why don't the poor work much harder so they too can become rich?

if i was born rich, i'd work to hold onto my inherited or worked for wealth.

as a poor individual, i'd wish i'd had parents who were more rich.

let's see: to live in this world here are the possibilities?

to be born rich.

to inherit wealth.

to work for wages and income.

to create wealth from the natural resources of the urth.

to steal, rape, and plunder?

to invent something the masses are willing to die for?

why not just discover a gold mine, maybe silver or uranium?

That's right, lie on your ass and bitch for handouts, or by god get up, pull your boots on and go make it happen! it's a piece of cake.

What about this observation? Does anyone know for sure?

exactly! and i believe you have hit the nail on the head.

i too believe that. but got dealt a near critical blow when i had done all of that which you suggest.

then the us gov't stepped in and attempted to give me a death blow.

the gov't rules you and i. work or not, you and i are still under the control of the gov't.

if you forget that, you're risking your very life.

I have never accepted no for an answer, and whupped ol caint till he could, but, in the global big picture, there's not a better place to have been born, reared and careered in.

well yeah. i'm a nationalist too. but ain't never lived anywhere else either. canada, brazil, panama. whereever.

more PT drill sergeant. more pt drill sergeant.

just keep paying the taxes, and don't let the gov't intrude on your land use decisions, ok? i mean you need profits right?

Despite the burs we have much to be thankful for in this country, us two for example, all our limbs, half a brain, white, and from the South, what could either NOT accomplish? absolutely nothing.

I may need to try and reach my feminine side more ; ]

Exactly! Somehow, poor people can come here from other countries and become wealthy, yet many who are born here won't do anything to better themselves.

Starting at a young age, I saw people who had what I decided I wanted. Instead of hating them for it, I learned from them. This has been a valuable tool for me so far.

jungian archetypes weren't much into the feminine side of the universe.

but of course Isis, the counterpart of Osiris had a say, yes?

what i'd like to see is a lower tax rate for the rank & file.

Damn right Greg, I sat at a table as a very young man, 18 years old, with pad and pencil, I wrote out a life plan and got busy, any man that works hard, remains lawful, ethical and respectful can do AND have it all if he chooses.

ja's aside, looking hard to find something to bitch about IS the very definition of feminine, no?

Rank and file tax rate is just fine, the hard nosed ass kicker high earners pay plenty more than that.

There is unlimited opportunity in the US. Work hard and make wise choices and you can be very successful. Being born poor doesn't prevent success.

well yes of course. and we all agree.

but surely he did deduct all the federal, state, and local taxes. and then adjusted for the local ordinances, and permits.

the feds can do anything they want to, and depend upon the scotus to justify their decisions.

fight a case in the supreme court? how much does that cost, and who pays the bill?

we lowly commoners can work, pay taxes, and then wonder where the truth is?

I see your point, there is A LOT of .gov overreach and waste, that's just the nature of the beast that we've grown, I throw my chit in a pile every year, take it and a 1K check to an accounting firm and tell them to keep me out of trouble, it's all good, I'm happy with the results.

I have learned to think rich and live poor.

yeah, me too.

living on a champagne life style on a beer budget.

taxes are ok, with the rank & file.

we're all socialists.

good cpa's help us all.

no wonder there's not a revolution in the making.

we're all eating the Urth in an orderly fashion.

let's just keep on, and see what happens next?

You don't unscrew the caps off bottles you discard in the trash for the atmospheric moisture they rob do you?

Yes, the rich have more money. More to the point, intellect, being in the right place (or wrong) at a time, obligations both born to us and taken on, and "drive" have to do with it.

And there is a difference in dirt poor, middle class, and the ultra rich, which I figure there are few if any on here. And some people are greedy ass......

In this country, you pretty much have the opportunity to be whatever you want to be. If you're willing to work hard, you will more than likely be rewarded. Some people were born with more, and ended up with less. Others were born with less, and ended up with more.

I've always said that life is all about the choices you make.......make good ones, and you'll probably have a good life, make bad ones, and your life will suffer as a result.

I do believe that there are some poor people who simply can't do a thing about their circumstances. But, most of these people are older, and from a period of time when there were not the opportunities that there are today. A person born in the last 40 years should be able to do anything they want to do, if they're wiling to work hard.

Yes, the rich have more money. More to the point, intellect, being in the right place (or wrong) at a time, obligations both born to us and taken on, and "drive" have to do with it.

