has occured in the past twenty-five or so years. The strongholds of the Democratic base have shifted from more rural areas into the larger cities, once the stongholds of the Republican party. Part of this change has been the result of the growing influence of the born again Christian movement and the direct appeal to this demographic on the part of the Republicans. In other words, a town of 30K in TN would certainly be part of that Republican stronghold (not surprising that Gore could not carry hus home state, then).

[/ QUOTE ]

You have helped me make my point. The majority of voters on the right are not rich by any reasonable standards. When people on the left attack a right (or conservative) viewpoint by using the tried and true "rich folks vs poor folks" argument, it doesn't help their cause.

As an example, Democrats love to claim that Bushes tax cuts only helped the rich. The tax cuts have helped my wife and I, and we make way less than 110K a year. So when Democrats start talking about repealing the tax cuts because it would only effect the rich, I wonder if they really understand what the definition of rich is?

Todays Republican Party is not in power because of the Country Club elite, they are in power because of common every day people. I don't think the Democratic party understands why they are losing votes in places like rural middle TN, and until they figure it out they are going to continue losing elections.

[cardcounter0]

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The tax cuts have helped my wife and I, and we make way less than 110K a year.

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No, they didn't.

[Aaron_]

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The tax cuts have helped my wife and I, and we make way less than 110K a year.

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No, they didn't.

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No, they didn't. [Reason gets inserted here, between these brackets].

[cardcounter0]

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[Reason gets inserted here, between these brackets]

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If you have a farm, Bush gave you a tax cut and eliminated crop subsidies and price supports.
If you are a student, Bush gave you a tax cut and cut your student loans.
If you are just a working stiff, Bush gave you a tax cut and you have higher unemployment, increased health care costs, it costs way more to drive to work ...

Of course if you are just a taxpayer ---
Bush gave you a tax cut, and saddled you with 100 billion in debt to pay for his war based on lies, gave you the bill to pay for the largest Govt. Agency created since 1940s, helped passed the biggest piece of pork called a "transportation bill".

But don't worry, he gave you a tax cut and he is working on screwing you out of your social security and chopping your medicare.

[whiskeytown]

I should probably clairify -

that thought I had was the only people who I know for sure who ARE anti-union are rich people - some poor people too, but without a doubt the rich people -

and I'll side with these assessments of rich - $400000 and up...certainly not 110K - I made that much one year myself, and I was nowhere near rich.

RB