Forum Post: I'm Part of The 1%....Let's Make A Deal
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 12, 2011, 3:36 a.m. EST by SmallBizGuy
(378)
from Savannah, GA
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
So you want more of my money? No Problem!
I am quite happy to pay more taxes to the US government......but......there is a catch (always a catch). Hear is the deal....
Raise the payouts to help the poor (they obviously need it....remember they are poor). Eliminate all of the hidden taxes that the middle class has to pay (ie.....gas taxes, electricity taxes, phone taxes, cigarette taxes, alcohol taxes, property taxes....too many to list here).
Change Social Security to a "Poverty Insurance" program.....ie.....if you end up poor, you get a payout......if you end up rich....no payout. This would lower the current payments (in the form of insurance premiums) to the government, and leave more money to spend for the middle class. Hopefully they buy more products from my company.......that's not a requirement......but.....it is a likely side effect.
Lower the governments operating expenses (all current labor contracts should be honored). Replace all the bums that are taking money from Wall Street (that includes Obama).
Tax me more (not a lot more, but enough to make a difference). I will be just fine.....actually.....I may end up better off. If I don't make more money by the increasing my customers buying power, I will at least die one day with a good conscience.
Leave some money for my kids. I have worked hard to see that my kids have a good financial start in life. That has been the greatest motivator for me. They don't need a lot....just enough to get them started. If I have raised them properly, they won't need much, and they will probably do quite fine without me.
Deal....or No Deal?
You say "tax me more". What constitutes "taxing me more"?
There is no mention of keeping jobs in America so that your customers can also afford to buy from you with living wages.
"Tax me more" means keeping the current income tax rates....but...eliminate all of the loopholes.
The current income tax rates tax the rich LESS than that of the middle class.
I agree about the loopholes though. They give multinationals an unfair advantage over small startups.
True.
Add, no special loopholes to retain income that can only be utilized by the wealthy. No special tax breaks for moving American Jobs offshore. If you carry the same proportionate burden that working Americans carry already, then we've come closer to justice, but if you load the Supreme Court with your business chums, and fill Congress with your cronies who all write legislation to give you a special deal, then, no deal!
Government by Business is no government at all. It is the definition of corruption.
That has to apply to the Union "business" too. They also have loaded the government with corrupt politicians. This ain't the days of Clarance Darrow anymore.
It's easy enough to determine where the corruption lies. Just follow the money.
If when you say these are not "the days of Clarence Darrow" anymore, are you suggesting that the days of workers being exploited by businesses are over? That American workers don;t spend a lifetime working to have the pensions and healthcare they were promised pulled out from under them after the fact? Who else but Unions are going to look after the workers' best interests? Corporate Legal departments? I Don't think so.
The unions don't represent the "workers" in America. That's a fairy tale made up by the crooks in the Democratic party to brainwash their liberal voters. Unions represent the "union workers" which is only about 10% (est.) of the "workers" in America.
When the unions "demand" wages and benefits that are way out of proportion to the general labor markets, they hurt the the other 90% that have to pay more for the products that they need to live. Just take a look at the cost of "affordable" housing in New York. The unions are detrimental....not beneficial to the general population. Clarence Darrow is rolling over in his grave.
i have a better idea. a floating minimum wage evaluated quarterly pegged to inflation and cost, we let you off the hook for paying insurance and taxes on your employees, meaning you only pay the wage. no more workers comp because we all have health insurance. remove subsidies from large corporations that limit your competitive edge against them. we and corporation are off welfare and the gov saves that money.
Deal.
U.S. government spending accounts for thirty-seven (37) percent of the gross domestic product. That represents too much taxing, too much spending. Too much everything.
I agree. This is the only reason that I can come up with why Obama thinks that he can jump-start the economy with spending more. I would opt to give the money back to the 63% (the people) and let them spend it. If for no other reason then to "buy" their vote....go figure.
I very much like the idea for Social Security to be only for those who need it, not for everybody.
Think car insurance......you end up in a wreck....you get paid. You end up a good defensive drive (ie...no wreck)....no pay. Everyone can relate to this model.
"(all current labor contracts should be honored)"
that's why I wanted to give the troops government jobs when they got home
Good going. I hire a lot of Vets. They are great employees (the best actually). They are use to getting up early, working hard, and following orders. I also feel obligated to hire them.....as I should.
only by contact
Are you willing to elimate the importing of "market ready" goods? I am not talking about supplies and such, just the things that are ready to go on the shelf. Will you invest in the needed companys so that we can make what we buy?
