A message to those who think that someday they will benefit from GOP upper tax rates.

[SheilaT]

65. I think that in this thread there's been some

lack of precision about some of the numbers.

Earning $250k per year (all taxable) is different from working and earning whatever, and on top of that having $100k per year income from interest. Interest payments are so low these days, that the capital to generate that amount of money would be quite large.

Others have also pointed out that there are vast gulfs between people at various levels of income.

Anyway, I likewise consider vacationing in style to include first class air fare and staying at a pretty nice hotel. It's actually possible to get less expensive first class plane tickets if you plan ahead rather carefully. Sometimes those fares are greatly discounted several months ahead of time, depending on exactly where you're planning to go and when you'll make the trip.

Sometimes, just getting away for a couple of days (as I did recently) and simply booking something a little above the most basic room at the hotel can feel quite luxurious.

And you are absolutely right that it's a lot easier to burn through large sums of money than most people understand. Which is why so many mega lottery winners wind up totally broke inside of five years. You may have gotten a large sum of money, but it's still not infinite.

All too often people just spend whatever comes their way, and save almost nothing. In fairness, we are surrounded by cultural messages to spend spend spend. I find that without a TV I am largely not exposed to those messages, and since these days I have a somewhat limited income, I just don't go out to stores other than to buy what I specifically need. It's been interesting to watch my own consumerist behavior changing in the last four years.