Post by ChillyMcFreeze on Apr 17, 2015 13:29:43 GMT -5
Yes, it's MSNBC. And I know we're all weary of the "what is rich?" talk. But I wonder if we're coming upon a radical change to Social Security. The GOP is in a tough spot here to try to reform SS at the expense of rich oldz.
The median household income in the United States is about $52,000 a year. Politicians would be wise to remember that.
One Republican congressman last year said lawmakers “don’t make a lot of money,” despite his $174,000 annual salary. In 2011, Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) complained about driving “a used minivan” and how much he “struggles” to pay his bills, despite his large congressional salary. Around the same time, another GOP lawmaker, with a net worth about $56 million, said he and his family were “struggling like everyone else.”
And yesterday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) joined the ignominious club.
Nov. Chris Christie insists he’s not rich, but is nonetheless confounded by the complexity of his tax returns and again hinted that he might back a simplification of the U.S. income tax code should he run for president.
“The fact that my wife and I, who are not wealthy by current standards, that we have to file a tax return that’s that thick … is insane,” Christie told the editorial board of the Manchester Union-Leader on Monday, holding his thumb and forefinger several inches apart. “We don’t have nearly that much money,” he said.
Actually, the Christies are very well-off. According to the governor’s 2013 tax returns – the most recent information available – the Christie family’s annual income is about $700,000. That’s not just 1 percent status, that’s 0.8 percent status.
The nj.com report added that Christie makes more than eight times the median household income in New Jersey.
If the Republican governor and likely presidential candidate genuinely believes his household is “not wealthy by current standards,” he should probably elaborate a bit on these “standards.” If Christie is comparing his wealth to that of his campaign benefactors, it might seem modest.
But if the GOP candidate is comparing himself to the American norm, Christie is in rarefied economic air. Unless his income fell dramatically last year from 2013, it’s both factually and politically wrong for him to say he’s “not wealthy.”
In a speech on entitlements this week, the New Jersey Republican said, “Let’s ask ourselves an honest question: do we really believe that the wealthiest Americans need to take from younger, hardworking Americans to receive what, for most of them, is a modest monthly Social Security check?” He added, “I propose a modest means test that only affects those with non-Social Security income of over $80,000 per year, and phases out Social Security payments entirely for those that have $200,000 a year of other income.”
In other words, Christie this week defined “the wealthiest Americans” as those who earn far less per year than he does.
Our taxes are super easy. I'd probably take a thick stack of tax documents if it meant I made $700k annually over my simple turbo tax filing. I think I'd pregame by taking a few Xanax or something though since seeing in black and white how much we pay for SS made me almost black out with rage.
Just to put that $700k in perspective, he and his wife make about $58,000 a MONTH. Even if he pays a full 30% in taxes (which he certainly doesn't), that leaves him with a paltry $41,000 a month. A MONTH.
Oh and by the way, he pays the same SS taxes as someone who makes $117k a year. Which is a healthy amount of money, to be sure, but it's far less than $700k.
Post by laurenpetro on Apr 17, 2015 13:35:02 GMT -5
dude sends his kid to an elite private school.
i don't begrudge him private vs public school but can we all agree that if you can independantly afford to do this you do not get to say you're not wealthy?
This is part of the problem in this country. When the rich actually have the gall to say oh, no, they really aren't rich... well, then of course they want "more" too and will put themselves first in line. Because they can.
i don't begrudge him private vs public school but can we all agree that if you can independantly afford to do this you do not get to say you're not wealthy?
How about, if you make in one month what the average household in America makes in an entire year, YOU ARE WEALTHY.
Post by downtoearth on Apr 17, 2015 13:43:25 GMT -5
I think you, Mr. Christie, are not sure of what the word "rich" means. Maybe go with your kid to that elite private school and ask the teachers, not the students, what it means.
Post by Velar Fricative on Apr 17, 2015 13:47:04 GMT -5
Well sure, compared to Bill Gates, he's not wealthy.
This is our problem. We are so stuck on comparing ourselves to everyone else that at this point, the only wealthy people in this country are Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, the Waltons and the Koch brothers. Random hedge fund dude in Greenwich? Naw, not rich if we don't know his name.