Are you willing to elimate the importing of "market ready" goods? I am not talking about supplies and such, just the things that are ready to go on the shelf. Will you invest in the needed companys so that we can make what we buy?
Great idea! One reason for my business' success, is our ability to assemble US made components to meet the "custom" needs of our clients. This drives our competition crazy. Their products are made in other countries. They can't do what we do here in the US.
If US businesses would structure their production to meet the rising demand for custom assembled products, you wouldn't have to "eliminate" the "market ready" goods. The drop in demand would solve a lot of your issues (without government interference.....I must add).
world is paying 80 trillion $ annual interest and its annual product is just 60 trillion $... to whom is the whole world working for? we must end all kinds of interest-based systems... money is not created to be sold... money can not be sold... if you have money make a real business or be a partner with someone who has a real business working for real things for humanity... earning by selling money is the root of all evils in this world... its the basics and cause of humanities slavery to just 1%.
the world needs "equalistic united humanity order" euho , we should start stopping all kind of interest in all world. interest is prohibited in all belief on the earth. we unite to stop interest based economic,social activities as humans and by this way we start destroying capitalism enslaving system over humanity. http://pic.twitter.com/wu5uH0C2
The deal 1 / 50 looks ok. No people should have more earnings than 30 times lower salary per year.... just a sample
2.500.000 usd per year
All extra money somebody could make with their corporation , should be reinvested on more industrys, salary, energy ,or what ever....if not should go directly to tax. Sound comunist, but is not... comunist didnt have diferent salary scales....
Your idea on Social Security is pure stupidity. It was never designed to be means-tested. It Is not charity. We have to make sure it gets enough funding to maintain the solvency, which is fine right now. We also have to go after the "cash worker" employers who cheat the system, and throw them in jail where they belong. http://sibob.org/wordpress/
It was designed to help those who happened to outlive the average lifespan of the working man, which at the time was 65. My grandfather collected for 9 months before he passed away.
Today the average lifespan far exceeds 65 and there currently enough young worker paying in to sustain the system. It will go bankrupt if nothing is done. That is a fact.
Now, I don't have any idea how to fix the system and I'd like to be able to collect when I retire, given that I've paid into the system.
Like I said, go after the millions of tax cheats, who work for cash, start with the employers. There should be enough money right there to give the plan a huge boost.
Those that work for cash, along with the underground economy (prostitution, book makers, drug dealers, etc.) make a national sales tax look appealing. Those people need to but things to live and would then be contributing to the system. A national sales tax system would need to have a deduction for those below the poverty level, but those working around the system would have no ability to claim the deduction. I know that a national sales tax is not popular, but it would have some benefits. I'd rather be taxed on consumption and keep the government out of my savings.
We already have the apparatus to collect delinquent federal,Social Security and Medicare taxes. I'm sure the Department of Justice could pursue enforcement of the law if it had the political backbone to do so. The local municipalities could do the same thing. If the heat was turned up, (not just on illegal activities, like you mentioned), but on supposedly legitimate businesses who decide to pay in cash, whether to illegal aliens or citizens, the risk would rise, making it more likely that the "get-overs" will comply with the law. The cost of the increased enforcement would be more than offset by the back taxes collected. http://sibob.org/wordpress/
No...just get the taxes that the "cash workers" owe. I don't want to feed them while they are in jail.
I said the bosses should go to jail. They are sticking all that excess cash in their own pockets, (from the money that is not withheld for SS, Medicare, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, etc.). But the small business "entrepreneurs" are the backbone of the "job creator" class.
We agree......well I agree.
That's a deal, and although I'm all in favor of taking down today's ineffective and inefficient Top 10% Management Group of Business & Government, there's only one way to do it – by fighting bankers as bankers ourselves. Consequently, I have posted a 1-page Summary of the Strategic Legal Policies, Organizational Operating Structures, and Tactical Investment Procedures necessary to do this at:
http://getsatisfaction.com/americanselect/topics/on_strategic_legal_policy_organizational_operational_structures_tactical_investment_procedures
Join
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/StrategicInternationalSystems/
if you want to support a Presidential Candidate at AmericansElect.org in support of the above bank-focused platform.
I would be willing to make this deal. But that would not be the end of the movement.
No.... it wouldn't end the movement....but....I would need all of their emails so I could market my products to them (LOL). Remember, I am do this for the money.
