Why work?

In many states, it pays not to be employed, so if you're trying to run a business and serve the public, the government is working against you and using your money to do it! https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2022/12/27/in-many-states-welfare-and-benefits-pay-more-than-median-income-n520167 Two working adults with 2 minor children--a family can receive over $100,000 annualized equivalent in cash and benefits in 3 states, and over $80,000 in 14 States, with NO ONE WORKING! And what is that doing to the morale and ambition of our young adults?

This study Reports - Committee To Unleash Prosperity) also finds:
• In 24 states, unemployment benefits and ACA subsidies for a family of four with both parents not working are the annualized equivalent of at least the national median household income.
• In 5 states, those two programs provide the same family with both parents not working the annualized equivalent of at least the national median household income and benefits.
• In 14 states, unemployment benefits and ACA subsidies are the equivalent to a head of household earning $80,000 in salary, plus health insurance benefits.
• This is a higher wage than is earned by the national median secondary school teacher, electrician, trucker, machinist, and many other jobs.
• In more than half the states, unemployment benefits and ACA subsidies exceed the value of the salary and benefits of the average firefighter, truck driver, machinist, or retail associate in those states.
• In a dozen states, unemployment benefits and ACA subsidies exceed the value of the salary and benefits of the average teacher, construction worker, or electrician in those states.
• A family of four with income over $227,000 qualifies for ACA subsidies in all states and families earning over $300,000 a year still qualify for ACA subsidies in 40 states and DC.

Bidenflation--now costing about $7,000 per household

Biden's bungling of the economy (shutting down fossil fuel sources, screwing up trade deals, flooding the borders with job seekers, sex workers, and criminals, making us dependent on foreigners who hate us) has cost the average family $7,000 a year. Now he's bragging that inflation is leveling off. Lies, lies.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/12/13/average-american-family-has-effectively-lost-7100-biden-economist-says/

Biden’s six favorite lies about inflation and the economy | The Hill

Biden claims inflation 'averaged 2%' after data shows 8.2% (nypost.com)

The Full List Of Every Lie Biden Has Told As President: 139 And Counting (thefederalist.com)

Why Kamala Harris?

The wealthiest ethnic groups of Americans are Asian, specifically, Indian Americans (household income $123,453). After that it's Taiwanese Americans (household income $102,328). Just for comparison, English and German American household income (my ethnicity who were here before the Revolution) is under $50,000. Even the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribal nation members have a household income higher than English and German Americans. But most whites (as Europeans are called) are not even close to Indian or Taiwanese. Indian Americans used to be grouped with "white" in these divisions until the government needed to slice and dice our ethnicities for political purposes. Whites took a "cut in pay" so to speak when the Indians were lumped with Asians.

So in a party obsessed with identity politics, why isn't Kamala Harris called an Indian American? Tamils, or Indians, the people of her mother, have a population of around 76 million and with a documented history stretching back over 2,000 years. They are one of the largest and oldest extant ethnolinguistic groups in the modern world according to Wikipedia (it's not always the best source, but it's the fastest).

Joe Biden has flip flopped on every race and sex issue in the last 40 years. He didn't need to choose Kamala Harris to satisfy Blacks--he's already announced that he owns them. He needed a "black" female to satisfy his white base, particularly women and the younger demographic. And it looks like a wealthy, privileged Indian American would have filled the bill, even if not very accurate for identity politicking. Democrats will just ignore that they have 2 of the most notorious law and order candidates (in their former lives) in recent history.

Identity theft

The crime of identity theft happens more often to wealthier, white, females.

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vit16_sum.pdf

“Based on the 2016 survey, more females (13.5 million) experienced identity theft than males (12.5 million). However, males and females had similar identity-theft prevalence rates (10% each). Whites (12%) had a higher prevalence of identity theft than blacks (7%), Hispanics (6%), and persons of other races (8%). Whites and persons of two or more races (12% each) had a similar prevalence of identity theft. Persons ages 35 to 49 and ages 50 to 64 (12% each) had a higher prevalence of identity theft than all other age groups.

Also, persons in the highest income category (those in households with annual incomes of $75,000 or more, which includes 35% of all persons age 16 or older) had the highest prevalence of identity theft  (14% experienced it).”