And there is a difference in dirt poor, working poor, middle class (term is probably wider than should be), and the ultra rich, which I figure there are few if any on here. And some people are greedy and would sacrafice anyone or thing to get ahead.

Given a powerball, most of us would not know how to be rich, especially old money rich.

This is why America is, and will remain, #1


mike r

Gunner, ole Warren Buffett’s comments mirrored yours to a tee when he was asked about the disparities.

Said, “When I was born I had a 1 in 68,000 chance of being born here as an American citizen. No one born here should waste that blessing “.

Nuff said.

Shrewdness pays better than wisdom.

I can’t help but think about the Book of Proverbs here.
Grins

I wrote that too.




😀

I enjoy listening to people bitch about the people that have more money than they do, it's damn entertaining to listen to a person come up with all kinds of excuses to not see their own short comings.

Fuqking whiny ass crybabies.

We only have to look back at the last 2 elections to see what you’re describing here. There’s the proof and the whiners are gaining the majority.

Then there are different kinds of rich.

Raising a good family, storing wealth in Heaven, more perhaps.

That's right LVMiker and Old Toot, we are blessed that the first swat we got on the butt was right here, either on US dirt or by citizenship for those Americans born abroad!

Damnit Gus, where'd you go? I no chit just got home from the pharmacy, should I bitch about the cost I just paid for a bottle of estrogen so everyone I come in contact with is safe?

Is the atmosphere and/or organic only useful to you when it pleases a purpose?

Do not increase your income--- decrease your needs

"Poor people" are often born into an environment that doesn't allow them to see anything that you think everyone sees.

The idea of achieving something higher is a dream and nothing else.

There's a lot to be said,

about having the advantage to pick your parents.

I was blessed to have parents who told me if I wanted something, work for it.

And the most important part, they showed me what it looked like.






P

When your Dad walks up to the dining table before supper is served , picks up your plate and breaks it in half,,,,well,,there’s a subtle message there.

If one be born poor like Dolly Parton, but blessed with such rare natural assets as Dolly,
getting rich becomes far easier.

but what does say a scrawny flat chested buck tooth no chin no education runt of the litter hillbilly do to get rich?

Working smarter usually gets people far richer than working harder.



yeh, just sell them the idea [or illusion] of freedom.

fight for freedom on foreign soil , while you own gov goes about trying to deny you your own
liberties and freedoms on home soil.

Become a televangelist.

My grandparents took 160 acres of desert sagebrush, dug irrigation ditches, planted crops and turned it into a nice little dairy farm with 40 Guernsey cows. They raised six kids in a two bedroom house, and were able to purchase a couple rental houses over the years. They raised almost everything the family ate, and had a presentable car and dress clothes for church every week, and they paid Tithe "religiously".

They were able to sell property off a bit at a time to support them self through their golden years which lasted until they were 95.

My parents got divorced and sold their property when they were about 50 and went on SSI $350/month each and Medicaid. Dad is 88 this year and Mom will be 82.

You make your choices and you live with the results.

Me, I started a blue collar job and stayed with it until I was shift foreman. Been foreman for 32 years now. In a couple years I will retire with 20% higher annual income than I ever made working. Even with a bunch of overtime.

I count my blessing that I was not born in a subsaharan hut, trying to keep the lions from eating the cow by use of a sharpened stick, and never knowing when the guerrilla gangs would come by with their AK47s to rape my wife and daughters and kill or kidnap my sons.

And I do not waste ANY time worrying that Bill Gates of Jeff Bezos might have it better than I.

In short, we live in the best lands in the world, and at the best time in history. I suspect things may not be so rosey for my grandkids or their kids.

don't forget that the average person cannot live above average

IMO, peoples' values are AFU (probably from having a television in their houses for most of their lives). Being a lower class wage earner in this country, you're better off than about 95% of the world's population. Yet, we're unhappy because we see someone driving a BMW we can't afford and think little of our 2200 square-foot homes because some arsewipe on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" has a 22 bedroom mansion.

Envy is disgusting, and the whining that accompanies it merits flogging.

Fixt.

This is so true.

We live in the best country during the most prosperous time in all of history. Measured across the breath of humanity and the depths of history, we are the list. Every last one of is in a member of that top 1%.

All folks (rich or por) need to read the book "Hillbilly Elegy" by J. D. Vance. Vance grew up poor in Eastern Kentucky but had the gumption to join the Marines , learn discipline, go to Ohio State and Yale Law school.

