Political affiliation and household income

[Alex+R 0]

I am speaking in strict economic terms.

And I disagree with the statement "there is a very little economic distinction between upper-upper middle class and the upper class". For example, in my mind, my i-banker cousin who can easily afford a $4,000/month mortgage and lives in a much nicer Central NJ neighborhood than I do is upper middle class. Warren Buffett is 'upper class' (aka 'rich').

But that's just how I mentally define the terms. I understand that different people may define it differently.

I meant someone who makes 1 million a year in a profession can still be upper-upper middle class, while someone else making that/receiving that could be upper class, based only on how they receive their income, what family they are from, etc. Someone making it big in American suburbia is in a whole different game than Joe Yacht Owner with family photos with the Kennedys on the wall. Just sayin'

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Got it.

[Caladan 19]

Alex has a good point. I'm from a respectably striving middle class home. My income at the moment floats around poverty level or just above. But I'd be a ridiculous person if I thought I was living the real poverty experience in da 'hood; I'm getting an advanced degree, I have a good social network through the university, and I have health care, a gym membership, and....... a set of social expectations commensurate with my background. My friend who is completing his residency makes about $30,000 a year and works 80 hours a week; but a doctor is middle-class respectable even if he'd have a hard time passing an I-864.

We don't even need to compare the super-rich to the merely able to afford the Upper East side. A talented electrician may make more than your average middle management, but the middle management guy probably thinks he's of a higher class.

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

Alex has a good point. I'm from a respectably striving middle class home. My income at the moment floats around poverty level or just above. But I'd be a ridiculous person if I thought I was living the real poverty experience in da 'hood; I'm getting an advanced degree, I have a good social network through the university, and I have health care, a gym membership, and....... a set of social expectations commensurate with my background. My friend who is completing his residency makes about $30,000 a year and works 80 hours a week; but a doctor is middle-class respectable even if he'd have a hard time passing an I-864.

We don't even need to compare the super-rich to the merely able to afford the Upper East side. A talented electrician may make more than your average middle management, but the middle management guy probably thinks he's of a higher class.

30k a year? jeesh, i'd hate to be making that. this year i've exceeded 16k already and i work in it.

[peezey 0]

I've noticed that many left or liberal leaning members here struggle financially, while

those who are well-off tend to be more conservative.

Is this a correct observation? Does a rise in income generally increase the likelihood

of a person voting Republican?

What do you think?

Not my experience at all, but then again, I live in Silicon Valley....well off & liberal.

(obviously everyone isn't well off or liberal, but the majority are liberal, unemployment is low, home ownership is high, etc).

And taxes are low for you because of the Republicans. It's nice to vote your conscience until it hits your wallet. Liberalism is great as long as YOU ain't paying for it. It's great to crow that you voted for the left while you benefit big time from the right. You can talk the talk while you don't have to actually walk the walk.

We really need to crank up the decibles at $75,000 and above with a hefty progressive income tax. The pendulum has been swinging too far one way for way too long.

Nice try, but taxes aren't low for me. I don't happen to own a home or have children, so I pay hefty taxes.

At our "low" tax rate, how is it CA contributes so significantly to the federal coffers?

[GaryC 7]

I've noticed that many left or liberal leaning members here struggle financially, while

those who are well-off tend to be more conservative.

Is this a correct observation? Does a rise in income generally increase the likelihood

of a person voting Republican?

What do you think?

Not my experience at all, but then again, I live in Silicon Valley....well off & liberal.

(obviously everyone isn't well off or liberal, but the majority are liberal, unemployment is low, home ownership is high, etc).

And taxes are low for you because of the Republicans. It's nice to vote your conscience until it hits your wallet. Liberalism is great as long as YOU ain't paying for it. It's great to crow that you voted for the left while you benefit big time from the right. You can talk the talk while you don't have to actually walk the walk.

We really need to crank up the decibles at $75,000 and above with a hefty progressive income tax. The pendulum has been swinging too far one way for way too long.

Why in the world would you want to do that? I work my azz off my whole life to get to that point and now you think you have a right to take it away from me? BS! Keep your hands out of my pocket!! You have no right to my hard work!

[chri'stina 190]

I know others already said this, that you can't just fit people into stereotypes when it comes to this issue. There may be statistical data to support it somewhat, but there are always exceptions.

I grew up in a household where we did not have much extra money ever, and were very financially tight for years. Neither of my parents graduated from college. But my parents are conservatives in many ways. But they aren't die hards. They support one party(Repub) over another usually for certain issues, but they don't agree with every single Republican idea. I would say they are more centrists, which is what I think I am too. I was the first in my family to graduate from college, and I got a liberal degree IMO (Sociology), and me and Sujeet are in a much better financial situation now than my parent's were even in their early 40's. I have a lot of Republican friends who are not making good money and are sometimes scraping to get by. They don't fit the stereotype either.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

If this theory was completely true California and New York would be red states and Mississippi and Arkansas would be blue

[mawilson 2,133]

If this theory was completely true California and New York would be red states and Mississippi and Arkansas would be blue

But.... California and New York *are* red states, with the exception of San Francisco / Bay Area and New York City.

[mawilson 2,133]

Both political spectrums, left and right, are populated by people who think you and I are incompetent and can't survuve without them. I think more 'educated' people are liberal because the more 'educated' they get, the more they think they know more about running your life than you do. Republicans tend to think they have to run things because if they don't, the social tinkerers will run the place to hell.

This one's an absolute gem.

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

Both political spectrums, left and right, are populated by people who think you and I are incompetent and can't survuve without them. I think more 'educated' people are liberal because the more 'educated' they get, the more they think they know more about running your life than you do. Republicans tend to think they have to run things because if they don't, the social tinkerers will run the place to hell.

This one's an absolute gem.

hey, empty your dang pm box!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

If this theory was completely true California and New York would be red states and Mississippi and Arkansas would be blue

But.... California and New York *are* red states, with the exception of San Francisco / Bay Area and New York City.

And that's where all the money is

LA is also about as blue as you can get