Your definition of middle class?

[TC]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

Just happy to get by, and have a few nice things. It is what you do with the Money that determines the Class. If you work so many hours that you have no time to do anything, it really does'nt matter. I'm glad it took a reality check to figure it all out. Life is good.

That is so true, I have a friend that works for AT&T gets paid $17 an hour to answer phones, and all he wants to do is party and go to strip clubs, and he's totally fine with that. I think it's a total waste of money, but for him, that is what makes him happy. So who am I to judge. To each their own, it's his money and he can damn well spend it the way he wants.

[KeithTurk]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

ahhh but our moral minority won't allow a strip club in town...

Ain't they special...

I'd never go to one anyway... ( that whole look but don't touch thing never worked for me ).. but my gig is that folks have rights to them if they chose to....

K

[73Nova]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

weird question and too many variables to be answered, much less agreed on, by any group of individuals ???

"I rest my case" ;D ;D ;D ;D (no sarcasum intended ;))

Yeah but it sure has made for an interesting thread for a "weird question" huh? ;D

[TC]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

ahhh but our moral minority won't allow a strip club in town...

Ain't they special...

I'd never go to one anyway... ( that whole look but don't touch thing never worked for me ).. but my gig is that folks have rights to them if they chose to....

K

What do you mean you can't touch. :

And it's that choice that makes this such a great country.

And I'm with you on this Keith, I was never really the strip club kind of guy, funny thing is, it's my wife that usually gets me to go. :o

[Brad54]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

Just happy to get by, and have a few nice things. It is what you do with the Money that determines the Class. If you work so many hours that you have no time to do anything, it really does'nt matter. I'm glad it took a reality check to figure it all out. Life is good.

That is so true, I have a friend that works for AT&T gets paid $17 an hour to answer phones, and all he wants to do is party and go to strip clubs, and he's totally fine with that. I think it's a total waste of money, but for him, that is what makes him happy. So who am I to judge. To each their own, it's his money and he can damn well spend it the way he wants.

And in the future, when he's got no money, no house because he spent all his downpayment on beer and strippers, and little chance of earning more than $17 an hour while the increased cost of living will dictate an income of $20 an hour, are we supposed to feel sorry for him, or help him out?

That's my whole thing...people make poor choices at times in their lives, and then don't want to live with the consequences later. Hey, if they need a hand up, we'll be happy to help them. But if they're asking for a hand out, they can keep walking. The UAW Job Bank is a hand out.

I agree with Keith about the clubs..."Hmmm...I'm sexually frustrated, I'm spending tons of money here to look at nekkid women, I go home alone and now I'm broke. And MORE sexually frustrated than when I went in!" Stay home, read a Playboy, I'm time and money ahead.

-Brad

[73Nova]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

We've saved some money, my wife doesn't have a job, and we won't be paying for Boy Wonder's college. He's 13, and knows two things: A) college is NOT an option, he's going; B) He's paying for it, just like I did. That may mean 2-3 jobs at all times, but I did it and he can too. That was a lot better experience for me than partying with a frat.

Thank God my wife & I are not the only ones practicing this train of thought.

Our friends look at us like we are evil-incarnate; they tell us all about which super-duper plan they are investing in for little johnny & susie's college education........and we tell them we believe it will mean more if they have to earn it. As our kids will.......and they will get educated in some form beyond high-school.

Paid College = babysitting for "adults" in our book. There's a reason that most people who have truly "made-it" have lots of interesting stories to tell, and the stories go way back to when they were kids. They have been living life, not having life handed to them.

Brian, Keith, Brad, Dan.... these fellows are not on a podium preaching this stuff. They are graciously sharing what worked for them. I would share my story too, although it would merely echo what these fellows have already stated.

Well done guys. Hopefully your examples will provide a light in the darkness.

Youll see where im going with this in a minute. my story isnt that cool but ill tell it anyway...its my thread any how ;D....when i was a kid i had a bike, that i bought with my money that i earned on my paper route. I treated my bike like gold, when others treated theirs like crap, guess who bought them that bike? When i was in highschool {1999-2000} i had a 91 Cavalier Z-24 that i paid for. I treated it like gold, when my best buddy had a brand new 99' Grand cherokee limited that his super rich daddy bought him and he treated it like crap, and i mean like CRAP. WOW he treated that thing bad. I have alot of these silly little things that ive noticed throughout my life because unlike most people my age {26} ive earned most everything ive ever owned and i do not feel entitled to anything more. For this reason i will never pay for my kids college tuition. If i made a million a year i wouldnt pay for it. A guy i work with has a quote, "That wich costs you nothing, you value even less" I think thats the a very true statement and also why theres a generation of people my age running around that feel entitled to everything and cant afford half of it. Theyve been given the world and now they think "that world owes them somthing"
Im a UAW electrician and i make good money. Its a direct result of me busting my ass for 4 years to be elidgable for my state licence. Passing the exams on the first shot, when it takes most guys 2,3,4 times to pass it, seeing an opportunity to really get ahead and capitalizing on it. Im not patting myself on the back, im simplly stating that i capitalized a damn good opportunity. Im not what alot of you see as a typical UAW worker that "stumbled into a good job and is bitching. I earned every inch to get where im at and i plan on earing every penny the rest of my life UAW or not. If im fortunate enough to recieve a pension through Deere thats great, but my wife and I are investing and saving like I wont see a penny of any pension OR social security for that matter because i dont rely on anyone but me to make it........sadly this is also why i have a 73' Nova and not somthing super cool like a 69' camaro or a 66' chevelle haha ;D ;D

