Some interesting paragraphs about Bernie Sanders' lifestyle.

[madfloridian]

The differences

Unlike Clinton and the vast majority of his Senate colleagues, Sanders has parlayed his career in public service into a lifestyle that is less than lavish. He makes $174,000, a salary frozen since 2009. He lives in a narrow, two-floor, one-bedroom townhouse on Capitol Hill that he bought (from me) for less than $500,000. There's a window air-conditioning unit on the second floor because the 125-year-old home doesn't have central air. It's worth the price of a mansion in Iowa or New Hampshire or Vermont, but it's modest for a walk-to-work crash pad a few blocks from the Senate.

His net worth, based on disclosed ranges, is somewhere between $110,000 and $551,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He has debts of up to $65,000 or so. If he gave three or four Clinton speeches, he could retire. Not that he would do either. Sanders said Thursday that he grew up poor, that his father dropped out of high school, and that his brother introduced him to books, of which there were not a lot around the Sanders household.

I guess he owns a home in Vermont also.

[daleanime]

1. Cool, thanks for the information....

[Fred Sanders]

2. Why just compare to Clinton who has no choice but to play by the imposed election laws, or no laws, of oligarchy?

Why not compare the wealth generation and wealth corruption of the entire Republican Party that openly embraces political corruption and money and religion in politics?

Who from and what for has Cruz and Rubio and the rest of the Clown Car collected or want to collect massive amounts of money from....to the point of openly licking the boots of openly disgusting casino magnates with a passionate political agenda, including one directly hostile to the foreign policy of the American government?

If the mass media really, really want to have a broad based, not double standard, principled discussion about the corrosive effect of money in politics and how that money is raised....YES, PLEASE...do it!

Rec. for the post, because I love Bernie and I hate how the media is going to twist his words and his principles to their own agendas.

[madfloridian]

3. Okay, since I don't want to attack Clinton or anyone else.....I edited.

I only took 2 paragraphs from the article.

Don't want to make anyone angry.

[Fred Sanders]

9. If Sanders gave 3 or 4 Clinton speeches, he would be rich...but what about Clown Car private speeches to the Koch's and Adelson's...

[madfloridian]

17. They should include everyone in both parties beholden to billionaires.

[upaloopa]

27. Franklin Roosevelt was rich. Probably as liberal

as Bernie. I would have to compare records.

[MuseRider]

4. The really good thing about Senator Sanders

is his record will show (I hope but am only really beginning to deeply look into his past) that he has been this way forever. His ideas, ideals and policy work has always been about the same things. Making government work for us. He is consistently a man for the regular people.

Thanks for the article.

[arcane1]

26. So far, I have found nothing but consistency in him, over DECADES.

I don't like to over-use the word "genuine" but it really does apply here.

[MuseRider]

29. That is what I know about him as well.

I have not spent a whole lot of time yet because....life! I will be checking but I cannot remember a single time I thought "Noooo, that is a sucky thing to do!" For years everything I hear makes me silently nod my head and be grateful that he is there.

I think genuine does apply here in all the good ways that it can mean.

I know of one or two times I have been a little unhappy with him but both things were understandable from his point of view but I can't remember being put off enough to drop all support.

[arcane1]

30. Indeed. I'm sure I won't agree with him 100% on everything, but...

It's damned close!

[geretogo]

5. Go Bernie GO !!!

[Moostache]

6. I LOVE Bernie Sanders...

BUT...everyone DOES realize that at $179,000 per year and a net worth in the vicinity of $500,000 he is STILL a member of the 1%, right? He is not banging on the membership door of the top 0.01% (the REAL villains of the political world), but he is also not down among the mean US income either.

Don't get me wrong. I think his head and heart and principles are all in the right place, or at the very least closely align with my own in ways other candidates simply do not. He is unquestionably a dedicated and principled public servant, the kind of leader I always envisioned as a child - smart, empathetic, caring and courageous.

I think he would make a fantastic president, but I do not for one second believe he has a snow ball's chance in hell of actually winning.

The fact is even though he is all of the good things I stated and many, many more, his government salary still places him in the top 1% of incomes and his net worth is not exactly negative or below an annual salary level either. The problem with our politics is not that Bernie Sanders is in the 1%, the problem is that the 1% itself only contains about 1% his ilk and 99% the ilk of Cruz/Rubio/Walker etc.

The further we get into oligarchy and the temptations of fascism, the further away additional Bernie Sanders-style politicians and ideals get as well. The government is NOT of the people any longer. It is of the 1%, period. Not all of the 1% is evil, but its also far from representative of the people. If it was, our national priorities and conversations would be far, far, far different than they are. I just hope Sanders stays in the race long enough to get some of those priorities a minimal hearing.

[erronis]

8. Having lived in DC (but not had a politician's expenses)

I can tell you the $179,000 is a very modest wage. Of course many people live in DC on much, much less. Owning a home is out of consideration. Most middle class (are they still there?) live in the suburbs and commute in from Dale City or Frederick or Columbia or beyond - a 1-2 hour commute is normal.

