I am not “whining” about my debt. When I made a career change & returned to college in my mid-thirties I knew I would incur debt. I do not blame anyone else for that.
My issue is simple: I pay MY fair share of taxes and I am okay with that. I am NOT okay with the fact that my taxes went to bailouts which became bonuses for executives.
I want the corruption to end.
I want the 1% to pay THEIR fair share of taxes.
I AM THE 99%.
occupywallst.org
I am a software engineer. When I started working in 1985 I had nothing but $10,000 in student loan debt and a used Toyota Tercel my mother gave me as a college-graduation gift.
I have gotten lucky and made money on stock at two start-ups; when George W. Bush took office, my net worth exceeded $10 million. That had shrunk to about $4 million when he left, roughly where it stands today.
I own two homes. I drive a Porsche 911. My family has excellent health insurance. I have given each of my three children enough money to get through college debt-free. My wife (of 25 years) has never had to work.
I own 4 two-bedroom apartments and 4 three-bedroom townhouses that I rent out. I have a mortgage on one of my homes for the tax deduction, the other properties I own free-and-clear. I have no debt beyond the one mortgage.
I still work as an engineer, earning $140,000 per year.
All told, in 2010 I made $200,621 in salary, interest, dividends, and rent.
My federal income tax on this money was $2,196.
Strangely, even with all this, I am the 99%. To qualify for the 1% I would need to have made 70% more than I did. I’m not even close.
occupywallst.org
honestly dude you are not not one bit infact you admitted to have MADE money in the stock market one of the things we stand against omg how insulting is this post wow. Like seriously i am so offended the fact that you’re sitting there in your nice ass car practically bragging about your gains and losses when you can still sit there in comfort for you and your family you are in no way on the same lever as the majority of those who are the 99% honest to god the fact that you would post makes me sick to my stomach you seriously think of yourself as a victim when you should be looking at how amazingly lucky you are to have what you have and i seriously have never been so offended by someone in my life before.
actually, if you look at it another way, i think maybe it’s pointing out that 99% is kind of a misleading figure. if you’re saying everyone who earns below a certain point is the 99% then this guy, who clearly doesn’t need any financial help and has done fine out of the system in the way it is (seriously - only 2 grand tax out of 200 grand? isn’t that less of a percentage than low earners have to pay?) - then 99% isn’t really 99% at all. i’m fully behind the occupy movement but when 99% includes people like this guy then it’s kind of a misleading figure, is it not?
actually though thinking about it - his wages make him part of the 99% now. but if he earned the $10million when the going was good, and is still worth $4million - surely that makes him one of the 1%, even though his yearly salary technically makes him part of the 99%?
which begs the question, should he be even considered to be part of the 99% when he has that amount of money behind him, wages aside?
(via fattygyaru)
