Where do I stand. I take the high road. I would like to always stand for what is right. But, many cases right is not black and white, but rather someplace in the gray spectrum. I stand for the citizens of the US, not for a party or their spoon-fed ideals. I stand by facts, numbers, evidence. Not hearsay or propaganda.

I will not ever return anger and insult for bad behavior toward me. I will provide the data that I have researched to show my position, but I can not insist that others adopt my view. I will always respect your or other's right to their opinion. I may think less of an individual that is illogical, crude, those that can not defend their positions without personal attacks. I will ignore them, not respond, and walk away.

As for raciest remarks, well some people, to include myself, have witnessed behavior that reflect badly on the population of some minorities. In fact, I guess you can say that I am raciest because I will not buy a home in an overwhelming black neighborhood. I will not associate with Muslims, and I do not particularly care to live in a neighborhood that is dominated by Hispanic gangs. So, am I a raciest?

"So, am I a raciest?"

Yes you are, and the best kind of raciest. One that knows what they want and are willing to go after it no matter what other people think of you for it.

I also refuse to live under those conditions and will not. I have Hispanic and black friends, but I will admit I have yet to make my first Muslim friend. I grew up with an Indian friend and didn't know he was even Indian until he told me one day. It didn't change anything between us and to this day we are still friends.

I have had Jews for friends and didn't even know they were Jews, simply because I never ask their religion and it never came up until MUCH later. I don't care about the color of your skin as long as you are a decent person inside. I have had what I thought were decent people stab me in the back because inside they were rotten, but they covered it up well.

Just like our President, he tried to cover up the fact that he is a scum bag, but I saw through his act from almost the very beginning. Some people never even look.

I hate to say this ginnyt, but you are a raciest and I guess that will never change. I am too and I know that will never change and for the very same reasons you list. That raciest is from the Liberals outlook, not mine. I personally don't think you or I am raciest, but the liberals sure do. According to them, we should live in the gutter with the rest of the trash. Not wanting to live in that gutter sure makes us raciest in their eyes.

I think a good many people are well aware of the hatred and know where it is coming from. The problems comes in with the low information voters. They don't know squat. They don't even know who is running in most cases, they just for for anything that is Democrat regardless of who that is. They have no idea where all that free stuff is coming from or who is paying for it. All they know is that it is free to them. That is all they care about. Take that free stuff away and they will revolt and riot in the streets.

If you try talking to them, all they hear is you are trying to take all that free stuff away from them and they shut down and don't listen. It is impossible to talk to them on any level without starting a riot.

You ask, “Why would I accept the opinion of a progressive (news?) “website?” The answer is obvious: You would not accept the opinion of a web site you labeled as progressive for the very same reason you would unquestioningly and automatically, accept as fact, anything from a web site you believe supports your group's "thinking" and most of all, one that no one labels it as progressive or liberal.

If America is going to survive, we have to stop with the labels, and fully automatic belief systems and begin to think for ourselves, not always for our gang, our mob, our political party, or our religion, we have to begin to think about what is good and what is bad for our country and not just for our half of America. We have to try really hard to understand the feelings and beliefs of other and we have to begin to look for areas of agreement instead of areas of disagreement. We could begin by not saying THE government and instead saying OUR government.

We also have to stop the automatic assumption that “the others,” the politically other half of Americans, are evil, lie all the time, hate America, are racists, are bigots, either adore Obama or deify Bush, want to destroy America and are all the same and think alike. Want to make things work better? Try finding some one thing with which you agree and disagree in as many of the comments as you can. Just try it.

I think you two are talking about two different people, or groups of people. The super rich are going to stay that way and very few will ever get to join their ranks. They keep it that way for a reason.

I think she is talking about the normal rich. The every day rich that work for a living and make their money the honest way. Not by stabbing people in the back, but by working for it. The ones that have $10 or $20 million saved up and keep working to keep it.

Then there are the super rich that are born into it and will NOT let anyone else join their ranks, no matter how much money they make. Bill Gates is a good example of that. He went from nothing to billion air and still cannot run with the super rich, because he has not had his money long enough. Sure he gets to play with them at times, but they don't really accept him as one of them. The government did find out the hard way why you do not mess with the super rich though.

I think you two are talking about two different people, or groups of people. The super rich are going to stay that way and very few will ever get to join their ranks. They keep it that way for a reason.

I think she is talking about the normal rich. The every day rich that work for a living and make their money the honest way. Not by stabbing people in the back, but by working for it. The ones that have $10 or $20 million saved up and keep working to keep it.

Then there are the super rich that are born into it and will NOT let anyone else join their ranks, no matter how much money they make. Bill Gates is a good example of that. He went from nothing to billion air and still cannot run with the super rich, because he has not had his money long enough. Sure he gets to play with them at times, but they don't really accept him as one of them. The government did find out the hard way why you do not mess with the super rich though.

"So, am I a raciest?"

Yes you are, and the best kind of raciest. One that knows what they want and are willing to go after it no matter what other people think of you for it.

I also refuse to live under those conditions and will not. I have Hispanic and black friends, but I will admit I have yet to make my first Muslim friend. I grew up with an Indian friend and didn't know he was even Indian until he told me one day. It didn't change anything between us and to this day we are still friends.

