Thomas Sowell @ Townhall – That One Percent

In follow up to his Income Confusion columns which I posted on 25 November 2007 here, Mr Sowell wrote a column entitled “That One Percent” that I had missed until now.

He attempts to answer these questions:

Who are those top one percent? For those who would like to join them, the question is: How can you do that?

The MM always seems to pay more attention to this group of people than other 99%. But, do they deserve this scrutiny? Probably not.

Mr Sowell confirms that this group is just like any other group. That means that everyone is moving up and down in the income brackets. In fact, he states:

At the highest income levels, people are especially likely to be transient at that level. Recent data from the Internal Revenue Service show that more than half the people who were in the top one percent in 1996 were no longer there in 2005.

Among the top one-hundredth of one percent, three-quarters of them were no longer there at the end of the decade.

So, these people just reached their high point of income and drop down. Just like you and me. In his article, Mr Sowell confirms how the MM is always spinning the statistics in certain way to create division between the classes.  A typical liberal ploy and confirmation of my previous post.
Mr Sowell concludes his column:

Most income statistics do not follow given individuals from year to year, the way Internal Revenue statistics do. But those other statistics can create the misleading illusion that they do by comparing income brackets from year to year, even though people are moving in and out of those brackets all the time.

That especially includes the top one percent, who have become the focus of so much angst and so much rhetoric.

So true.  Maybe we can focus a little more on the facts behind on statistics instead of spinning. But that will probably never happen.

A Special You

A Special You

You are who you are for a reason.
You’re part of an intricate plan.
You’re a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God’s special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You’re just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones He chose,
And not matter how you may feel,
They were custom designed with God’s plan in mind,
And they bear the Master’s seal.

No, that trauma you face is not easy.
And God wept that it hurts you so;
But it is allowed to shape your hear
So that into His likeness you grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You’ve been formed by the Master’s rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a GOD!