I agree that without a robust middle class large sectors of the economy will suffer. Many good companies would suffer Ben and Jerrie's among them. Were not mad at all of the top 1 and 2% just the people that have seriously corrupted the political system. Banks and oil companies being the 1st offenders. It's actually a normal theme in western history. The powerful get a little to powerful. That power gets abused and people do what they must to collectively reclaim our individual freedom. Maybe things would be smoother without this political cycle of boom and bust but who's knows.
You are correct.....their needs to be a "correction". That maybe happening as we post. The only reason that I have been posting here is that I wanted to participate in "history-in-the-making" (in my small way). It's been pretty cool to talk to people about this.
I have stopped to talk to the protesters in my city. They are good people....some a little weird...but...they probably think the same of me. But, we get along. We have a lot in common. After all.....we are just people trying to make a living.
I left my business card with them, I told them that I wanted to sell them some of my products when they get back on their feet again. I think they understood.
Actually, on the face of it, that looks pretty good to me. As far as it goes. You need to also require single payer universal health coverage.
Single Payer Health Coverage....that's a can of worms. As a general statement....if it would improve coverage for everyone (I have my doubts), then I would not oppose it; However, I am not convinced at this point.
"Tax me more (not a lot more, but enough to make a difference). I will be just fine.....actually.....I may end up better off. If I don't make more money by the increasing my customers buying power, I will at least die one day with a good conscience.'
Yep, I believe YOU are a businessman, because you understand that jobs are created when businesses have more customers, not because they are paying less taxes.
And that customers are created when the "rabble" has more money to spend.
I think your proposals make good sense. And thanks for having a conscience.
Don't give me too much credit for having a conscience. I am still a greedy business man. I just think that I would make more money if the middle class hand more money to spend. As a matter of fact, I know I would. My business was doing better when the economy was good.....ie....the middle class had more money.
bingo.
Yep, I'm self-employed, that's been the case for me, too.
Even though a lot of what I do is B2B, it is small-B to small-B. The crash lowered everyone's credit limit, my small biz clients have fewer customers therefore I have fewer contracts. I had to get creative to keep my income steady. It's all good, I'm a survivor, but fact remains, a high tide lifts all ships or something like that.
Glad to see that you are a survivor. Me too. The one silver lining to the bad economy is that I have become a better business man. When the economy turns around, I will be ready-to-roll. You know the old saying......"what doesn't kill you"...........
Hey 1%, nice deal. But, time is over. You just finished to convert all the money into debt. What was your deal again? Oh yeah: "You want more of my debt? No problem. I am quite happy to recive more funds from the US Gov.....
Also get rid of caps on SS eligible income, toss out the changes to taxes on unnecessary items like cigs and alcohol (also gas tax is needed to power shift to alternatives), and make sure capital gains rate increases are part of your offer, and, sure.
If only Obama and the congress would negotiate like you, we might end up with some decent bills that would help the people. I will consider your counter offer.
If you are in the top 1% you need to get a new secretary... she didn't write a very good email.... lol
If you are in the top 1% you need to get a new secretary... she didn't write a very good email.... lol
Perhaps, you can lend him yours, you appear to have two...
I will fire her immediately. Oops....she is my wife. She owns the house....thus she owns me.
Oh, sure, all the small business guys are in the top1%! I never met a small business guy in the top 1% and I'm never going to. After that assertion (or at least implication) it's hard to take anything else you say very seriously. Get real please.
I have 42 employees. I run a very profitable business. I have been luckier than most. Our customers actually love our products, and they don't mind paying a premium. I may be in the 2% this year.......it's a little slower than normal.
Please. What do you aim to accomplish? This is a moment of revolution. Please do not to exert any negative influence. You should respect those who are bold enough to break free from the system. Many changes must be made. We are not here to debate the issues. We are here to bring the voice of the American people back to the government. This is not a message that any American should ignore.
Have you seen this video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CJgWdfZqDj0
This is the true voice of OWS.
WTF is that? All Talk and no Go. Not my style.
How about this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFz1VVXsWRU
Bold message. Please try to understand where we are coming from. This movement is not just a bunch of hippies. We will continue to grow. The message is out there and it cannot be taken back. If you don't understand where we are coming from, do more research. Try to be understanding. We are a movement for, of, and by the people.
Small businesses do not represent the 1%, you are on the wrong side of this movement.
OK....maybe I am in the 2%. But, I like to think that I will end up in the 1% one day. Not for the money....I don't need that much. I am not even sure why.
