Class-related Questions 11-20

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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