My family (living in Vermont) were also in the top 1% until I retired. Two incomes and/or multiple jobs are necessary thanks to the stratification of wealth that has occurred mainly since the 70's.

I would really love to see a scientific approach to allocating wealth and income. I know it ain't going to happen. But something that rewards people for doing hard work that other people don't want to do. No rewards for knowing the right people or being born with silver spoons crowding your mouth.

Perhaps we could have a world-wide discussion on how to fairly allocate current wealth and on-going incomes. Even if it was just an academic exercise it should shed some light on the darkness that is rotting capitalism.

[Fred Sanders]

10. There is no Purity Test. "The 1%" is not a single monolithic three eyed Hydra of myth and fable.

Sanders has taken his civil servant recompence for doing a professional grade job and done nothing more than live deservedly well and financially stress-free on a well earned and deserved salary equal to the responsibility and importance of the Office. You want your elected officials to concentrate on their elected job, at least that was the noble theory, on paper.

The salary of an elected officer , like a judicial officer, was always intended to be enough, just enough, so that the holder of the public office would not be susceptible to influence peddling and bribery.

Which all went out the window with elections requiring money and then money requiring a quid pro quo...and then it all kind of went out with the bathwater when SCOTUS pretended 6 years ago that Congress would fix their legal nuking of most federal, state and election money laws in one act of constitutional carpet bombing.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

28. ^ n/t

[hueymahl]

11. Bernie is NOT part of the 1%

His income, assuming his wife does not also have income, puts him in the top 14%. That is a far, far, far ways away from the top 1%, both in income and attitude. You need a little more than $750k annual income to be in the top 1% (source: http://www.whatsmypercent.com/ which is sourced from the census and other government sources)

Even if he statistically qualified, he would not be part of the 1%. They wouldn't have him.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

13. They wouldn't have him!

So True. Reminds me of how both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt were seen as "traitors" to their class. You have to have a shitload of dough and be a heartless bastard for the 1% to welcome you to the club.

[A Simple Game]

15. Wrong, wrong, wrong. A snowball will have a very good chance in hell because

when Bernie declared himself a candidate, hell froze over.

[magical thyme]

19. his income puts him near the bottom of the top 5%, not 1%

WHAT THE TOP 1%, 5%, 10%, 25% and 50% MAKE IN AMERICABased on the Internal Revenue Service’s 2010-2014 database below, here’s how much the top Americans make:
Top 1%: $380,354
Top 5%: $159,619
Top 10%: $113,799
Top 25%: $67,280
Top 50%: >$33,048 -
See more at: http://www.financialsamurai.com/how-much-money-do-the-top-income-earners-make-percent/#sthash.u09ZecrO.dpuf

And his net worth is somewhere between 110k and 500K. That's not the same as 'in the vicinity of $500k.

No, he is not currently poor. If he were, he wouldn't be in the senate, nobody would have heard of him, and he wouldn't be running for president.

But he grew up poor and clearly learned good lessons from that.

[hfojvt]

33. one trouble with IRS stats (although I use them myself)

is that teenagers with jobs are filing tax returns, and so are college students (even though they may be living at home and still supported by their parents).

My nephew may have made $5,000 with his summer job. In IRS stats he shows up in the bottom 50%, but he's really still part of my brother's household. If you have 5-10 million young people filing taxes, that adds both to the household total as well as to the bottom 50%. In 2008, for example there were 139 million tax filers, whereas the 2011 census of wealth shows only 119 million households. Well, 1% of 139 million is gonna be 1.17% of 119 million. 10% is gonna be closer to 12%.

So their income levels are likely to be a little bit low.

I would hope, and expect, considering the income he has made, that he's on the high end of the $100,000 to $500,000 range.

[totodeinhere]

37. Most of his income is his Senate salary and nothing more.

He is not in this to line his own pockets.

[SheilaT]

24. Actually,

I think his income and net worth only puts him in the top 10%. Not that being in the top 10% is bad, but it's a very, very long way from the numbers the top 1% can produce for income and net worth.

A quick Google search says (it's dated January 2014 but probably hasn't changed much since then) that the top 10 percent of earners have a household income of more than $148,687. To be considered in the top 1 percent, household income is at least $521,411. It takes about 8 million dollars to be in the top 1% of net worth, and just under a million dollars to be in the top 10%.

So Bernie is just about in the top 10%, maybe no better than the top 20% based on his salary and net worth.

[pangaia]

32. Bernie Sanders is not part of the 1%.

And even if he were, he is not a 'one-percenter.' I would suggest it is more one's attitude about wealth than actual wealth that matters, at least up to a point.
And,, the U S Olympic Hockey team didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of beating the Russians. But they did it.

