Sure, "some" money is needed. Let's see, it costs 2200 dollars a month for a mortgage on a fixer-upper (SF bay area), $600 for groceries for two people who eat out about once a month, $200 for transportation to work, $150 for utilities not including phone or cable TV, $2013 for taxes - hmm, looks like 62000 dollars is needed just for food and shelter, forget about clothing. Oh, but if you work at a job that pays 62K you probably have to have clothing, you really have to make more. If it's important to me to see my family I need money to take trips. If it's important to me to continue to be employed I need money to get further education. You also mentioned it might be important to have something for retirement - seems like a survival issue to me. I might need money for medical expenses.
Maybe I don't have to be rich to provide for basic needs, but the amount required seems to go beyond the average (non overpriced stockholder) income. Forget about consumerism, I can't afford it anyway.
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"First, Social Security is pretty much the biggest service that you get from federal tax dollars"
Rich people pay proportionally on Social Security, one of the biggest taxes the fed govt takes in. Your argument stinks.
This is not insightful, stupid. People look up recipes on the goddamn internet.
Sure, "some" money is needed. Let's see, it costs 2200 dollars a month for a mortgage on a fixer-upper (SF bay area), $600 for groceries for two people who eat out about once a month, $200 for transportation to work, $150 for utilities not including phone or cable TV, $2013 for taxes - hmm, looks like 62000 dollars is needed just for food and shelter, forget about clothing. Oh, but if you work at a job that pays 62K you probably have to have clothing, you really have to make more. If it's important to me to see my family I need money to take trips. If it's important to me to continue to be employed I need money to get further education. You also mentioned it might be important to have something for retirement - seems like a survival issue to me. I might need money for medical expenses.
Maybe I don't have to be rich to provide for basic needs, but the amount required seems to go beyond the average (non overpriced stockholder) income. Forget about consumerism, I can't afford it anyway.
Exactly right.