O ya...... not sure why (kind of like Luder said.... gotta do it now before you get sent to jail), but a fair amount of my tenants have the most gorgeous finger nails ......pictures, swirls, glitter, etc.... and different hairstyles out the wazoo........

Why save a few $ for a better life when you can spend $60 on your nails and $60 on your hair.


Luder - I think this particular lady claims a mental incompetence for her disability.....

 

Scot, I understood where Tritium came from when I read his first reply. Then I read on and see where you are coming from totally.

This is a complex issue on low socioeconomic class. It's the fault of our great country though. Everyone has a sence of entitlement. That mixed with a buy now pay later society has led to many living beyond their means.

There is a lot of why the heck does so and so have a nice car and I don't. Who the heck is he/she.

Another problem is that if bad habits is what you see and know then you don't know they are really bad habits. My wife and I used to shop at a discount supermarket here in town because the prices were so cheap. Then seeing the habits of some (maybe 30%) of the people shopping there made us stop. I was amazed by people who I would see put a load of food on the register line and make sure the beer went first. They then would let random food items ring up until they reached their limits and then stop. I also saw some lazy ass people coming to the grocery in pajama's and robes and bunny slippers and using the disabled electric wheelchair's just because they were too lazy to walk.

I used to be a person who thought everyone was the same, unfortunatly I do not anymore. I see why people seperate themselves from other socioeconomic classes.

It's a reality and it's won't ever change. Utopia is a pipe dream.

It was moving to California that showed this to me. When I grew up in Mississippi (which I still think is a backasswards place) there was very little socioeconomic mixing. There is a lot more in California. Seeing what I've seen in my three years here, I have learned unfortunatly that I don't want this mixing in my life.

Sad.

 

Raj,

Screw that, the only fault of that I'd lay on this country for people's actions of abusing money given to them is for giving it to the abusers in the first place.

I don't buy into 'follow by example' lifestyle that many low-income earners live. If they want to live by example, follow those immigrants that come to the country and then make something for themselves and their families.

I'm glad that when my father came to this country, he had enough sense to know that hard work pays off in the long run....easy money comes and goes.

Some of the section 8 people that my dad and I had to deal with fell back on arguments that there were special government programs that were geared towards immigrants (they didn't have to pay taxes and such). Indians and Koreans take up business residence in black neighborhoods, take the income, and then spend it in higher-income neighborhoods.....Utter B.S!!!

 

I totally agree with you.

I'm not saying its a good excuse at all of why or how to live.

My dad is just like yours. Hell he's my hero and role model, and a big reason I'm successful

The only reason, or maybe justification if it can be called that is that I know by experience that what you see is what you learn.

You and I learned about hard work and good decisions from our role models. If you are a child growing up with poor role models that's all you know. The only reason I give any justification for this behavior at alll was my growing up in Mississippi. As a young child I learned to be racist from the well to do people I lived around. Despite my father was not the most objective person in this respect either. I was a young crappy racist. As I grew older I realized how vital other people and their cultures are. I am no longer a racist at all, but I know I was and why I was.

That being said i agree it's wrong to sit on your laurels and blame hard working people for your woes for sure.

 

a lot of it boils down to lazyness..... i have a friend that came to the USA from Vietnam in 1978 or so.......... they lived in a trailer and his parents busted their asses.... they eventually started a nice resturant and then built a nice house. all 4 of their kids went to college and I would not expect any of them to ever take a dime of assistance.......

the people who abuse the system are born into lazyness.....their parents were in the system, etc...... "why should I work if I can get stuff for free"..... you work because it is much more rewarding than a shitty existance on assistance...... all in the eyes of the beholder......

I give my tenant's kids $ if they get good grades...... it is only $25 per Qtr, but they still don't take advantage of it...... out of 30+ kids, I get 1-2 per qtr who get all A's and B's....... why should they get good grades? that is work..... they can just live like their parents... and so on and so on......

 

I think that giving money to anyone, no matter what they do with it, through the EIC is wrong. This money (credit) is paid out even if zero dollars has been paid in. I have another name for it- Welfare. If you want to give welfare to people, don't do it through the tax code and don't call it a tax credit or other fancy name. I'm not saying that some don't need it, or shouldn't have it. I am just against the vehicle used to give it to them. Then when I hear that the tax cuts only help the wealthy, I go ballistic.
Off my soap box.

 

Ah.. as a tax preparer (10 years running) I have seen both the positive and negative effects of this credit.

Most of my clients now (and even back a few years ago) think that they are "entitled" to the credit. You should see some of the lies that I see people tell to get it. I have clients walk out with over 7K in refunds (state/fed). And you should see how pissed off they get when we cant get it to them in 24 hours.

I love when customers tell me their rent is due "today", and its like the 21st of the month. I've called bullshit to several of them.

I'm getting jaded by this business.

OH YEAH, one more ing thing: Why do you think the United Way is doing taxes for people for free? To get their financials, of course. That 'charity' is quite possibly one of the most criminal organizations in the country....

Back when I was doing research for Eastman Kodak, my united way rep called me the DAY AFTER I got my raise to congratulate me on my 'good fortune' and to ask if I would consider raising my donations. I promptly told him to himself and the UWay. (I'm not kidding)

 

Yeah...United Way has a very shady past with its last CEO. I think his name was Amory, or something like it.

That MF'er was running a charity organization, pulling over $400k in salary plus many other perks that pushed his annual to close to over $1MM.

...I think he's been jailed after that.

 

Morris, I agree with you too. One thing, and I know this is not what you mean by tax cuts to the wealthy and kind of going with Silverstoned and Luder is the corporate greed.

I know it takes skill and personality to run a fortune 500 company, but to see how much money those people give themselves is out frigging rageout. That is the total other side of the coin.

 

I don't know what earned income credits are but I do know I always get my income tax back (every penny).

How?

Well, first of all, I am the only one that works - I have two dependents (my wife and baby) and they're both tax deductible (only reason I married ). Just kiddin'.

Secondly, I'm a student - I get deductions for every month in school PLUS all school costs (including the 11,400 km I drove to and from my last work term).

Thirdly, I tithe (and then some) on every penny I earn (gross, not net). That's 10+% of my gross earnings that are given to the church I attend.

Add it up and it means that I owe the government nothing.

So, in effect, I make okay money (for six months of work every year) but I have so many deductions I never pay taxes. I've got tax credits backed up waiting for me to use them...