And THIS is the philosophical underpinning that I hope Occupy will challenge two or three major victories down the road.
I will advocate that Occupy focus on systemic reform until I'm blue in the face. But that's just for now. If that gets done - and if this world were a perfect utopia built for my delight - the greater movement will be challenging the assumptions we make about our priorities. Your post makes it pretty clear that raw money by the fistful is not what matters to you. But you still hope for it - why? You aren't sure.
I want all of us to be asking that question, one day. This is me dropping my usual pragmatism and dreaming. The world demands so much more of us than simple economic utility.
Well......whether the OWS crowd is willing to admit it or not (this includes 99% of all humanity) it's all about the money. There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of economic utility. It only becomes a problem when it is the only pursuit in one life.
I vehemently disagree. It is only "all about the money" when you are impoverished. If you can not eat, then you need to eat. If you have no home, then you need a home.
Once that is done, I don't believe it is "all about the money" anymore. I believe that, once you get past that threshold, there is a certain amount of flexibility, a little room for more critical thinking about one's life and purpose.
You still have to have money for many other reasons. Sure.....some of the pressure is reduced, but it is still all about the money. I don't fault anyone for wanting money. It is just a way to trade goods, services and goodwill.
I don't fault anyone for wanting money, either. I fault them for wanting it and not knowing why they want so much. Now, don't get me wrong: I like you. But when you say, "I don't need that much [money]. I am not even sure why [I hope to be in the 1%]," I flinch.
I am not looking to change your mind. But I encourage you to question if it really is "all about the money" if you don't know why. I agree that most people believe it, but many of them - even, apparently, you - just take it as an article of faith. Yet, you are not sure why.
To me, it's like saying, "it's all about [the food]." Ok, when you have none, I agree. But if you have eaten your fill at 6pm dinner, is it still all about the food at 7pm? Do you still go on cooking and eating, because "it's all about [the food]?" Maybe it isn't all about the food; that's all I'm saying. Is food (or money) the end, or just the means to an end?
I give most of what I don't need to charity. This is an act of greed....this may sound dumb....but....I "like" the feeling of helping others. I won't go as far as to say that I am addicted to the "high". But it does feel good.
Maybe this is what you are referring to when you say it should not be "all about the money"; However, without the money.....I couldn't get the "high" that I enjoy. Again you see....it is all "about the money"
So it's a means to an end for you. If you truly believe there is no other means to achieve that end - that you can't help people without handing them money - then bless you, and live long. Be sure you don't subvert your end in the process of achieving those means. After that, if your end is to help others, then ... it seems to me that it's all about helping others.
But that's semantic squabbling.
...so long as you don't devolve into the end being getting "high," right? Would you do anything just to "feel good?" Nah. I don't believe you would. Because I'm an optimist, and I want to love people.
You are a great guy (or gal). We could use a few more million like you.
Thank you for the compliment. I enjoyed it for a second, but now I must demur.
Because there are a few more million just like me. Just like me. Some have been silent, but now they're speaking out. Some have been asleep, but now they're awakening. And there are millions who are still out there.
We just need to rally them. I believe we can all be greater than we've shown.
I will go out to the parking lot and blow my car's horn. Maybe that will wake a few of them up. Actually.....I do that every time I pass the OWS crowd in my city. I think that they know me now. I need to paint my company's logo on the side of my car.......you know me by now.....it's all about the money.
All business starts as a small business
1% is an ideology. If we do not agree with you, then by definition, we are the 1%, no? Because I refuse to identify myself with your 99%.
I am the 1%, and I live at the poverty level. Yes, I would expect that you would think that I would agree with you, but I don't think so. I hold freedom above all else. When you scare the rest of the 99% and they demand that something be done, and we end up with a dictatorship, then my freedom is gone.
That, and my life. I will not live under the tyranny of slavery. I don't want a handout, but I'm also not going to let anybody tell me where I have to work or live. They will kill me before that happens. That is why I'm a 1%er, and not a 99%er. Well, one of them, at least.
No, 99%, or 1% is not an ideology, it's an economic fact. We are the majority, and the goal is to finally begin advocating for ourselves. You are the 99%, and your voice should be just as loud as anyone else's here. I find it hard to believe that you have nothing to say.
In case you haven't noticed, the entire "movement" thus far is pretty much a general outcry for change, and a sounding board for ideas and methods. There are many different ideals being put forth, but so far I haven't seen "dictatorship" among them. I'd say you've got less than 1% chance of becoming a slave, now stop listening to crazy talk, and get to work.