Post by penguingrrl on Apr 17, 2015 13:50:13 GMT -5
Huh, so more in one year than H earns in 9 is still not wealthy? Interesting... Am I wrong in thinking he was one who opposed increasing the minimum wage? Because, uh, if $700K isn't wealthy then how on earth can someone live on minimum?
Also, fuck him with his poor me, my taxes are complicated shit. I would love to have enough income and assets to have complicated taxes!
I'm pretty good at seeing things from other points of view, but no amount of mental gymnastics can get me to see how $700k a year isn't wealthy. I mean, it obviously isn't richest person in the world, but..... it's wealthy, CC.
Post by ChillyMcFreeze on Apr 17, 2015 13:52:40 GMT -5
"I need my OWN helicopter to take to my kid's soccer matches so those lamestream media whiners will leave me alone. I don't have enough cash in my wallet for a helicopter. If only I were rich."
i don't begrudge him private vs public school but can we all agree that if you can independantly afford to do this you do not get to say you're not wealthy?
Don't/didn't all four of his kids attend private school? I remember that coming up when he was trying to do something that pissed public school teachers and administrators off (which is, like, every day but anyway...).
Now, not everyone who attends private school comes from a wealthy or even (real) middle-class family, but still.
Just to put that $700k in perspective, he and his wife make about $58,000 a MONTH. Even if he pays a full 30% in taxes (which he certainly doesn't), that leaves him with a paltry $41,000 a month. A MONTH.
Oh and by the way, he pays the same SS taxes as someone who makes $117k a year. Which is a healthy amount of money, to be sure, but it's far less than $700k.
That's twice as much what we make in a year. But, no, he isn't rich.
i don't begrudge him private vs public school but can we all agree that if you can independantly afford to do this you do not get to say you're not wealthy?
Don't/didn't all four of his kids attend private school? I remember that coming up when he was trying to do something that pissed public school teachers and administrators off (which is, like, every day but anyway...).
Now, not everyone who attends private school comes from a wealthy or even (real) middle-class family, but still.
probably. i just know his one son does because my local board had it out about CC fucking with teachers while sending his kids to private school. oddly, i don't begrudge him this. he's still a douchecanoe for a million other reasons but his sending his kid to private school while being a public official doesn't bother me at all.
"Not gonna lie; I kind of keep expecting you to post one day that you threw down on someone who clearly had no idea that today was NOT THEIR DAY." ~dontcallmeshirley
Don't/didn't all four of his kids attend private school? I remember that coming up when he was trying to do something that pissed public school teachers and administrators off (which is, like, every day but anyway...).
Now, not everyone who attends private school comes from a wealthy or even (real) middle-class family, but still.
probably. i just know his one son does because my local board had it out about CC fucking with teachers while sending his kids to private school. oddly, i don't begrudge him this. he's still a douchecanoe for a million other reasons but his sending his kid to private school while being a public official doesn't bother me at all.
Yup, his kids go to Delbarton. Now he has two in college (Princeton and Notre Dame). I don't begrudge that any more than I begrudge the Obama girls going to private schools. I figure that security concerns play into those decisions (more at the Pres level, but Christie is a big enough name that there could be crazies out there out to get him). I can't stand him, but not because he uses private schools.
Tuition for the 2014-15 academic year is $33,900.00 for all grades. Tuition is comprehensive, covering items such as daily hot lunch, technology costs, and most activity fees. The large expenses not included in tuition are those associated with transportation (approximately $1,300-$3,000 per year if you opt for an available bus), books (approximately $600-$800 per year), and voluntary giving to school initiatives.
Post by penguingrrl on Apr 17, 2015 14:39:01 GMT -5
Well, after spending approximately 4 years of the average salary for school each year, then paying a car payment and his mortgage I'm sure he feeeeels poor and that's all that counts, amiright?
Well, after spending approximately 4 years of the average salary for school each year, then paying a car payment and his mortgage I'm sure he feeeeels poor and that's all that counts, amiright?
$700k isn't a lot of money after you spend it all!
Post by charminglife on Apr 17, 2015 14:43:48 GMT -5
What drives me nuts is that he's not saying this off the cuff. I'm sure this speech was written by someone else, vetted by another group of people and signed off on by (potential) campaign advisors. NOBODY picked up on the discrepancy between what he said earlier in the week about SS means testing and what he said about wealth today? Are they in one giant bubble?