He explains the culture of the underclass and makes no excuses for their behavior.

I am a successful businessman. I have counseled many poor people on decisions they were making. Usually they were making very bad decisions. Probably why they were poor. I don't think I ever got a poor person to change a bad decision. When their decisions turned out bad, almost to a person they hated me. How do you change stupid?

Damn right AntelopeSniper, boggles my mind why some refuse to see/acknowledge that.

You can't change it, but it can damn sure be sterilized.

Excuse me while I shoot myself.

Our humble abode is under half of your 2200sf example.
But it is warm, dry, paid for.
Actually, I bet I am more wealthy than many of those who have
A fancy house and car. Everything we have, we own, and we actually have
some money.


I know A lot of "poor" people around here.
Some,just won't work. Others, don't understand money, or, look for the addiction,
And not just the normal, the worst is instant gratification.


I have a neighbor, his dad passed on a big insurance business.
He has improved it. I didn't have the advantages he did. It's not
likely I could have ever achieved his wealth level. That's ok. It took them
several generations, hard work, and some good luck to do that.

This poster personifies why average and below people should lower their expectations and STFU.


mike r

IQ is a driver for income. Much better is EQ or emotional quotient. The way to make more money than other engineers is to get a poker read on what others are feeling, and adjust the negotiation.

Interesting chart.

Works for me OT, twice the intelligence nets ten times the earned income.

What if you were disinherited for some reason?

btw: what would you do with all the wealth you dream of?
would you do something truly fulfilling Or just squirrel it away?

buy more friends?...eliminate enemies?...do you need the money or is it more just
the superficial status that comes with the territory of great wealth?

Fake friends and regular wave of grovelling ass kissers are a certainty, you would have a big time job
constantly batting them away, lest you become a recluse. Then again some people revel in that kind
of attention that wealth brings.

its probably best to know and live in acceptance of ones station in life.
You might save yourself a lot of grief, struggle, heartache, anxiety and disappointment.
For some people that station is a sheltered worshop gov. job like law enforcement,..for some
its a brain surgeon which only earns a fraction of what a top sports star does.

You can be very wealthy without all that extraneous horsescchhitt you mention.

well yes, but the top shelf Mayo clinic thrives on wealthy types who can't cope with what comes
with great wealth, inherited or not.

Theres a lucrative market for fckdup rich people who go down in the dumps and off the rails.

The Mayo Clinic serves across the spectrum and not just to the wealthy.

Maybe Gus can book into Mayo and rub shoulders with billionaires, cause he won't get membership
into their toffee nosed private clubs.

if he gives them a sob story they might write him a frivolous cash check for a mere million,

...just to shut him up.

You want to talk about a high brow clinic try The Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Their services are rather unique for the discriminating clientele among us. Guaranteed privacy.

There's no such thing as EQ. What's being called EQ, o the psylogical big 5 factor analysis is actually neuroticism, the measure of a persons stress resilience:

Most poor people I have known make really poor life decisions. I have offered advice to some and they seemed horrified at my suggestions in almost all cases. Their choices usually were disasters and some of these people were angry at me. Most people are in the place they made for themselves.

I want Gus to find what hes looking for and maybe discover its not all its cracked up to.
he's not going to witness what's beyond the mirage if off the rails crackpot uber rich are
holed up in their private medical suites.

Money is like a drug to some and they can never get enough, ..others know when to walk away , even from a great fortune.

MONEY won't buy you membership at Augusta, its 'invitation only'

You could be an uber rich oil king mad golfer, but another person who can't play a stroke of golf to save their life
or afford your life-style, can get membership over you, cause its about who you know..

Agree but it is also the drive the individual has and his/her ability to maneuver through chitt, tough chitt at times.

You're exactly right, I know a couple of [educated] dudes that keep marrying whores, having kids, losing their foothold, and having to start over again and again, they'll never get a leg up, that should be easy, "DONT MARRY A WHORE"

Some of the most educated people I know do the stupidest things.

Just as I said in an earlier post Buddy, "don't take no for an answer, and whip ol caint till he could," and never ever quit or admit defeat.

https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-emotional-intelligence-eq/

What is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?
By Michael Akers & Grover Porter
Last updated: 8 Oct 2018

For most people, emotional intelligence (EQ) is more important than one’s intelligence (IQ) in attaining success in their lives and careers. As individuals our success and the success of the profession today depend on our ability to read other people’s signals and react appropriately to them.