The Middle Class Yarn spun to frighten you

It's not exactly fake news, but it's misleading--the story you hear that the middle class is shrinking and so many more people are using government benefits because of the gap between the very wealthy and the "others." There are three things to consider:

1) demographics/age,

2) marriage or the lack of it, and

3) expansion of federal benefits from the poor and deserving to the middle class.

Rejoice, patriots. It's not true. The middle class is only shrinking because so many people have moved up to the next quintile! Have you ever driven to the suburban areas of Columbus (or the city where you live)--I can't believe the homes, schools, shopping centers, churches, gyms, parts, etc. And the new high rise housing in the central city for all those millennials willing to pay the apartment costs.

Also, as the boomers retire, they are now living on their pensions and investments (the very wealth Elizabeth Warren wants to go after), plus they are drawing Social Security. And guess what, a two parent household with both adults working has a much higher income than a one parent household who is most likely a woman. Two adults in a home have more time to distribute to the children to see to it they are educated and well-fed. It's amazing how many "experts" in socialist think tanks switch to "household" to show poverty rates and don't factor in $30,000 in transferred benefits like EITC, SNAP and Section 8.

We've been in 4 of the 5 quintiles in our 58 years together, as have many our age. We have 5 streams of income, as do many our age--some if they have military benefits have 6 or 7. We're certainly not suffering, but as retirees, we have less INCOME than when we were DINKs, but more WEALTH because we have lived frugally and invested or lived on one income. Warren wants to punish us for living on less when we were in our 40s.

Left of center think tanks crunch the numbers and in horror say, the sky if falling. There's a gap that wasn't there in 1979. We need a more "progressive" system--higher taxes. Well, duh. You mean when we lived in an upper middle class neighborhood of the 70s in a home with 1.5 bathrooms, 2 TVs, 1 phone, 1 car, 1 income, and lived month to month with 2 growing children in our home? Do you mean when we had 1 week vacation, which we spent at Mom's farm, and paid our own health insurance? Do you mean when we had a mortgage and a car payment, but no credit card or college debt (never had that because we never borrowed). Do you mean when FICA withdrawals from our 1 check ended at $22,900 and there was no Medicare tax (now is $127,200 FICA + 1.45% for Medicare)? And the personal exemption? Much higher then. Don't have the exact figure for 1979, but if the 1913 rate (year of modern income tax) of $3000 were adjusted for inflation it would be about $72,000--anyone getting that?

So what has the government done for the poor and low income with all the tax money and safety net money we've sent in the last 40 years? Well, the so-called safety net expanded so much that the middle class now qualifies for many entitlement programs meant for the poor. The middle class voter now screams if there's no COLA for Social Security (which originally was for the poor widows and orphans) and Medicare.

Now 55% of the U.S. population are receiving some sort of entitlement--and it's not because we're poor, it's because we're middle class and wealthy. It's because for every election the politicians dangle an increase for the population served by Social Security, or one of our 5 health insurance programs. Government programs NEVER get smaller--they always expand, and since there are so few poor people in America, they expand into the middle class. There are people earning over $100,000 who qualify for government benefits--even Obamacare.

More young blacks voting Republican? Suburbs flipping to Democrats?

“According to the Federal Reserve, as of 2016, median black household income was $35,400, and median black household net worth was $17,600. Contrast that with $61,200 median income and $171,000 median net worth for whites.

After all these years of government programs to help low-income Americans, African-Americans, on average, are not catching up.

Perhaps the message is sinking in to young blacks that what they need is more freedom and the kind of growing economy that goes with it.”

Star Parker https://www.dailysignal.com/2018/11/14/election-results-point-to-a-political-change-occurring-among-black-young-adults/

“The 2016 election demonstrated how working-class voters—historically devoted Democrats—found political and cultural refuge in the GOP. Rural counties provided the voting margins necessary for Trump’s win and for Republicans’ legislative gains. In response, politicos and pundits reassessed their dismissal of heartland regions. But Republicans now find themselves in a jam. While Democrats ignored the concerns of blue-collar cities and towns, Republicans took suburban voters’ support for granted. A Republican renaissance is proving illusory without this coalition. By losing suburban voters, the GOP could face a long-term obstacle in securing formerly winnable congressional seats, governorships, and state legislative chambers.

