Scenes from the So-Called 99%

PJ Tatler ^ | October 11, 2011 | Bryan Preston

[EQAndyBuzz]

I have a wife and two kids, I own a home, pay a mortgage. Have 4 cars, 4 insurance payments. Had a sic kid in the hospital for a year with no insurance because FrankenDodd cost me my job...twice.

I pay 28% taxes, no state taxes, high sales tax. I pay $3.25 for gas. My food bill is 40% higher due to high gas prices.

I am one of the 53%

[ctdonath2]

Awesome link.

[Chandalier]

Dear Useful Idiots:

I am 52 years old and up until 2 years ago had never been laid off from a job in my life. And guess what my husband was laid off from the same company on the exact same day. I made a plan, executed it, and was back at the same company as a contractor 2 months later and that lead to being hired back as a fulltime employee 5 months after that. My husband has not faired as well, he has had a few contractor jobs here and there, but nothing steady. We have burned through 80% of our retirement saving and have had to downsize our lifestyle to fit our new income. I am STILL paying off student loans from the 1980s!!!

Guess what! I want nothing from anyone else! I want to make my way out of this situation myself. I don’t blame my problems on banks or millionaires or billionaires (heck, I have my job because of a billionaire) and I don’t want a government bailout. All I want is to be left alone by the likes of you and the unions and politicians who support you.

Now please go back to your sleeping bags in mommy’s basement where you can spend your days eating cheese pizzes and crying about how bad your life is on FaceBook!

Sincerely,
Me

[ctdonath2]

Best response:

[School of Rational Thought]

I like the “education is the key” preceded by I have a graduate degree and unemployed.

Something is wrong there? DUH

[tanknetter]

All but one of these "victims" didn't bother to select a college career that would provide marketable skills.

I consider myself pretty fortunate. My undergrad degree is Lib Arts, in Political Science. I spent the first couple/few years out of school bumming around working for various public policy/political organizations (Conservative ones) in DC.

Then I met the love of my life. She came with a condition, however: I had to grow up and get a degree that had either an MD, JD or MBA in it.

So I got the MBA, and went into IT management. And have never regretted it. I make much better money than I would have without, have a reasonably secure job and am positioned to be able to support my family through my retirement.

One of the big lessons I'm trying to impart on my kids (6 years till the first goes to college) is just what you say above - in looking at a degree they need to also look at what kinds of success people with them have after they graduate.

[School of Rational Thought]

OK, I mixed signs, but the point remains.

[kevkrom]

The other guy, who was fired for criticizing his company on his blog, got what he deserved. He is an overage, childish idiot!

If you feel that compelled to criticize your company in public, then at least do so under a pseudonym, omitting enough incriminating details to prevent it from being traced back to you.

If you're going to be dumb enough to bite the hand that feeds you, at least show some intelligence in how you do it...

[budj]

peta-PINGs to pogo101.

Great link, thanks.

[BunnySlippers]

Bookmark

[driftless2]

I assume many of the people in the OWS movement are actually semi-intelligent citizens who made mistakes in the educational fields they chose or other similar errors. In short, they've made mistakes in life. Well, welcome to the very large crowd. I would guess everyone on Free Republic has made mistakes in the twists and turns that constitute making your way through life. So, you made a mistake that has cost you a lot of time and money i.e. a bad choice in your college major. What do you do? Collapse in a fetal position in the corner of your domicile, or get back up on your feet and try to improve things?

Again, I would bet conservatives are people who, like many people of the liberal persuasion, have undergone setbacks in life. The difference between conservatives and libs is knowing that at some time in life you will fail at something. But that will not stop you from achieving what you want in life.

[NavyCanDo]

First girl living on the edge of poverty pays $505 a month for car and insurance. Is she above visiting a used car lot?
I have always gone for late model used, and never paid over $180 a month for them. And I can afford a new car but choose not to pay what they want for them these days.

[Kaslin]

Great post

[Kaslin]

Well she is probably in her early 20s so naturally her insurance would be higher then it would be for us

[j_tull]

no one making $52k is paying 35%

Not unimaginable counting state and local income taxes.

[Ellendra]

The 3rd one down needs to fire their tax preparer. They paid enough in out-of-pocket medical expenses (health insurance premiums count) that he could deduct them. My back-of-the-napkin calculations show they should have ended up owing $0 taxes.

Assuming, of course, that they were filing singly and had no dependants. If they filed jointly and their spouse also worked, that changes the numbers some.

Anyone here like to recheck my calculations?

[Maverick68]

b

[boop]

Thank you! I remember another poli-sci major on the "99%" site that complained that he couldn't get a job despite sending out 200 applications.

Um, what exactly do you DO with a B.A. poli-sci degree? The only people I knew in college who were in poli-sci, were using it as a basis for law school, or as you said, some advanced degree. I can't conceive of a business that is crying out for some guy who knows all about Marx and the development of "the corporation in America". Compare and contrast in your blue-books please, and show your work.

[PMAS]

Federal income tax on $52k is more in 20% range

[tanknetter]

Um, what exactly do you DO with a B.A. poli-sci degree?

1.) Go to Law School.

2.) Teach PoliSci

3.) Wait tables.