Class-related
Questions 11-20
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THE
QUESTION:
C13: To people who are homeless, have been homeless or are
experts on the topic: What types of class and power structures do
homeless communities institute and follow among themselves? This
culture must fend for itself, so I imagine its members follow some
unwritten codes for survival. What are they?
POSTED MARCH 11, 1999
Ed V., 37, white, middle-class professional student
<EdVirden@aol.com>, San
Clemente , CA
ANSWER 1:
I found your question interesting. Living in Montreal,
Canada, we are also not oblivious to the plight of the homeless.
There are about 30,000 in my city. I used to be homeless and am now
finishing two degrees from university work with homeless people. Some
comments: 1) The homeless befriend others who they trust; usually
people the same as them; 2) They find centers or shelters to survive;
and 3) They panhandle and hope for humanity from others. Take
care.
POSTED MARCH 15, 1999
Homeless people
<matt269@hotmail.com>,
San Clemente, CA
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THE QUESTION:
C12: Why does the middle class pay more taxes than the upper
class?
POSTED FEB. 24, 1999
Dan M., male, Lawrence, KS
ANSWER 1:
The upper class take advantage of all the tax shelters
written into the tax code. You too can take these shelters if you
have the proper advice.
POSTED FEB. 25, 1999
Phuman, Adrian, MI
FURTHER NOTICE:
The upper class controls government, and government
decides who pays how much in taxes. Although it may appear we have an
equitable tax system, there are numerous loopholes to allow the upper
class to dodge paying their fair portion of the tax bill. Viewed this
way, it only makes sense that the upper class would not pass laws
against themselves. Don't believe the upper class controls the
government? Name five senators or congressmen from low- or
middle-income families. Name five high-ranking government officials
from low- or middle-income brackets. Can you think of any that are
truly from the working class? That's the way our political system is
set up.
POSTED FEB. 25, 1999
Angie W., female
<ajwalden@falcon.ukans.edu.com>,
Lawrence , KS
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
The upper class always pays more taxes than the middle
class. The current tax rates are designed so that the tax percentage
is higher as your income goes up. Even if the tax rates were the
same, the more money you had, the more you would pay. So while you
might be paying a combined income tax rate of 35 percent at a middle
class tax bracket, someone in a higher tax bracket might be paying 50
percent, and since they make more money, they are paying far more
than you ever would. And that is just dealing with the income tax.
Married couples, who tend to have a higher household income (and
therefore a higher tax bracket), also get charged more in taxes than
single people. Also, many upper-class people are in that class
because they own businesses, and since businesses are taxed on top of
personal income taxes, they get taxed more than once. While some
business owners will pass that cost on to customers, that seldom
covers the entire additional tax burden. The only difference is that
upper-class people typically have more left over after taxes than
middle-class people, which makes sense. If you work hard to become
more successful and make more money, you should be able to do what
you want with that money. No one else should feel entitled to take
away the rewards of your hard work. Also, consider that most of the
money from taxes goes to programs that upper-class people will never
benefit from, even though they are paying a higher share of the tax
burden for those programs.
POSTED FEB. 25, 1999
John K., 25, male
<the-macs@geocities.com>,
Cranford , NJ
FURTHER NOTICE 3:
Tax breaks given for large investments in businesses or
charities, which most of the upper-class have money for. The upper
class can use these investments as loopholes to the tax code, and use
the loopholes to reduce the amount of tax they have to pay. The upper
class can usually afford another nice amenity: A tax accountant, who
will advise them how to pay as little tax as possible.
POSTED FEB. 25, 1999
A.R.
<Adam.Risley@valpo.edu>,
Valparaiso , IN
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THE QUESTION:
C11: What does it mean when someone ties their shoes together
by the laces and then throws them over a power line? I've seen shoes
dangling on power lines in movies and around town, generally in
low-income neighborhoods.
POSTED FEB. 5, 1999
Jodi, 25, white female, Houston, TX
ANSWER 1:
I have seen the same thing, with one exception. I have
seen multiple pairs of shoes tied together and thrown in a tree. It
is quite noticeable this time of year in Michigan. One theory I heard
is that it is a marker for gang territory. I'd also like to hear more
from anyone who is more educated on the subject.
POSTED FEB. 8, 1999
Patrick, 27, white male
<hawkstu@juno.com>, Wixom
, MI
FURTHER NOTICE:
This is a classic nasty prank pulled by bullies in upscale
suburbs as well as lower-income neighborhoods. The bully humiliates
the victim by taking the sneakers and flinging them where they are
irretrievable and stand out as a monument to the bully's
dominance.
POSTED FEB. 8, 1999
B. Hale,
<halehart@aol.com>,
Hartford , CT
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
The tying of tennis shoes together in my community is done
to memorialize a dead youth. The shoes are then thrown over a power
line in the youth's "Hood."
POSTED FEB. 10, 1999
African American
<drena7@yahoo.com>,
Baltimore , MD
FURTHER NOTICE 3:
I heard a rumor about the sneakers being a sign of gang
territory and drug deals. In my city, I see it more often near the
beach than anywhere else. Whatever the case, it certainly is an
eyesore.
POSTED FEB. 10, 1999
Cassandra 29, white female, San Diego, CA
FURTHER NOTICE 4:
As a person who lives in a city with a huge drug problem,
I can say quite confidently that the tied shoes or sneakers on power
lines, trees, etc. mean that this is a place to get drugs.
POSTED FEB. 12, 1999
Kevin H., male, 42
<kevin@javanet.com>,
Holyoke , Ma
FURTHER NOTICE 5:
In some cultures in the Middle East shoes are considered
dirty and humiliating (for the same reason in some cultures itis rude
to sit in a way that makes the soles of your feet visible).
Consequently, the custom of throwing shoes on power lines is common
in Palestinian communities, because for the locals that means the
Israeli soldiers who walk under those power lines are humiliated. I
know this sounds weird, but it is true.
POSTED FEB. 15, 1999
Israeli woman, Jerusalem, Israel
FURTHER NOTICE 6:
I'm kind of surprised that all this shoe-throwing is
supposed to be gang-related. It's been going on for years and years.
Usually someone has a hole in their shoe, decides to throw it out and
figures it's more fun to pitch it over the phone lines than in a
trash can. Sometimes alcohol is involved. Bloomington's really big on
this because of all the kids from Indiana University. When I was
little, the kids in my neighborhood used to throw those glass balls
on string that you were suppose to knock together over the phone
lines. Now that those are gone, I guess it's shoes. Has anyone ever
known someone in a gang and asked them about shoes and phone lines?
I'm just curious if this old custom has turned into something
new.
POSTED FEB. 15, 1999
33-year-old white female, Indianopolis, IN
FURTHER NOTICE 7:
Kids throw their shoes up on power lines because ...
they're kids. Period. No drugs or gangs or any such thing. I know it
has nothing to do with drugs because I've been an addict since I was
13. And it has nothing to do with gangs because I grew up with Crips
in Venice, CA. Maybe someone, somewhere did thow them up there for
those reasons, but generally not. People should stop reading so much
into little things.
POSTED MARCH 16, 1999
Kyle, 30, black male
<kyllr2v231@aol.com>,
San Francisco, CA
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