Therefore, each one of us must develop the mature emotional intelligence skills required to better understand, empathize and negotiate with other people — particularly as the economy has become more global. Otherwise, success will elude us in our lives and careers.

“Your EQ is the level of your ability to understand other people, what motivates them and how to work cooperatively with them,” says Howard Gardner, the influential Harvard theorist. Five major categories of emotional intelligence skills are recognized by researchers in this area.

Understanding the Five Categories of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
1. Self-awareness. The ability to recognize an emotion as it “happens” is the key to your EQ. Developing self-awareness requires tuning in to your true feelings. If you evaluate your emotions, you can manage them. The major elements of self-awareness are:

Emotional awareness. Your ability to recognize your own emotions and their effects.
Self-confidence. Sureness about your self-worth and capabilities.
2. Self-regulation. You often have little control over when you experience emotions. You can, however, have some say in how long an emotion will last by using a number of techniques to alleviate negative emotions such as anger, anxiety or depression. A few of these techniques include recasting a situation in a more positive light, taking a long walk and meditation or prayer. Self-regulation involves

Self-control. Managing disruptive impulses.
Trustworthiness. Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity.
Conscientiousness. Taking responsibility for your own performance.
Adaptability. Handling change with flexibility.
Innovation. Being open to new ideas.
3. Motivation. To motivate yourself for any achievement requires clear goals and a positive attitude. Although you may have a predisposition to either a positive or a negative attitude, you can with effort and practice learn to think more positively. If you catch negative thoughts as they occur, you can reframe them in more positive terms — which will help you achieve your goals. Motivation is made up of:

Achievement drive. Your constant striving to improve or to meet a standard of excellence.
Commitment. Aligning with the goals of the group or organization.
Initiative. Readying yourself to act on opportunities.
Optimism. Pursuing goals persistently despite obstacles and setbacks.
4. Empathy. The ability to recognize how people feel is important to success in your life and career. The more skillful you are at discerning the feelings behind others’ signals the better you can control the signals you send them. An empathetic person excels at:

Service orientation. Anticipating, recognizing and meeting clients’ needs.
Developing others. Sensing what others need to progress and bolstering their abilities.
Leveraging diversity. Cultivating opportunities through diverse people.
Political awareness. Reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships.
Understanding others. Discerning the feelings behind the needs and wants of others.
5. Social skills. The development of good interpersonal skills is tantamount to success in your life and career. In today’s always-connected world, everyone has immediate access to technical knowledge. Thus, “people skills” are even more important now because you must possess a high EQ to better understand, empathize and negotiate with others in a global economy. Among the most useful skills are:

Influence. Wielding effective persuasion tactics.
Communication. Sending clear messages.
Leadership. Inspiring and guiding groups and people.
Change catalyst. Initiating or managing change.
Conflict management. Understanding, negotiating and resolving disagreements.
Building bonds. Nurturing instrumental relationships.
Collaboration and cooperation. Working with others toward shared goals.
Team capabilities. Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals.
What factors are at play when people of high IQ fail and those of modest IQ succeed?

How well you do in your life and career is determined by both. IQ alone is not enough; EQ also matters. In fact, psychologists generally agree that among the ingredients for success, IQ counts for roughly 10% (at best 25%); the rest depends on everything else — including EQ.

A study of Harvard graduates in business, law, medicine and teaching showed a negative or zero correlation between an IQ indicator (entrance exam scores) and subsequent career success. Three examples illustrate the importance of emotional competencies.

Learn More:

Starman, Ole Gus is gonna be alright and I suspect he’d be the same if he were rolling in the money. You’re right about who one knows and what that can do for a person. . Birds of a feather............unknowns and new money don’t ring well with old money and ‘the club’.

Napoleon said all women are whores....except for his mother.
...not because she wasn't a whore , but just because she was his mother.

Every man pays them in some way whether they realize it not, . the price and the type of currency varies
from woman to woman.
If not your money, they still want or get something else of yours,...like your time or attention, or loyalty, etc

There is a price attached to ALL of them.

As mentioned previously, “Love is an abscess that starts in a man’s head and burst in his ass.”

If Gus struck it big time rich , I'll gamble that the pleb filled campfire would never hear from him again.!
...LOL...not even a postcard...

Ya reckon ? I think he’d buy up a bunch of primo deer property average and invite us all to come hunt with him (by invitation only).

Heh.

