The Wall Street Journal cries about the poverty of making $400,000 a year

[KamaAina]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/10/1328621/-The-Wall-Street-Journal-cries-about-the-poverty-of-making-400-000-a-year#

Please put down your drink, you won't want to cover your computer/device's screen with coffee or juice or water. But if you do ruin your electronic device, no one understands your pain more than the Wall Street Journal.

How can you make $400,000 dollars a year and still feel like you're just getting by?

Yes, how? How can that happen? Why is that happening? Where are we? Am I taking crazy pills? Let's forget that the median middle-class household income peaked at $56,080 in 1999 and it stands at roughly $50,017 now. Welcome to examples of the shrinking middle class, Wall Street Journal. Give us a financial breakdown that we can all relate to, please. Let's begin with our Core Expenses, below the fold....

That's it. Best part is the "cut your spending." The Wall Street Journal. CUT YOUR SPENDING! But make sure you spend to keep the economy working, right?

Well, boo hoo hoo! Will someone please call them a



?

[hifiguy]

1. They just keep making the arguments

that reinforce the justifications for this being applied:



The 1% just might wanna stop crying about how hard they have it.

[KansDem]

26. Hey, c'mon! Have some respect! These are One Percenters, for cryin' out loud!

Something like this would be more apropos--



Granted this one is for cigars but it could provide the design for a larger one...

[hifiguy]

27. LoL

We can even give them a ride to the National Razor in tumbrels with Mercedes-Benz stars on the front.

[KamaAina]

2. $30,000 a year for groceries?

That's $576.92 a week! Who is this family? The Duggars?

[hifiguy]

6. They're just about begging for the tumbrels,

ain't they?

Let's make their wish come true.

[justabob]

8. that is more than 2x my annual pay

Uneffingbelievable.

[delete_bush]

22. It's not a real family,

The person making the video was trying to make the total expenses add up to the take home pay of someone making $400K. Not defending anything, but I think she did a lousy job. For example, she states that they'll need $15,000/year for a car, as they'll have to replace the $60,000 one every four years. Unless they total the car, it should be worth around $20-25 thousand at trade-in time.

Regarding food, it looks like she has really overstated the amount. "The USDA uses national food intake data and grocery price information to calculate different costs for a healthy diet at home. The latest numbers for a four-member family: a thrifty food plan, $146 a week; a low-cost food plan, $191 a week; a moderate-cost plan, $239; a liberal plan, $289 a week. Some food waste is built into these costs.

Some of the other costs look rather suspicious as well.

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. some people live like that - good wine, high priced cheese, meats, breads

take out from whole foods

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. So you're telling me I need to cut down to one $25,000 vacation per year?

What am I, an animal?

[KamaAina]

4. No, silly

one $12,500 vacation a year. Or two $6,250 ones, which is almost in the ballpark.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. So Presidential Suite in Hawaii, as opposed to private villa in Fiji.

Gotcha.

[KamaAina]

11. Something like that.

[TygrBright]

5. OMG, you need to start a Kickstarter project to...um... make something... or something... n/t

[JHB]

18. To buy an ad laughing at them

Opposite the OP-ed page of the NYTimes or WaPo

[Tsiyu]

9. It's an absolute travesty that these people don't qualify for EBT

How can you throw marvelous dinner parties on that measly grocery budget?

Maybe they can sell some of their vintage wines on e-Bay.

Or Congress can fund another subsidy to help these poor, struggling people.

No one should have to live like that

[KamaAina]

10. DUzy!!

[hifiguy]

15. The pathetic and disgusting thing is that people in

that situation genuinely feel put-upon. Time to put them on the street for a couple of months and deliver a goddamn wakeup call to assholes like this.

[Rex]

12. Rich people are long overdue for a wake up call.

Parts of this country are drowning in poverty.

[joeybee12]

13. Cheap bastards...$400K and you only give $5K to charity...

Assholes.

[lunasun]

16. But club fees are 12K

[joeybee12]

17. Silly me

My priorities are messed up!

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. 1st saving: drop subscription to Wall Street Journal, since it has fuck all idea

of what real life is like.

[Populist_Prole]

25. Best idea ever

It's disgusting rag full of specious economic dogma; and yet: I just can't get over the "halo effect" it seems to hold. So many 99 percenters still look to that pub like it's still relevant.

[JHB]

19. If you can't get by on $400K, you're living too large

Jesus Christmas, if any people making this complaint think they know how to handle their money...

...they might just be savvy enough to know when opportunity knocks. I just happen to have a small cash-flow problem, and have to part with some choice properties I have in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Historic properties, right on the waterfront, within walking distance of some of the trendiest neighborhoods. Best of all is the scenic span between the properties. Due to the need for a speedy transaction, I'm willing to part with it at a steep discount over it's book value...

[KamaAina]

21. Does it look anything like this?

[JHB]

24. ^_^

[Ilsa]

20. Tell him he needs a second job. nt