General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Regarding things from the south. [View all]JustAnotherGen
(31,631 posts)$80K is a tremendous amount of money to a family of four in Alabama.
Central NJ - not so much.
First - with our personal income STATE tax - they are down to about 58K.
Small three bedroom home - what we are looking at - property taxes range from 8 to 13 K a year. Let's assume they are going to pay 10K. Now they are down to 48K.
That house - Starts at 267K. Assuming they put 5% down - now you have about 1800 a month in mortgage - round figure 19K. 29K.
Insurance - include two late model cars they own and that flood zone map for the house - $2500
26.5 K.
Health Insurance - Round off to 6K. 20K.
They have co pays, groceries, gas and electric - PSEG - Average to about $150 per month.
They have to save as we are being told we are Social Security Insecure - that fix is in.
Now one person loses their job . . .
I count my blessings everyday - but we can't assume everyone in NJ, or MA, or NY is the 1%. When you come to NYC or the Jersey Shore on vacation - someone has to clean your hotel room and work the Hoagie stand. Thats the majority here.
It would be a bitter pill to swallow when I don't begrudge a single cent we pay in Federal Taxes each year- to be told - pay even more because your poor aren't poor enough.
And unless you are making $15 an hour in my community - you aren't making it.
Do you realize the majority of our school budgets come from property taxes here? Can every person in every town across America do the same? I understand that the answer to desegregation was the formation f the Christian Private School System. I need the folks sending their kids to those schools to do the same thing my parents did when they sent me to a prep school - go in and vote for the biggest, most aggressive budget that will give all children a stellar education.
I need to see some sacrifice from the top ten percent of the Southern States before I take from the kids of Bridgewater NJ.
And every single day my husband and I count our blessings. Because we make far more than that median 80K a year. We count our blessings every single day.