Republicans’ suburban disadvantage also indicates a class division disrupting both political parties. In suburbs outside larger cities, voters are often upwardly mobile transplants—though many have roots in struggling communities—who are financially inoculated against the concerns of working-class families. The economy of the 2010s boosted their stock portfolios, bank accounts, and home values. Development projects in their downtowns brought microbreweries, barre studios, artisanal donut shops, and Trader Joe’s. Opulent Craftsman imitations replaced post-World War II ranches along winding suburban streets. The opioid crisis was a new story, not a pandemic afflicting residential neighborhoods. Once GOP strongholds, these communities are safe and prosperous, with excellent schools—and they now trend Democratic.”

The suburban revolt https://www.city-journal.org/suburbias-electoral-realignment? 

And again it’s rich against poor, but now the Democrats are the rich and the Republicans who are poor, but the media aren’t demonizing the rich Democrats.

Who determines that healthcare is too high?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American family earned $74,664 (before taxes) and spent $57,311 across various expense categories in 2016.  [not sure what is “family”—probably means household—doesn’t give number of people] 

1. Taxes 2. housing 3. transportation 4. food 5. pensions and insurance 6. Entertainment and contributions 7.  health care

Taxes are the biggest chunk. $18,900 each year, and then housing, $18,886. “Following housing costs, transportation ($9,049), food ($7,203), and pensions and personal insurance ($6,831) topped the list for the biggest ticketed items on most Americans' budgets. For the majority of people who prefer not to cook, the cost of dining out could add up big. The occasional luxury experience may not seem like a big drain on the average budget, but entertainment, cash contributions, and apparel and services accounted for nearly $7,000 (over 10 percent) of most Americans' annual expenses.”  Health care was $4,612. That said, health care increased almost 67% between 2006 and 2016, 8 years of which Obama was taking over our health insurance choices.

https://www.creditloan.com/blog/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/

You're being lied to by Democrats, socialists and progressives

Income inequality hasn't changed at all in the last 20 years--if you look at individuals. What has changed is how we group ourselves into families, households, neighborhoods and schools.

Doctors marry doctors, lawyers marry lawyers, their children go to the same schools and clubs and meet each other and marry. Teens with babies don't get married at all and their children also meet and get together socially. HUGE income inequality in those households which extends to values and work ethic. In fact, two adults working at minimum wage full time are above poverty level and making much more than that teen mom. That teen may be getting generous benefits to raise her children, but it's not boosting her income.

In the bottom quintile there are .97 men for every 100 women, and in the 4th quintile there are 1.05 men for every 100 women. The government can't take enough away from earners who choose to create a home for children with 2 parents and give it to someone not working. That's not socialist; it's just destroying families.

We are an aging population. Income changes in households with older adults too, but for the household, first as two reduced incomes. Then when one spouse dies, depending on how pensions or Social Security are structured, one income disappears. That's not inequality; that's math. Don't believe the lies that we are a greedy, unfair society. Believe instead that we are making choices in lifestyle that have a life time effect. (As for that top .01%, they've done extremely well under Obama, but I'll let a Democrat explain that one.)

 http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2011/10/real-story-behind-rising-us-income.html#.VugxJEBk-GZ

Why do Democrats talk about the gap instead of life style?

Facebook sent me a memo about what I wrote on November 1, 2014.

"This is why the Democrats have to talk about a gap rather than quality of life and consumption.

The typical poor household, AS DEFINED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, has ...

• a car and air conditioning, two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and a VCR.
• If there are children, especially boys, the family has a game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
• In the kitchen, the household has a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave.
• Other household conveniences include a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.
• The home of the typical poor family is in good repair and is not overcrowded.
• The typical average poor American has more living space in his home than the average (non-poor) European has.
• By its own report, the typical poor family was not hungry, was able to obtain medical care when needed, and had sufficient funds during the past year to meet all essential needs."

The immigrants who come here probably know this; the media and politicians don't seem to.

Notice what is soaring?  College tuition and fees, not health care. Government is heavily involved in college loans.

Why there is an income gap

Five people in a household working make more money than one person working part time.

Households with two full-time workers earn five times as much as households in which nobody works.