Edited
That’s acerage not average.

careful, I thinK it would be a ruse, and that Lord of the manor Gus in his new tweed hunting jacket would have a CF pleb
only as a tag along gun bearer.

Hell, I’d be the gun bearer just to see that !

Ole Gus with knee pants and stockings with a tam on his noggin and a glass of Glenfiddich in his deer gloved hand, Holland and Holland 28 gauge draped over his forearm, the total package.

Sir Gustave, Esq.

You never know, Gus might be Steve_NO, come back to keep an eye on us!

Whatever my station in life is I want my kids to do better. Hell, I wouldn't even mind if they were millionaires.

Especially if they’re the ones that pick your nursing home.

Id try and talk mega bucks Gus into one of these...one shouldn't rack their H&Hs and Purdeys in anything less.
https://goo.gl/images/FKbHZg ..

Hell if they are millionaires they can get me a special nurse at home.

I can see ya now. Monogrammed towels with your initials to wipe the drool off your chin, a wheelchair with spinner wheels and fake dual exhaust pipes poking out the back . Hell, I’m going with you.

This provides much food for thought. I suck at people skills. That would explain having to bust my ass to get where I am I suppose.

I understand what you're saying in that sense, what I'm talking about is the guys I know have married women 20+ years their jr. and have a few kids after they've divorced the women that stuck by them while they made themselves rich and infamous.

Them or me have not one damn thing in common with women that young, and older man cant hang with them anyway, one of the most intelligent, is some sort of investment banker/realtor guy, in two years he lost over 1.5 mil gambling, his wife and four daughters , that's the very definition of stupid, he had been rambling and crying on the phone to me somewhere in hour four, I said, I'm too damn stupid to gamble, and will purposefully remain so, he stated, do you know how smart that makes you?

Dave Ramsey's numbers say that immigrants that come to America legally and work for the American dream reach millionaire status 4 times as often as a natural citizen who starts from scratch, because they believe and work toward their goals with aggressiveness.

Well, you sure dont want to be any richer then, because other Americans jealous of your success are chomping at the bit to tax the pants off of you. The more you get, the more you pay.

yes, i agree actually. taxes are such a strange thing. the harder one works, the more taxes one must pay? what sense does that make at all? well some of the obsessed just thinks working harder might help solve their need? until they die of a heart attack in their mid-fifties, and their kids vacation in the south of france because they can?

i just find it amazing that we all agreeably pay the taxes we pay, and not a whimper. maybe we think it's fair? maybe it is?

we're a democratic republic. all things are fair down here in our Land of Plenty, right?

Live below their means, and consistently save and invest their savings. The magic that makes the common man rich is compound interest, which works over time. Unfortunately, too man of the common man use compound interest against themselves through debt, and pay for all the big buildings and fancy offices you see downtown. It does not take a lot of money if you start early. The longer you wait, it takes exponentially more.

Why so bitter? isn't bonglife supposed to make one chill?

nothing bitter about me bro. i'm as sweet as a georgia peach in august.

ga. belle, elberta, you name it. we'll freeze, can, eat fresh or make peach wine.

taxes is something that i've wondered about, and why is everyone ok with it? same with concealed carry?

folks are perfectly fine with taxes at whatever rate, and also with buying a license to tote a gun.

people are wanting to be controlled by the hierarchy, or so it seems?

but i too do like a civilized and orderly system of us humans.

okay, just checking, thought I read a bent towards the good old U.S. of A.

Old men tend to like faster cars, younger women and older whiskey.
some can afford the splurge,. many cannot do anything but envy those that can...

though the sound business sense principle still holds true,.." if it Flies, Floats or Fux, rent it don't buy it."

aircraft and luxury vessels may absorb your cash but there's always residual value on their sale,
but a no trade-in value woman will drain your money when things are good ... PLUS ruthlessly take you to the cleaners
in spite when they exit.

oh yes, and now nancy pelosi is on the no fly list. oh, sorry maybe the wrong post.

nancy isn't all that young, but she knows how to utilize botox.

after she's gone, will it be a pure communist onslaught?

Yup, but I hate to see them keep struggling to re-build themselves after another self imposed crash, seems awful wasteful, why not keep the missus AND all your chit? spending money, yes, but there sits something to see for it, not left in/with a casino, bookie, child support or alimony checks.

"A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!"....?

i just hate when a whole battalion of riderless horses goes rushing by, headed headstrong toward the stable.

I could deal with that. I would rather have Fuel wheels though.

We'd have to get two chairs so we could race.