[SMC22307]

39. Wrong. Sanders' income and wealth levels are NOT top 1%.

His income would need to be at least $380,000, and his net worth around $8.4 MILLION.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/measuring-the-top-1-by-wealth-not-income/?_r=0

[redruddyred]

7. the was a story in the boston globe the other day, on the front page

a chart showing the candidates net worthy from highest to lowest.
of course hillary is fabulously rich.
I think sanders is the real deal, his politics seem to come out of a place of anger and moral outrage rather than what he thinks people want to hear. that said, I think his platform may be a crowdpleaser.

[L0oniX]

12. K & R

[juxtaposed]

14. also sanders was awarded the vfw's highest award!!!!!!

[Jackpine Radical]

16. Yes, but don't forget Hillary & Bill were broke & deeply in debt

when they left the White House. I think that's why Hill has shown such dedication to alleviating the plight of the poor. A few of those $400,000 speeches came in mighty handy in lifting the Clintons out of poverty and into the lower middle class with the rest of us.

[madfloridian]

20. .....

[NYC_SKP]

40. Bill and daughter are this week on a luxury Safari...

...with billionaire donors:

Bill Clinton's Africa entourage
Donors and big campaign fundraisers join him on his annual foundation trip abroad.

On their nine-day trip to Africa, Bill and Chelsea Clinton are traveling with 20 wealthy donors and foundation supporters, a group that includes fundraisers for Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid and others who are expected to give generously to her campaign.

The opportunity to accompany Bill Clinton on trips across the globe on behalf of his philanthropic foundation has for years been considered both a reward for past donations and an inducement for future giving, say sources familiar with the foundation’s finance operation. This trip, they say, was an especially coveted invite — one that was extended to wealthy Clinton supporters.

The foundation, which provided the list of donors on the trip upon POLITICO’s request, said the group represents both longtime supporters as well as those who are just getting involved, and provides an opportunity to see the projects they are specifically funding.

Along this year for the annual foundation trip abroad is Jay Jacobs and his wife, Mindy, longtime Clinton fundraisers and foundation supporters. Jacobs, who has donated between $500,000 and $1 million to the foundation, is also a “Hillstarter,” a “Ready for Hillary” donor, and is planning to be a major fundraiser for Clinton campaign, as he was in 2008. Last month, Jacobs, the CEO of a chain of summer camps, brought Clinton in to give a paid speech at the American Camp Association, where he also lead a q-and-a session with her on the stage.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder speaks at the IDEAL Group Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 in Detroit. Snyder announced a plan to ask the Obama administration to set aside thousands of work visas to entice talented immigrants to live and work in bankrupt Detroit. The Republican governor said he is seeking 50,000 work visas solely for the city over five years. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/bill-clintons-africa-entourage-117445.html#ixzz3YxDX7SCw

So, they're roughing it.

[tclambert]

18. Is this his home in Vermont?

And are these his neighbors?

[Jackpine Radical]

21. Yes, but it's a long walk to work from there.

[Enthusiast]

22. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch! Thank you, madfloridian!

Yay, Bernie!

[C Moon]

23. I hope this gets around. This is fantastic!

[madfloridian]

34. The one a/c unit got my interest.

Must get really hot in the rest of the house.

[IHateTheGOP]

25. Great example of the difference between Occupy and the Pea Party

Bernie supported by Occupy while the Pea Party supports the likes of the latest shithole.

[hfojvt]

31. my own net worth falls in the same range

but I don't think that reflects well on Sanders. He's been in Congress since 1991, or 24 years. His total salary for those 24 years, including this year - is $3 million.

My total salary since 1991 less than $400,000.

Let's not pretend that he's working poor or something. Apparently been spending a lot of his money, rather than saving it. He bought a townhouse for $500,000? Why doesn't he have $70,000 in equity in it by now? Heck, more. Hasn't DC real estate appreciated in the last decade? Maybe the appraised value of the town home doesn't count in his net worth.

"If he gave 3 or 4 Clinton speeches, he could retire."

Puh-lease. He's 73 years old. He could retire right frigging now and probably draw a pension over $100,000 a year. Is that somehow NOT enough for him to live well on, without giving some speeches?

He's not as rich as the Clinton's but he's NOT an average American either.

[Skittles]

38. I think that net worth estimate is ridiculous

something does not add up - literally

[madfloridian]

41. "Let's not pretend that he's working poor or something."

[madfloridian]

43. I gather you are not fond of Bernie Sanders.

So why post in this group?

[hfojvt]

45. I'm actually quite fond of him

but not of the pretense that somebody making Congressional pay is an average working class American.

And I won't be supporting him either publicly or privately or with money.

This thread happened to be on the front page of DU when I found it. Either a greatest thread or "trending now".

[dreamnightwind]

35. K & R, he is the real deal

[totodeinhere]

36. A real man of the people.

You know what this tells us? Bernie cannot be bought. His only motivation will be doing what he believes is best for the people of this country and I mean all the people, just not a rich few. He is not in it to line his own pockets.

[d_legendary1]

42. As Tom Harmann calls him "America's Senator"

I would call him "America's President"

[99th_Monkey]

44. Bernie's clearly the guy for the job.

I'm so happy he's running. He's totally got my support and my vote.

Thanks for posting this.