The Stupid Thread 2 (Part 1)

They aren’t?

That’s depressing. I make roughly that much and I don’t consider myself particularly rich.

I thought that you white collar 'Muricans are on average much better paid than that?.

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Yeah but I bet you’re never worried about missing a bill or buying groceries. Retirement also probably isn’t govt dependent

I guess when I said ‘a lot’ I meant relative to the planet (or even America). 70k will put you above the large majority pretty much anywhere

In Pittsburgh (one of the cheapest white collar markets in the US) that’s about what you’ll pay an average accountant/engineer/programmer with 5-8 years of experience and a bachelor’s from somewhere normal (non ivy league).

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After some quick googling, it’s seems I’m filthy rich. Bwa-ha-ha.

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Don’t believe the hype. Everybody on the internet is “deep into 6 figs” and is living incredibly well.

And I just caught a 36 inch rainbow trout.

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I’ve had several job offers in the US but what killed the move in the end were indirect costs, namely housing - despite the nominally much higher salary the expenses would skyrocket and I’d be almost in the same position, unless me and my family wanted to share a bathroom with a bunch of Indian IT guys.

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That’s like $20k over average household income in the US.

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A couple I know always posts about living the high life on Facebook. Last year, a few weeks after posting pics of their first class flights and Cancun vacation, they set up a GoFundMe asking for “donations” for their private, for profit business. Not investments. Donations.

They tried to frame it like a chance to help the community and be part of some grand civic undertaking (he’s a plumber). It was downright bizarre and reeking of desperation.

Then I remembered my ex-gf telling me about their credit card problems the wife shared with her and remembered the conversation I had with the husband about getting something financed by a loan shark and all of a sudden an out-of-the-blue GoFundMe page seemed like a logical move. I stayed out of the comments, which involved even more bizarre rationalizations and a whole lot of people pointing out the absurdity of it all.

They only got $25 from some 20 year old girl in college. At least they got something in return for their dignity.

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US compensation seem to about double at each level
15k - min wage
30k - national retail like Home Depot, fork lift driver
60k - mfg supervisor, 5 year professional, semi truck driver
120k - location mgr, non partner professional, govt worker with ambivalent title/job

Stepped up a bit in NE and West coast

At least it was a GoFundMe and not angry bitter Facebook posts blaming capitalism for their financial woes and demanding the government to step in to ensure them at least an upper middle class life in the name of “social justice” and “equality”.

I’ve seen a lot of such posts, including from an individual with a PhD in renaissance art who was long term unemployed and never actually crunched the numbers believing that the government will somehow “take care” of people with advanced degrees.

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I remember someone on this site lamenting how the “job program” was all messed up in the US.

I asked, “What’s a job program?”. I don’t remember getting an answer.

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A mandatory year of military, trade school, or peace corps in the year following highschool would be nice. Supreme talents apply for and receive exceptions of course.

I remember somewhere hearing that a mandatory year of military after high school actually polls really well… Because the only people it affects can’t vote yet haha.

I’d vote no. All day lol

I’d be interested in that stat lol. I can’t imagine a parent majority voting for it

Jeff Bezos is a Princeton grad, East Coast “elite”. And he owns the Washington Post.

NY and DC sounds about right.

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Late to the party, but $70K in Manhattan is poverty, plain and simple. My wife and I live and work on Long Island, make $235K per year as teachers (combined), and own a 1300 SF house on Long Island. We do take vacations, eat well, and the wife leases a new SUV every three years. I drive a six year old Ford sedan.

While we do have pensions, we pretty much live paycheck to paycheck (granted, some spending issues with the wife). I also live in an apartment separate from the wife and two kids, so there is that.

But still, IMO, $70K in Manhattan is poverty.

Of course it is. That’s a very high cost per square ft. area.

In debt

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That’s the part they leave out.

Come to Kansas. You’ll be doing just swell with 235K in Manhattan the little apple. We can get you a hell of a lot more house than that!