this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2025
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The top 10% of earners—households making about $250,000 a year or more—are splurging on everything from vacations to designer handbags, buoyed by big gains in stocks, real estate and other assets.

Those consumers now account for 49.7% of all spending, a record in data going back to 1989, according to an analysis by Moody’s Analytics. Three decades ago, they accounted for about 36%.

The top-level post uses a gift link. When it runs out, there is an archived copy of the article.

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[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 12 points 1 hour ago

That's because they've seized all the money.

[–] commander@lemmings.world 16 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

"Depends" is the wrong way to frame it.

Essentially, this means we're serving them.

I keep trying to explain, billionaires aren't the only issue. Stop looking up to millionaires, too. They're both ripping us off.

Don't ever go to bat for them unless you want to be a useful idiot.

[–] pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de 31 points 4 hours ago (3 children)

The highest earning 10% also have about 67% of the wealth, so they are actually underperforming compared to the rest of the population. It's just that they have all the money.

[–] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 minutes ago

Thanks for the number, do you have a link where you got it from? I suspected something like this might be the case, but I couldn't find a source easily online.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 1 points 31 minutes ago* (last edited 19 minutes ago)

they are actually underperforming compared to the rest of the population

They always do, which is a big part of why the "FairTax[sic]" is such a scam.

And by "always," I mean literally without exception, because the difference between the working class and owner class is defined by it.

[–] commander@lemmings.world 11 points 3 hours ago

Just passing a bunch of money around at the top.

What's funny is, I guarantee all of these people will say without flinching, "I need more money."

[–] alykanas@slrpnk.net 8 points 5 hours ago

Thank goodness for the rich. I’ve nothing against the poor but they’re such drag on my economy

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 83 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

They're literally trying to build an economy that starves regular people out of it. They don't care anymore, they want it all.

A whole ass country full of fucking Veruca Salts.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago

Well, there's 2 Verucas running the white House right now. I'm sure they care about fixing this issue.

[–] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 76 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

What an insidious way to frame poverty and wealth disparity.

I cannot remember a time a headline filled me with such hatred and anger toward a person.

I hope Ms. Ensign gets exactly what she deserves.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 6 hours ago

Her WSJ biography REEKS of boot licking and discredited economic theory:

[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 22 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

It's fitting imo, because they've stolen the wealth and think that Luigi's case is just a freak accident rather than the upcoming Bell Riots.

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 4 points 3 hours ago

On a side note, I always figured the Bell Riots that were supposed to be back in September of our timeline were just a hair delayed and slightly miscalculated.

[–] DrFistington@lemmy.world 58 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Maybe if you didn't fucking rob the other 90%, the numbers would be different.

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 49 minutes ago

$250K isn’t that outrageous of a household income (or at least it shouldn’t be); literally two good white collar jobs would reach that point in the coastal cities.

The bigger thing at issue is to not frame it as 90% vs 10%, it’s literally 99% vs 1% — if not 99.9% vs. 0.1% if we are really talking about the ‘disconnected from reality wealthy’.

That’s the line that the wealthiest amongst us are trying to draw, in order to build class disunity. A white-collar household pulling in $250K has a lot more in common with a blue-collar household pulling in $65K, than they do the oligarchy above them.

[–] commander@lemmings.world -2 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

It's not really robbing when the useful idiots are proud to give up their wealth and power.

Look at all the dumb shit people subscribe to that they could be getting for free. Look at all the dumb shit they waste their money on (like doordash) while complaining they need more.

It's a cultural problem, and the average worker is proud to be a part of it.

Whenever you suggest they could be doing something differently, like using free streaming sites instead of netflix, they will look at you like you're worse than a pedophile because you dared to suggest they're wasting money.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

The average worker has no choice but to funnel their money up the wealth chain through rent and mortgages. That's the bulk of it.

[–] commander@lemmings.world -4 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (2 children)

Wrong. We can all choose to live and appreciate more modest lives.

