I love hyperbole. It is a fact that those engaging in hyperbole are more likely to go a bit overboard and, in the process, torpedo themselves quite handily.
The incident in question is an article written by Ana Swanson over at the Washington Post. The article is a class-warfare piece attempting to show how filthy rich, and therefore despicable, are the top 1%. The problem comes because Ana wasn't satisfied with talking about the richest 1% in the US, she decided to expand her tirade to the 1% richest people in the world.
The problem is that the two couldn't be further apart. In the US, the top 1% earn more than $380K a year. Worldwide, you are in the top 1% of earners if you make $32,500 a year. Try buying a luxury car or a mansion on $32,500 a year... yes, you are in the top 1% of earners, globally, but no, that doesn't make you rich.
CNN even offers a little interactive tool that allows you to see where your income falls in the great scheme of things. Just push the slider to your income level, and it shows which percentile you are in.
But remember, Ana wasn't referring to the top 1% in the US, she was referring to the top 1% IN THE WORLD. The US is one of the top 10 richest countries in the world, and what the average American earns in a year can take decades for workers in some other countries to see. The median household income in the US was $50,500 in 2011, and that means that the average American household ranks in the top 0.3% of wage earners, worldwide.
There's another online tool you can use to evaluate your income or wealth ranking worldwide. Play around with it a little... you might be surprised.
Some more facts. In order to be in the top 50% of earners worldwide, you only have to make a paltry $1,305 per year. Compared to most of the rest of the world, Americans are embarrassingly rich. In fact, the rest of the world looks at us the same way that class-sensitive liberals looks at those earning more than $380K. I hope you see the irony, here... those liberals railing against the 1% ARE the 1%. I'd giggle... if I giggled.
So, Miss Ana Swanson sort of stumbled over reality without realizing it. The life she portrays from her pictures that supposedly show how the wealthy folks live, and talks about the top 1%... did she realize that she was painting everyone who earned over $32K as being one of the hated rich? Nicely done, Ana.
Anyway, for those of you liberals who thought you weren't in the top 1%... SURPRISE! How does it feel to be part of the despised 1% that you've railed against for so long?
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The incident in question is an article written by Ana Swanson over at the Washington Post. The article is a class-warfare piece attempting to show how filthy rich, and therefore despicable, are the top 1%. The problem comes because Ana wasn't satisfied with talking about the richest 1% in the US, she decided to expand her tirade to the 1% richest people in the world.
The problem is that the two couldn't be further apart. In the US, the top 1% earn more than $380K a year. Worldwide, you are in the top 1% of earners if you make $32,500 a year. Try buying a luxury car or a mansion on $32,500 a year... yes, you are in the top 1% of earners, globally, but no, that doesn't make you rich.
CNN even offers a little interactive tool that allows you to see where your income falls in the great scheme of things. Just push the slider to your income level, and it shows which percentile you are in.
But remember, Ana wasn't referring to the top 1% in the US, she was referring to the top 1% IN THE WORLD. The US is one of the top 10 richest countries in the world, and what the average American earns in a year can take decades for workers in some other countries to see. The median household income in the US was $50,500 in 2011, and that means that the average American household ranks in the top 0.3% of wage earners, worldwide.
There's another online tool you can use to evaluate your income or wealth ranking worldwide. Play around with it a little... you might be surprised.
Some more facts. In order to be in the top 50% of earners worldwide, you only have to make a paltry $1,305 per year. Compared to most of the rest of the world, Americans are embarrassingly rich. In fact, the rest of the world looks at us the same way that class-sensitive liberals looks at those earning more than $380K. I hope you see the irony, here... those liberals railing against the 1% ARE the 1%. I'd giggle... if I giggled.
So, Miss Ana Swanson sort of stumbled over reality without realizing it. The life she portrays from her pictures that supposedly show how the wealthy folks live, and talks about the top 1%... did she realize that she was painting everyone who earned over $32K as being one of the hated rich? Nicely done, Ana.
Anyway, for those of you liberals who thought you weren't in the top 1%... SURPRISE! How does it feel to be part of the despised 1% that you've railed against for so long?