You can't force me to be a part of the 99% any more than you could force someone to be part of the Nazi party in 1930s Germany, or you could force someone to be part of the Communist Party in 1960s Russia. Sure, people that refused to join were often sent to reeducation camps, but they weren't forced to join.
Forcing someone to join a group that they are diametrically opposed to is worse than the fascism that many of you claim to hate so much.
Please assume the party escort submission position, and a crew of party associates in Guy Fawkes masks will be there to greet you shortly. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring a toothbrush, and of course, a towel.
Seriously... you are a very silly person. So you are diametrically opposed to fairness, democracy, and accountability? I would say "Troll", but I think you're actually serious. It's ok, go back to sleep.
I understand you do not want to be a part of a 99% that you may not agree with. So let me tell you my defination of 99% so you can think about it. 1% are those that use their wealth to buy their representation in government. Lots of people refer to this as corruption. I think thats a harsh word. But what is meant is that people with vast amounts of money use it to gain unfair influence in our government.
1% buys their representation, 99% are left with the scraps. Please consider.
How do we end up with a dictatorship with this? No one is forcing anyone into doing anything here.
This is a movement that voices the general dissatisfaction in our government. That's it. This happens every thirty years about in our country. It happened in the '60's for the end of racial discrimination. It happened in the '30's for social reform. It happened in the 1890's for anti-trust legislation. It happened in the 1860's to end slavery and federalize the nation. And in none of those other periods did we devolve into tyranny or fascism and ultimately improved our nation and expanded our freedoms.
And in those times there were people who foolishly upheld the status quo because they feared changed, just like you.
The 99% is a name for those on the tail end of the wealth gap. You're not the 1% just because you disagree with the ideals of this movement.
Unfortunately smallbizguy you have made the fatal error of revealing the fact that the 1% are actually people. You open an honest account of your existence is too much for the protesters. Remember these are the mob armed with pitchforks and torches, looking to slay the monster. What they don't like is that the monster is actually the same as themselves; a person, with a family and a passion to improve. Ok you may have better shoes than the 99%.
Excellent.....You are truly the first person to realize why I wrote this post. Ie....not all of the 1% are evil. Most of the 1% are good people doing what they do best.....making money, and providing a good living for others in the process.
I think you miss the point. Most of those ideas are highly workable, but this isn't about wanting "some 'more' of your money" (I work for mine, thanks). The average (and even the above-average) American has lost the opportunity to excel. In many cases, we've lost the opportunity to even participate. If you don't have that little nugget of an inheritance to build from, or one hell of a 4 leaf clover, your efforts have very little chance of paying off. I'd like to leave some money for my kids too, you know.
I think the change needed has to involve a lot more than just "removing some bums". The money flow into our political system has to be stopped at all levels. Whether a given representative is a "bum" or not really doesn't matter when the bills that come before them are so loaded with special interest that they are unable to deliberate on an issue without being bogged down by all the crap that's tacked on.
At a glance, your plan would have to be rather heavy on the taxes, or absolutely brutal in lowering operating expenses to pay for all those cuts. I'm all for making our govt more efficient, but It just doesn't seem to add up.
Written like a true liberal protestor trying to impersonate someone in the top 1%. Sorry,, but there were just too many "feel good" ideas that gave it away.
I am a true Capitalist....and damn proud of it. The problem with liberals is that they don't realize just how "good" Capitalism can be for everyone involved. Capitalism is not a zero-sum game; However, the liberals would have to quit fighting it, and fully embrace it (good luck on that one).
I can assure you this....put more money in the hands of the middle class, and I will figure out a way to make more money than I am making now. I will have more people that can afford my product. I will make up the tax loss on volume (LOL).
I'm a liberal that's all for embracing it and channeling its power for good. My problem is with free market fundamentalists who maintain that the market should be allowed to run amok and only benefit the top 1% just because that's what it naturally will do - and is therefore beautiful. Or worse, the dishonest self-serving position that, once it really gets going, and without any regulation/intervention, it will solve the problems of the 99%.
You have to have regulations in a "free-market" for obvious reasons. Remember, the 1% have a talent that only....well....1% of the population has.....the ability to make the most money (exclude the trust fund babies). Is this a bad thing....NO. But there has to be some regulations to prevent the 1% of the 1% that would abuse their talent.
Hell...I wish that I had the talent to play a musical instrument. All work and no play can make for a "dull boy". Just ask my wife and kids.