I haven't eaten at a restaurant or bought a video game in years, for example. If more people appreciated what they have instead of always wanting more, these problems would be solved overnight.

through rent and mortgages.

The housing market is complete bullshit, but workers also have themselves to blame for accepting renting as normal. We need to discourage renting and encourage ownership. Unfortunately, in order to do that people need to be willing to live more modest lifestyles outside of major cities. Supply and demand doesn't go away just because we want it to.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Its not the workers who are to blame. Its the folks who aspires to live on "passive income" who used housing as a vehicle to steal wealth from the younger generations. I finished high school during the GFC and everything about the housing market has been fucked since then.

[–] commander@lemmings.world 0 points 2 hours ago

Its not the workers who are to blame.

No, workers absolutely bear some of the blame. They choose to go along with consumerism and attack anyone who goes against it.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Mate, I have an electrical engineering degree and work for a big chip design company. Wages have stagnated to the point where I can never afford afford to buy a house, and rent eats nearly half my wages. I live a modest life and the only time I travelled was when I was working full time in Europe. Never been on a holiday. There's literally nothing I could have done to fix that except find a squat to live, or put up with share houses into my thirties. No family I can live with. Its out of many peoples control. The house I rent is valued at 1.2 million in Melbourne. It was 370k 15 years ago.

[–] commander@lemmings.world -5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

where I can never afford afford to buy a house

A house where? In a suburb for $250,000+? You know you can buy houses for <$100k, right? Some people's cars cost more than my house, but I don't need more.

The house I rent is valued at 1.2 million in Melbourne.

Yeah, you're part of the problem. You need to be willing a more modest lifestyle. Ask yourself this, if you need more, how do others survive with significantly less? They probably don't live in major cities, for one. If you think you're entitled to live in a major city, then you're part of the problem.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

You are commenting from an American perspective. There are no houses in Australian capital cities for less than 100k. And there are no job opportunities for many professions outside the capital cities.

[–] commander@lemmings.world -3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Is there any room for ya'll to spread out and build more?

And there are no job opportunities for many professions outside the capital cities.

That's not how jobs work, mi amigo. The more people that live in a given area, the more jobs will be available. You might not get paid as much, but to make the argument that there's no work or that your job can't be done remotely is false.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Whatever mate. You don't know a fucking thing about the job market and housing market in Australia. Get fucked seppo.

[–] commander@lemmings.world -5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Right. Anything to avoid admitting you have some control over your situation.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 7 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Ah yes. The American libertarian position. If you find an affordable rental in Australia during a housing crisis let me know.

[–] commander@lemmings.world -4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I'm definitely not a libertarian.

We have a lot of room though and should spread out. Supply and demand. It won't be glamorous at first, but we should be investing in making more places livable.

Think about it like this. There are already people who live in those areas that "aren't good enough" for you. Why should you get more before they do? Doesn't it make more sense to improve those areas which will increase the supply of livable places?

The fact we never discuss these things shows how far removed we are from wanting actual solutions to our actual problems. It's why things are the way they are, to be honest.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I grew up in the country side working on farms. Post covid I can't even afford a house there because boomers priced me out. My expectations have been meager my whole life. It took me six months to land a shitty 60s falling down 2 bedroom place during our housing crises. In Australia many people get evicted after 12 months and lose their savings to moving costs. You Americans need to stop telling people from other countries what to do.

[–] commander@lemmings.world -1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

That's fine. Instead of arguing against building and improving housing outside of major cities to increase the supply, you could be arguing in favor of it?

That way, there's more supply to meet the demand. This should (in theory) reduce prices because there's more to go around for the people who want to buy it.

[–] goodthanks@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

The only way expansion works I'm Australia is if we build new cities like what they have in Europe and US. Commuting 3 hours to work is not feasible for anyone.

[–] sumguyonline@lemmy.world 33 points 9 hours ago

BECAUSE! They.Stole.all.the.MONEY!