If there's one thing Americans love, besides cheese-filled sausages, it's boiling down their every trait and unique essence into a monetary figure that defines who they are. To that end, the New York Times has an nifty interactive map that tells you which "percent" you are both nationally and compared to other areas of the country. We'd be King of Danville!
In the accompanying article, the actual identity of the reviled 1% becomes more complex, as it includes households who earn $380,000 and billions alike. They're also three times more likely than the 99 percent to put in more than 50 hours a week at work, and many are self-employed. Most of those 1 percenters surveyed for the article "viewed the current system as unfair," and believed that the wealthy should shoulder the country's tax burden. But not surprisingly, they tend to prefer spending cuts to higher taxes.
“I don’t mind paying a little bit more in taxes. I don’t mind putting money to programs that help the poor,” a Manhassaet resident and owner of a medical malpractice insurance firm tells the paper. “If those people could camp out in that park all day, why aren’t they out looking for a job? Why are they blaming others?”
A married oncologist living in *ahem* Lake Success, whose husband is also a doctor, disputed the accuracy of the slogan "We Are the 99%."
“I spent four years in undergraduate school, four years in medical school, three years as a resident and three years as a fellow. You have to look at the people who are complaining.”
There is, of course, also confirmation of stereotypes that the wealthy are Republican and out-of-touch. John Kaiman, North Hampstead's town supervisor touted the diversity of the area, which is 82% white and 7% Asian. “Some people live in $10 million houses and some people live in half-million-dollar houses, and their kids are playing basketball together.” if that's not the American Dream, what is?
