The 1% hide their money offshore, then use it to corrupt our democracy

Re:The 1% hide their money offshore, then use it to corrupt ... by beeboop on Monday April 11, 2016 @11:18AM (#11472068)

OP is probably referring to US, where doctors are paid a lot more than most places and "laywers" in this context has the connotation of a partner at a law firm, not just some random person working in the law field who passed the bar exam. Partners in law firms are easily and often bringing in 500k+ every year. And doctors in the US are generally making a minimum of 200k, with the average being closer to 300-350 if I remember the stats I saw recently correctly.

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Re:The 1% hide their money offshore, then use it to corrupt ... by arethuza on Monday April 11, 2016 @11:38AM (#11472243)

"Lawyers earned a median salary of $114,970 in 2014, according to the BLS. The best-paid lawyers earned more than $187,199, while the lowest-paid made less than $55,400"

http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/lawyer/salary

No idea whether everyone equates "lawyer" to "partner" in the US - certainly not the case in the UK where most qualified lawyers are not partners (except in very small firms).

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Re:The 1% hide their money offshore, then use it to corrupt ... by beeboop on Monday April 11, 2016 @11:48AM (#11472329)

I am not sure why you just quoted stats for average lawyer salaries immediately after I just said the average lawyer is not what the OP is referring to.

Lawyers does not automatically mean "partner" in the US, hence why I said "in this context". The OP is saying the majority of the 1% of income earners are things like doctors and lawyers. Not that "lawyers in general" are 1%ers.

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Re:The 1% hide their money offshore, then use it to corrupt ... by arethuza on Monday April 11, 2016 @12:00PM (#11472444)

Apologies - I manage to misread your comment to be the opposite of what it actually is!

[Edit: have an upvote]

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Re:The 1% hide their money offshore, then use it to corrupt ... by JeremyNT on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @09:25AM (#11479312)

I believe you are mischaracterising what the OP said. Take a look at what was written:

> The 1% are your small town local doctor and lawyer

Which is, I believe, demonstrably untrue. "Small town" [x] will earn less than "big city" [x] in general, and there are few elite medical facilities or high powered law firms in small towns.

This may seem like pedantry, but it's important to watch for this kind of language: the talking point that "small town doctors" are in the 1% is a powerful tool in trying to convince people that "the 1%" are just plain 'ol folk. You wouldn't want to tax good 'ol Atticus Finch, would you? I mean, he's barely getting by as it is!

If OP had said "high performing doctors and lawyers" rather than "small town doctors and lawyers," that would be a much more accurate statement which would carry a very different connotation.

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