Debate #2

[chilliwilli]

Originally Posted by Wagner

I'm still looking for a definition of middle class and rich.

Middle class:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_middle_class
i.e. majority of voters...

Rich (& wealthy):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDkCE...eature=related

[Wagner]

Well from that "wiki":

The "professional class", also called the "upper middle class", consists mostly of white collar professionals, most of whom are highly educated, salaried professionals whose work is largely self-directed. Many have graduate degrees, with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Typical occupations of the Professional Class would include University Professor, Physician, Lawyer, Journalist, Architect, Physicist, Chemist, Engineer, and Airline Pilot. Household incomes commonly exceed $100,000, with some smaller one-income-earner households having incomes in the high 5-figure range.

So I guess the middle class is anyone under, what, $500K....1M? Again, that isn't an answer and when a person says "I understand the middle class" or "rich can afford more taxes" I'd like to know what that means.

[tijanaw]

Funny thing that I may be the only one here to notice but I thought when the young black kid asked the question about the economic crisis to McCain.He responded by pointing the finger at Obama with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I thought it was offensive when he told the kid 'you've probably never heard of Fannie & Freddy before today".
That showed a lack of good judgement from McCain IMO, because that sentence resumed literally all the stereotypes about young black African-Americans by white America.
I think that slip might cost him lots of votes.

[motordavid]

Pretty interesting thread here...I was expecting more vitriol and less logic.

Not to quibble, but I took a couple debate classes in the High & the U and these showtimes are not "debates", imo. Brokaw ought to ride off into the sunset.. The "questions"/debate points were ok, but it is simply a set up for talking points that seldom address the original "debate point". There were some actual debates back in the '60s & '70s, but these lectern rants and 5 mins of apple pie/Americana are not very informative, imo. Fortunately we don't have 3 more months of this as both candidates are starting to promise the sky, sun & moon and are sounding like skipping 33 1/3 vinyl records

I too thought Obama was more "smooth", though I also agree that neither of these guys are my Prez picks. And, they really do act like we are all nincompoops out here in TV land.

BigR: I've never been "rich" imo, though V&I did have "household income" for awhile in the '90s that was up there in the top 4 or 5 percentile. Now, I'm trying to hang on to my "middle class/Walmart Nation/The Great Unwashed" standing...

Meanwhile, back at the GoingBrokeRanch, whomever is elected will have about 20 mins and an empty/overdrawn pocketbook to deal with the ever eroding country's econ problems. It ain't gonna be fun for either one.
BR,mD

[Krimson X]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

WHAT??????
Am I hearing this correctly????

OMG the San Andreas fault just fractured.
Just kidding of course.

I haven't booted up the Tivo yet.
Guess i better check it out.

I choked on my chewing gum I was so suprprised!

[Quicksilver]

I don't know if it cost him any votes but I did hear that comment "'you've probably never heard of Fannie & Freddy before today" and i glossed over it because #1 i didn't see who ask the question and #2 someone decided to talk while i was trying to listen.

I won't go back and resurrect the video but i hope his intent was not what you describe. The comment did sound strange though. When i heard it my question was "Who's he talking to"? Who hasn't heard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Hmmmmm.

Originally Posted by tijanaw

Funny thing that I may be the only one here to notice but I thought when the young black kid asked the question about the economic crisis to McCain.He responded by pointing the finger at Obama with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I thought it was offensive when he told the kid 'you've probably never heard of Fannie & Freddy before today".
That showed a lack of good judgement from McCain IMO, because that sentence resumed literally all the stereotypes about young black African-Americans by white America.
I think that slip might cost him lots of votes.

[Michelle]

Originally Posted by tijanaw

Funny thing that I may be the only one here to notice but I thought when the young black kid asked the question about the economic crisis to McCain.He responded by pointing the finger at Obama with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I thought it was offensive when he told the kid 'you've probably never heard of Fannie & Freddy before today".
That showed a lack of good judgement from McCain IMO, because that sentence resumed literally all the stereotypes about young black African-Americans by white America.
I think that slip might cost him lots of votes.

I had never heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac before a few weeks ago and, the last time I checked, I wasn't a young black American.

[MrLabGuy]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the ending when McCain left early and Obama and Michelle stayed behind another 30 - 45 minutes working the group. Smart move on his part and he seemed to track down that one guy in the armed services who McCain went out of his way to bond with at the end. Obama found him and spent some time sweet-talking him.

McCain dropped the ball leaving early. Not quite sure what he was thinking but I guess it was past his bedtime.

[Quicksilver]

Have you no respect for your elders?????

Originally Posted by MrLabGuy

Not quite sure what he was thinking but I guess it was past his bedtime.

[MrLabGuy]

Originally Posted by Wagner

Well from that "wiki":



So I guess the middle class is anyone under, what, $500K....1M? Again, that isn't an answer and when a person says "I understand the middle class" or "rich can afford more taxes" I'd like to know what that means.

I'm in the top 5% and I'll tell you I'm far from "Rich" living in the San Francisco Bay Area. It really depends on where you live but I consider someone "Rich" who gainfully employed making over $250,000 a year and has over 2 million cash on hand. The cash on hand is important because someone making $250,000 with nothing in the bank is on the brink of being poor. The true determination of how "Rich" someone is has much to do with total wealth and not how much they make a year.