- Capitalism and Alternatives -

Manipulating stats

Posted by: Stuart Gort ( USA ) on October 05, 1999 at 18:57:48:

In Reply to: Speaking of numbers... posted by Stoller on October 05, 1999 at 14:29:19:

:: Stuart: You think I was born with capital, Barry? I hold only a high school diploma and have received nothing from anyone except talent from God, a work ethic from my parents, and a job from my previous employers...

:: The median income in America is $35, 492 a year.

Only slightly less than I obtained in my best years working in the lithography trade. I made $38,000 one year. How did I get $120,000 to invest into my clever ideas, Barry? Did I steal it from some oppressed proletariat? You have absolutely no legs here. Oh well, being legless should only increase your earnings potential in your system.

:: For those with only a high school education, the median income is $32,295. That gives a telling indication of just how many people in this country do not receive higher education. For those with a B.A. or above, the median income is $59,978 a year.

If a higher education is required for success you have a point. Sadly, the 60 units I received of higher education was time spent listening to a number of bubble heads who had as their objective to reprogram my WASP brain. I didn't like that and I left to do something productive.

:: Obviously, an income of $32,000 a year will not engender an entrepreneurial empire! Those 'self-made men,' entrepreneurs who 'made it' with only a high school diploma are very rare exceptions in a nation where---on the average---access to higher education means an income level twice that of those who cannot. I'm glad you are one of those rare exceptions, Stuart---but statistically speaking, you do not represent the average American.

Yet my Vanguard investment program remains unrebutted by you or any other collectivist theorist. $32,000 is ever so much more than is actually required to obtain wealth in this program - about $20,000 per year more than my original example! Again, Barry $40.00 per week for 50 years at 10.5% gets you 4.5 million! In addition, there are Roth IRA's which allow every penny of the $2000.00 per year contribution to be tax deferred until age 59. No comparable collectivist example exists of such provision.

Stuart Gort


Follow Ups:

The Debating Room Post a Followup