[TC]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

Just happy to get by, and have a few nice things. It is what you do with the Money that determines the Class. If you work so many hours that you have no time to do anything, it really does'nt matter. I'm glad it took a reality check to figure it all out. Life is good.

That is so true, I have a friend that works for AT&T gets paid $17 an hour to answer phones, and all he wants to do is party and go to strip clubs, and he's totally fine with that. I think it's a total waste of money, but for him, that is what makes him happy. So who am I to judge. To each their own, it's his money and he can damn well spend it the way he wants.

And in the future, when he's got no money, no house because he spent all his downpayment on beer and strippers, and little chance of earning more than $17 an hour while the increased cost of living will dictate an income of $20 an hour, are we supposed to feel sorry for him, or help him out?

That's my whole thing...people make poor choices at times in their lives, and then don't want to live with the consequences later. Hey, if they need a hand up, we'll be happy to help them. But if they're asking for a hand out, they can keep walking. The UAW Job Bank is a hand out.

I agree with Keith about the clubs..."Hmmm...I'm sexually frustrated, I'm spending tons of money here to look at nekkid women, I go home alone and now I'm broke. And MORE sexually frustrated than when I went in!" Stay home, read a Playboy, I'm time and money ahead.

-Brad

But that's the whole thing he doesn't want a house, he drives a nice BMW, and does have some nice stuff. It's just that he prefers to be a bar fly. Well that and chasing girls. ;)

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

It's all about recognizing that there are consequences to any decision (or group of decisions) and the fact that people need to be individually responsible for mopping up their own mess.

What's that old kids story about the ant that worked and the ant that played the fiddle the whole time? He had a hell of a time until winter came.

It's winter.

Strip clubs aren't my cup of tea either. Got nothing against anyone who goes and likes them, just one of those things I guess. I just think about all the other stuffI could be doing with that money other than having some "ballet dancer" grind her knee into my junk.

Brian

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

You sir, are brilliant.

:D

Brian

[OldUsedParts]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

weird question and too many variables to be answered, much less agreed on, by any group of individuals ???

"I rest my case" ;D ;D ;D ;D (no sarcasum intended ;))

Yeah but it sure has made for an interesting thread for a "weird question" huh? ;D

;D yeah, I'll give ya that - - - but in a Dear Abby sort of way ;)

[Ron Ward]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

It's all about recognizing that there are consequences to any decision (or group of decisions) and the fact that people need to be individually responsible for mopping up their own mess.

What's that old kids story about the ant that worked and the ant that played the fiddle the whole time? He had a hell of a time until winter came.

It's winter.


Brian

Brian, is this the story you are thinking of?



THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER



TRADITIONAL VERSION :

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY : Be responsible for yourself!


MODERN UPDATED VERSION :

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome."

Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi , John Kerry & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and
Anti-Grasshopper Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer!
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs, and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

[KeithTurk]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

See... now tell me again how this is GOOD for the Grasshopper?

I loved that story first time I heard it...

K

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

It's all about recognizing that there are consequences to any decision (or group of decisions) and the fact that people need to be individually responsible for mopping up their own mess.

What's that old kids story about the ant that worked and the ant that played the fiddle the whole time? He had a hell of a time until winter came.

It's winter.


Brian

Brian, is this the story you are thinking of?



THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER



TRADITIONAL VERSION :

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY : Be responsible for yourself!


MODERN UPDATED VERSION :

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome."

Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi , John Kerry & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and
Anti-Grasshopper Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer!
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs, and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

Very cool..... got me, the I am the forwarding black hole, to send out a mass email.

[73Nova]

Re: Your definition of middle class?

It's all about recognizing that there are consequences to any decision (or group of decisions) and the fact that people need to be individually responsible for mopping up their own mess.

What's that old kids story about the ant that worked and the ant that played the fiddle the whole time? He had a hell of a time until winter came.

It's winter.


Brian

Brian, is this the story you are thinking of?



THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER



TRADITIONAL VERSION :

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY : Be responsible for yourself!


MODERN UPDATED VERSION :

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome."

Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi , John Kerry & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and
Anti-Grasshopper Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer!
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs, and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

Thats good stuff right there ;D