Here is a summary  (from 2010) of some of the key demographic differences between American households in the bottom and top income quintiles in 2010:

1. On average, there were significantly more income earners per household in the top income quintile households (1.97) than earners per household in the lowest-income households (0.43).

2. Married-couple households represented a much greater share of the top income quintile (78.4 percent) than for the bottom income quintile (17 percent), and single-parent or single households represented a much greater share of the bottom quintile (83 percent) than for the top quintile (21.6 percent).

3. Roughly 3 out of 4 households in the top income quintile included individuals in their prime earning years between the ages of 35-64, compared to only 43.6 percent of household members in the bottom fifth who were in that age group.

4. Compared to members of the top income quintile, household members in the bottom income quintile were 1.6 times more likely to be in the youngest age group (under 35 years), and three times more likely to be in the oldest age group (65 years and over).

5. More than four times as many top quintile households included at least one adult who was working full-time in 2010 (77.2 percent) compared to the bottom income quintile (only 17.4 percent), and more than five times as many households in the bottom quintile included adults who did not work at all (68.2 percent) compared to top quintile households whose family members did not work (13.3 percent).

6. Family members of households in the top income quintile were about five times more likely to have a college degree (60.3 percent) than members of households in the bottom income quintile (only 12.1 percent). In contrast, family members of the lowest income quintile were 12 times more likely than those in the top income quintile to have less than a high school degree in 2010 (26.7 percent vs. 2.2 percent).

Who says we're spending too much on health care?

Both Democrats and Republicans say the ever rising cost of health care is unsustainable. Republicans want sensible cuts, less regulation, tort reform, more competition across state lines, and less graft and corruption to lower our costs; Democrats are aiming at single payer--i.e., government pays all, which will raise the cost for everyone through higher taxes, just not at the doctor's office.

But who decided we pay too much? Have you looked at what the "average" household unit pays for health care compared to other items in our budget? 5.7% or $2,853, is what the household unit of 2.5 people with a gross income of $63,091 pays for health care. That household, imaginery as it is, pays 6.9% of its spendable income on household funishings, supplies and operations. Who in the government is demanding that Obama pay for your next couch or dining room suite? That household is paying 6.5% for vehicle purchases, and 17.6% total for transportation. Except for the recent cash for clunkers, when the government paid people to take out new car loans and destroy the only cars poor people could afford, we don't hear the government demanding that Honda and Toyota lower their prices or give away their products.

We pay 12.4% of our spendable income on food--7% at home and 5.4% away from home. I doubt that Obama is going to suggest that all the employed women quit and start cooking more at home so they won't be taking the kids to restaurants--or maybe he will if it's McDonald's. And entertainment, if you toss in cigarettes and alcohol is higher than healthcare at 7%.

So the next time you hear a reporter whether CNN or Fox, or a politician, left or right, moan about the rising costs of health care, ask him about the mortgage on his house, or the loan on his car, or what restaurant she's stopping at after work.

Taxes cost us 14.8% of the average paycheck, not household unit, much more than healthcare, and it will be going up as healthcare costs get buried in every additional piece of paper and rule change the government will throw at us with PPACA.

It just could be, health care is the biggest bargain in our budget.

Consumer unit

Paycheck percentage for taxes

Something's not right in Fairfax County Virginia--is it the government bubble

According to 2009 county data, the median family income in Fairfax County is $122,651. Unemployment is way below the national level--Gosh--Franklin County would kill for their rate (5.4%). Nearly 60% of Fairfax Country residents over 25 have better than a bachelor's degree. A single family home median value is about $550,000. So with all this affluence and education--42% of the students in Fairfax County schools are eligible for free and reduced price meals. What's going on? If this rich county with its abundance of college degrees and government workers can't spring for their kids' lunches, who can? Something is really screwed up in the D.C. suburbs.

Our household income fell by one-half under Bush!

Of course. We retired during the Bush years. Eeek! And our insurance costs have gone up! Just like the leftist say. Yes, we're on Medicare, a government health plan and our costs have gone up! Not nearly as good or cost worthy as what I had at the university. And we're not the only ones, we're part of a million household trend. And it will only get worse, unless Obama decrees that the Census reports can no longer be issued until he's finished with the country. Whenever that will be.

Here's a lefty who just doesn't get it.