You did, in fact, strike a nerve. My father lived through the Depression and had nothing. He survived by starting his own business because there were no jobs. He worked long hours and sacrificed so I could get the college education that he couldn't. After my first year, I was on my own. Nobody gave me anything and here I am today because I made good choices, worked hard, maximized using my GI benefits and got lucky. Anyone who considers me to be privileged is flat out wrong.

The Tenth Commandment - "Thou shalt not covet ..." is the mortal sin of envy. That's exactly what "income inequality" is - being envious of your neighbors' income.

You said "Have fun and enjoy the day." There's no better advice than that, as being here tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

 

Stu my parents were in the same boat only they both worked 2 and 3 jobs to keep our heads above water. They couldn't afford to pay for college so us kids didn't go. We made our own world and are proud of it. I'm a 10%'er so I feel privileged being able to do it in this great country. My hats off to anyone who takes the initiative to succeed. Enjoy.

 

You shouldn't feel privileged because you're a 10%er. You should feel privileged to be an American, where you have the opportunity to make your life whatever you desire.

 

My innocuous post turned into something I don't like.
So, of course, I'll put some more into it.

"Class" is more of a presentation of ones-self. I've known some VERY classy people who struggled to get by daily, and I've known some really deplorable very wealthy people (and doesn't the USA have an intensely vile 'rich' person in the highest office?)

 

I don't think he is Vile Cee Jay - - maybe just a bit orange..

 

I am privileged in both instances. Great country and great opportunity. Anyone can make it to their goals if they want it bad enough.

 

The last few posts have also struck a nerve with me. Besides being the child of two Concentration Camp survivors who came to the U.S. with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs, I just wanted to make a point that it's not as if Socialist countries don't have their own class structures and their 1% class. Somehow in Venezuela, the late socialist dictator Hugo Chavez's daughter has amassed over $4.2 billion dollars of wealth stashed away here in the U.S. and Europe. And Maduro's relatives are living high on the hog as well while the rest of the country is scrounging for food and toilet paper. At least in our system, everyone has the opportunity to succeed on the merits of their own hard work. My dad opened a business within the first year of coming to America, made it successful by working his tail off, and all of us kids helped in our stores from the time we could walk. My daughter opened a business of her own design about a month ago and is working 18-20 hour days (and is 8 months' pregnant) to get it up and running and has already had dozens of requests to purchase franchises if she ever goes that route.
https://www.news.com.au/world/south-...1fa36348748a1f

Where are all of the success stories about socialist experiments? Finland, To which Senator Bernie Sanders loves to refer? .The younger generation has replaced liberty with the notion of forced economic equality as an ideal. I don't think it bodes well for the world of the future.

Okay, so now my nerves are soothed.

 

The lady's only mistake was to not walk 2 rottweilers on a leash.

The only culprit on all this is that photographer who ignored that police have had a problem with people talking photos on this private property. Because she could get a free studio.
The picture tells the story, child sitting on a dog-shitting side walk holding a balloon. That photographer should face a firing squad.

But we live in a world of prosecution by social media, based on video from just one side. And throw race into to supercharge it.

 

The problem is that people born with a silver spoon still always claim that they got theirs the hard way. Just look at Trump, inherited millions and still somehow claims to be a self-made man.


Income inequality isn't about top 10%, it is about top 0.01%. We are talking about billionaires and some of them are undeniably a problem when they start corrupting politics with Big$$.

This is survivor bias.

 

SinF,
This is what Bernie Sanders ran his whole campaign on, overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, but never once during that campaign did he ever utter an objection to labor unions massive attempts to influence elections by contributing enormous amounts of money. And the complicit press never once in two years of covering his campaign ever bothered to ask a question of him with respect to that apparent contradiction in his promise to eliminate big money from campaign financing. We have now completely hijacked the original thread, and it's not right to take it in this direction, so I'll not comment again on this topic. I'll shut up now!