I have had Jews for friends and didn't even know they were Jews, simply because I never ask their religion and it never came up until MUCH later. I don't care about the color of your skin as long as you are a decent person inside. I have had what I thought were decent people stab me in the back because inside they were rotten, but they covered it up well.

Just like our President, he tried to cover up the fact that he is a scum bag, but I saw through his act from almost the very beginning. Some people never even look.

I hate to say this ginnyt, but you are a raciest and I guess that will never change. I am too and I know that will never change and for the very same reasons you list. That raciest is from the Liberals outlook, not mine. I personally don't think you or I am raciest, but the liberals sure do. According to them, we should live in the gutter with the rest of the trash. Not wanting to live in that gutter sure makes us raciest in their eyes.

Indeed valid points Mr.Ed. I was discussing the way to riches (methods normally employed) and, not necessarily the way to become the ruling elite. There are stratifications within the ranks of the wealthy but, the methodology works or, why would it be so hard for the poor to get ahead, with the exception being their own nonfrugality?

Ginnyt just listed some of the reasons people are jammed from making it in America and, made my point. She wouldn't want to live in a dangerous neighborhood, who would, except for those that prey upon and exploit the poor even further? Where you live can often times decide your fate. It doesn't always but, it sure does make the slope much more slippery. Choices for schools, social pressures and influences and, utter desperation can shoot you in the foot quicker than an ISIS Muslim.

So many of our youths start out with military service being their only hope for a leg up. If you get maimed or killed before you get your first VA Educational stipend, game over. That is nothing more than political lotto and, keeping your life and health is what you can win, together with your monthly VA check in payment for your service. I could really get on my soap box here but, I don't want to digress into another entirely new topic.

So you think the, was that, "normal rich" budgeted their way to the American Dream? You are entitled to have that opinion of course...

You'll have to excuse me, I'm late for a luncheon at the club and, I have deals to cut and, people to mold in my image.

Have a great one!

:wink: :thumbup:

I believe that education is the key to anything and not necessarily a collage degree. People that are poor never get ahead because they will not get any education if they can help it. They just don't see the advantage to it I guess. The education they get it on the street, not in the class room.

I was one of many that used the military to get an education, but I got mine FROM the military, not after. I have a nice retirement now and cannot say as I am wanting for a lot. Even though most people would not consider me rich, I do. No so much in money, but in life. I have everything I want and there is enough left over each month to do pretty much as I please. A good many people can't say even that.

I believe that rich is on many levels and not everyone is a million air. I do believe that helping my neighbor is as important as helping myself, as long as that neighbor is looking for a hand up and not a hand out.

As for budgeting your way to riches, that is as important as anything else. If you spend all your money on every new thing that comes out, how are you ever going to get anywhere? If you go out and spend $1200.00 dollars EACH for a set of wheels for your car, how will you ever get money ahead? A budget is very important, but not the only thing. You also need some kind of education to know what to do with that money after you get it, or it is not going to last. Just look at some of the people that get a LARGE settlement or win the lottery. How long does their money last?? I know of one person that got 8 million dollars in a settlement and 5 years later he was broke again. Not a penny to his name. Think maybe a budget may have helped him????

Do you think that the Marines stationed at embassies are there to protect people? Here is a wake up call, they are there to protect and secure classified documents. The protection of the embassy falls to the host country.

There are many Liberals that hate President Reagan, when asked why, they will say that he was an actor. And when you ask why does that matter, they come back with comments about the First Lady. In other words, they read all the stuff that they are supposed to read and come to the conclusions they are supposed to come to. Barely any will go back and look at tax records, economic growth, or any other had data.

Income data from the U.S. Census Bureau and income tax data from the IRS reveal that, yes, the rich did get richer under Reagan, but so did the poor and the middle class.

Data from two periods, 1974-1981, mostly Carter years, and 1981-1988, the Reagan years, indicate the richest 5 percent of taxpayers' income's grew 38.6 percent under Reagan while the incomes for the lowest 50 percent grew 17.9 percent. The middle class, or the taxpayers in the middle 50-95 percent, saw their incomes rise 21.4 percent. While it is true that the rich got richer, so did the poor.

Also, the income tax of the richest 5 percent of taxpayers increased by 65 percent, to where they pay 45.6 percent of all income taxes. The income tax burden for the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers fell from 7.4 percent to 5.7 percent. Most revealing, between 1974 and 1981, income taxes for the poorest Americans increased by 24.2 percent. In the Reagan years, this group's burden fell 12.8 percent! The middle class saw its income tax burden fall from 57.2 percent under Carter to 48.7 percent under Reagan.

Wake up, liberals! The basic difference between Democrats and Republicans is that Democrats believe the government knows how best to spend your money and takes it. Republicans believe that you know how to spend your money, and lets you keep as much as possible.

And this I will give to you at no charge. You want to know why rich people are rich? It is simple, they have a budget, many do not buy on credit and when they do it is a planned purchase, and they know how to say no to themselves. Rich people accumulate things over time, and pay cash. Poor people keep up with the Jones and will buy a brand new car even if their existing car works fine. They run out for the new Apple IPads, IPods, and such even if it means putting it on a charge card. It is the interest charges that keep your debt level so high.